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Approaches to Public Administration

Public administration is associated with three major approaches that focus on various aspects associated with the study of public administration. The three primary approaches to studying public relations are legal, political, and managerial, which encompasses tradition and new public management approach (Shafritz et al., 2016; Rosenbloom, Kravchuk & Clerkin, 2008). This paper discusses the values of approaches to public relations and how each of these approaches relates to the elements of organizational structure, view of the individual, and decision-making. The paper discusses the values associated with public administration approaches after which it proceeds to explain the relationship between each of these approaches and the elements of decision-making, vies of the individual, and organizational structure.

Values of Approaches to Public Administration

Public administration is a profession of values. According to Schultz (2017), public administrated are obliged to conduct themselves in a way that demonstrates their trustworthiness to the public. The significance of adhering to core values in public administration lies in that fact such an undertaking ensures public good and safety (Schultz, 2017; Shafritz et al., 2016). In relation to this, each of the three approaches to public administration emphasizes different values. According to Shafritz et al. (2016) and Rosenbloom et al. (2008), the legal approach perceives public administration as focused on the application and enforcement of law.  This approach emphasizes three values including individuals’ fundamental rights or individual substantive rights, procedural due process, and fairness or equity (Rosenbloom et al., 2008; Shafritz et al., 2016). In relation to these values, the legal approach holds that public administrators or administration should embrace due process while performing or discharging its tasks, respect or protect the individual rights, and practice fairness while resolving conflict between individual and government (Shafritz et al., 2016).

Political approach happens to be among the most prominent approaches to studying public administration. This approach holds that public servants or administrators should be bureaucratic or partial advocate (Danaeefard & Mostafazadeh, 2017; Rosenbloom et al., 2008). This approach upholds the values of political representativeness, political accountability, and political responsiveness through officials, who are elected, to the people. Thus, the political approach advocates for the organization of public administration around its values. The managerial approach to studying public administration emerged as a product of the movement that advocated for the reformation of the civil service in the late years of the nineteenth century within the United States (Rosenbloom et al., 2008; Shafritz et al., 2016). Civil service reforms advanced this approach as a mechanism for organizing public service. Proponents of this approach stressed the need to run the business aspect of the government in a sound businesslike style (Shafritz et al., 2016). The managerial approach emphasizes the core values of maximizing economy, efficiency, and effectiveness (Shafritz et al., 2016). As such, it can be noted that this approach is focused on minimizing the distinctions between private administration and public administration (Shafritz et al., 2016).

Relationship between Approaches to Public Administration and three Characteristic

The legal, managerial, and political approaches to public administration hold different views in relation to the elements of organization structure, decision-making, and view of the individual. When it comes to the aspect of organizational structure, the legal approach proposes the adoption of a formal legal structure or adjudicatory structure considering that such a structure tends to maximize the employment of adversary procedure (Shafritz et al., 2016; Rosenbloom et al., 2008). This approach emphasizes the formal legal or official duties of administrators and agencies, disciplinary measures against employees, limitation of discretionary power of public administration and organization, labor or employee relations, existence of a regulatory commission within public administration, and equal opportunities for employment (Rosenbloom et al., 2008; Shafritz et al., 2016).  On the other hand, the managerial approach advocates for a bureaucratic organization or an organization founded on Max Weber’s ideal form of bureaucracy (Shafritz et al., 2016).  This approach emphasizes the significance of work division based on functions or functional specialization, and politically neutral and merit-based competence employees, as a means of promoting effectiveness and efficiency (Rosenbloom et al., 2008; Shafritz et al., 2016). The political approach opposes the hierarchical structure and functional specialization, but argues for political pluralism in public administration (Shafritz et al., 2016). This approach holds that the public administration’s structure should possess all societal features by reflecting interests, values, and diverse groups or competing forces (Shafritz et al., 2016; Rosenbloom et al., 2008).  The primary concept behind pluralism in public administration is founded on the notion that since public administration serves as a government’s policy-making center, it should be structured by offering political representation to multiple, organized social, economic, and political interests existing within the larger society (Shafritz et al., 2016).

When it comes to the element of the view of individual, the legal approach perceives the individual as distinct or unique person within a unique cluster of circumstances (Shafritz et al., 2016). This approach argues that the adversary procedure allows a person to explain her or his unique and specific circumstances, her or his reasoning, and inspiration to the government administrators or decision-makers (Shafritz et al., 2016; Rosenbloom et al., 2008). As such, public administration may handle different persons in different manners, and decisions may be based on circumstances, as there is no a one-size-fits-all decision for all matters. Contrary to the legal approach, the managerial approach advocates for an impersonal perception of individuals whether a person may be an organizational employee, a victim, or a client of a public organization or agency (Shafritz et al., 2016). The political approach perceives individuals as a component of an organized or aggregate group. This approach tends to establish an individual’s concern or interest, which is identical and similar to those of other persons within the same faction or group (Shafritz et al., 2016).

When it comes to decision-making, the legal approach depends on adjudicatory process in as a means of assuring that corporations, groups, individuals and other parties are not deprived of their rights or treated in violation to the law (Rosenbloom et al., 2008). As such, the decision-making process is reasoned and founded on sound information. The managerial approach emphasizes the role of bureaucratic organization in promoting rationality. This approach favors the adoption of a rational-comprehensive approach to making decisions in public agencies (Rosenbloom et al., 2008). Some of the aspects that are considered in decision-making include limiting the number of options that should be taken into account and reducing the amount of values to be assessed in making decisions or choices from various alternatives. These measures provide public administration administrators with adequate information to choose from a range of options (Shafritz et al., 2016). The political approach advocates for a general procedure for making administrative decisions that includes the redefinition of ends, arrival at a consensus, and selection of a satisfactory decision.

Conclusion

This paper has effectively discussed the values of the managerial, legal, and political approaches to studying public administration, and how the elements of decision-making, view of the individual, and organizational structure relates to each of these approaches.