Managerial, Political, and Legal Approaches in Public Administration

 
Managerial, Political and Legal Approaches
 
Introduction
 
Public administration lacks coherence because it has number of
complex functions.
So on the whole there are three approaches to view public
administration which emerged out of its functions.
One approach which views public administration consisting of
practices similar to private sector is “managerial approach”.
“Political approach” stresses on the publicness of public
administration.
“Legal approach” emphasizes upon the importance of
sovereignty, constitutions and regulations in public
administration.
Each of these approaches has different way to look at different
values, procedural and structural arrangements, citizen and on
the knowledge development.
 
The Managerial Approach to Public
Administration
 
Those who define public administration in managerial
terms tend to minimize the distinctions between
public and private administration.
The managerial approach is further divided into two
main groups i.e. traditional managerial approach and
New Public Management.
Each of these prevail in some organizations.
 
The Managerial Approach to Public
Administration
 
Traditional Managerial Approach to Public Administration
The reason given by civil service reformers back in
nineteenth century was to introduce this approach to
combat inefficiency, corruption and emergence of
spoilsmen.
To make government working apolitical, businesslike
approaches were proposed to be adopted in public sector.
This approach aligned with the politics-administration
dichotomy i.e.re endorsement of the idea given by
Woodrow Wilson.
In other words, this approach was geared towards the
maximization of 3Es. It deemphasized law.
 
 
 
 
The Managerial Approach to Public
Administration
 
Organizational Structure
To achieve the values of traditional managerial approach,
bureaucratic
 structure was identified.
Because, bureaucracy emphasizes upon division of labor which
will increase efficiency.
Specialization will again help employees to become expert in
their own areas, specialization requires coordination and in
bureaucracy, hierarchy serves this purpose.
Hierarchy requires all the functions, duties to be clearly spelled
out i.e. along
 formalistic lines 
and this requirement is also
satisfied through bureaucratic arrangement.
Under this setting, position classification according to the
scientific principles and selection of employees on merit and
fitness were the hallmark principles of this approach.
 
 
The Managerial Approach to Public
Administration
 
View of the Individual
Traditional managerial approach promoted the
impersonal view of the individuals regardless of their
status.
Dehumanization was considered as a special to
prevent irrational emotions coming in the way of job
performance.
The focus was that an employee has to adapt to the
machine and not the vice versa.
Clients and victims too have been depersonalized to
promote the values of 3Es.
 
 
The Managerial Approach to Public
Administration
 
Cognitive Approach
The traditional managerial approach focused emphasized
on the scientific method for the development of
knowledge. The approach is deductive
Budgeting
To enhance the values of 3Es, traditional managerial
approach focused on the budgeting system which is cost-
effective.
Decision Making
Under this approach, public administrators should explore
all possible alternatives to choose the one which is cost
effective. 
This does not favor broad public participation.
 
New Public Management (NPM)
 
This approach (emerged in 1990s in US)was also reform
oriented which aims at improving performance in public
sector.
This approach focused on following premises
Result oriented;
Market like approaches for the provision of goods and
services;
Treating citizens and clients like customer;
Government should steer rather than rowing;
Government should be regulated;
Employee empowerment;
 
 
 
 
 
New Public Management
 
Public administration culture should be anti bureaucratic.
Politics-administration dichotomy still prevailed in this
approach.
Organizational Structure
Organizing public agencies like firms in the market
Stress on decentralization, flatter organization and
autonomy.
Team working, use of information system for service
tracking, less distinct boundaries between public agencies
and environment.
 
 
New Public Management
 
View of the Individual
This approach stresses upon “customerization”.
Customers could be both internal and external.
Cognitive Approach
NPM relies heavily on “public choice” theory.
It focuses on developing quantitative indicators to measure
performance.
Budgeting
It encourages administrative agencies to generate their own
revenues.
 
Legislative appropriations should be based on performance,
value for customer.
Enough autonomy in using budgets.
 
New Public Management
 
Decision Making
Decision should be based on responsiveness to
customers, performance levels, and cost effectiveness.
And, it should be decentralized.
 
 
Political Approach to Public
Administration
 
Public administration is ultimately a problem in political
theory : the fundamental problem in a democracy is
responsibility to popular control; the responsibility and
responsiveness of the administrative agencies and the
bureaucracies to the elected officials is of central
importance in a government based increasingly on the
exercise of discretionary power by the agencies of
administration (Wallace Sayre).
Public administration has been called as “political process”
by Appleby and other scholars have focused attention on
the role played by public administrators in policy making.
 
 
Unlike managerial approach which emphasizes upon “what
ought to be”, political approach stresses upon “empirical
evidence”.
Political approach to public administration stresses upon
the values of representativeness, political responsiveness
and accountability through elected officials to the citizenry.
The political approach to public administration is
frequently in tension with  the traditional  managerial and
NPM approaches like efficiency effected  by sunshine law,
similarly citizen participation and consultation is time
consuming and costly. NPM focusing on results tend to
eliminate accountability mechanisms.
 
 
Organizational Structure
The political approach stresses on the pluralism since executive branch
is the microcosm of  our society.
The basic rationale behind  pluralism within public administration is
that the executive branch is the policy making center of the
government and to counteract every group or segment of the society.
While achieving this end structure of public administration becomes
politicized and it has been widely denounced as making government
unmanageable, costly and inefficient.
View of the Individual
The political approach to public administration tends to aggregate
individual into a broad social, economic or political group.
As a member of that particular group, individuals are considered as the
targets or beneficiaries of public policies.
 
 
Cognitive Approach
Political approach views science as an appropriate way of developing
knowledge.
This approach looks for consensus as a primary technique for gaining
relevant information.
Budgeting
Allocation of budget on political values , not on how money will be
used or best satisfy the needs of the individuals.
The approach to budgeting is “incrementalism”  or “decrementalism”.
Decision Making
Decision is made on the basis of support/opposition rather than cost-
effectiveness or scientific analysis.
And the second source is opinion of public, interest group or media.
 
Legal Approach to Public
Administration
 
It views public administration as applying and enforcing the law in
concrete circumstances.
This approach is derived primarily from three interrelated sources
Administrative law;
Judicialization;
Constitutional law.
Legal approach emphasizes the rule of law. It manifests several values
like procedural due process, substantive rights and equity.
Organizational Structure
Full-fledged judicial trial.
Independent judge might lack technical expertise
To avoid confusions, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR): 
Negotiation,
Meditation, Arbitration 
can be used.
 
 
 
 
 
View of Individual
In the light of procedural due process, equity and substantive
rights, it leads to consider each individual as a unique
personality.
Cognitive Approach
The legal approach favors adjudication as a method of
developing knowledge. It is inductive.
Decision
 
Making
This approach follows the principle of  “precedential
incrementalism”
Budgeting
This approach stresses upon constitutional integrity and the
need to protect constitutional rights.
 
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Public administration is viewed through three main approaches: managerial, political, and legal. The managerial approach minimizes the distinctions between public and private administration, focusing on efficiency and bureaucracy.

  • Public Administration
  • Managerial Approach
  • Political Approach
  • Legal Approach
  • Government

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  1. Managerial, Political and Legal Approaches

  2. Introduction Public administration lacks coherence because it has number of complex functions. So on the whole there are three approaches to view public administration which emerged out of its functions. One approach which views public administration consisting of practices similar to private sector is managerial approach . Political approach stresses on the publicnessof public administration. Legal approach emphasizes upon the importance of sovereignty, constitutions and regulations in public administration. Each of these approaches has different way to look at different values, procedural and structural arrangements, citizen and on the knowledge development.

  3. The Managerial Approach to Public Administration Those who define public administration in managerial terms tend to minimize the distinctions between public and private administration. The managerial approach is further divided into two main groups i.e. traditional managerial approach and New Public Management. Each of these prevail in some organizations.

  4. The Managerial Approach to Public Administration Traditional Managerial Approach to Public Administration The reason given by civil service reformers back in nineteenth century was to introduce this approach to combat inefficiency, corruption and emergence of spoilsmen. To make government working apolitical, businesslike approaches were proposed to be adopted in public sector. This approach aligned with the politics-administration dichotomy i.e.re endorsement of the idea given by Woodrow Wilson. In other words, this approach was geared towards the maximization of 3Es. It deemphasized law.

  5. The Managerial Approach to Public Administration Organizational Structure To achieve the values of traditional managerial approach, bureaucratic structure was identified. Because, bureaucracy emphasizes upon division of labor which will increase efficiency. Specialization will again help employees to become expert in their own areas, specialization requires coordination and in bureaucracy, hierarchy serves this purpose. Hierarchy requires all the functions, duties to be clearly spelled out i.e. along formalistic lines and this requirement is also satisfied through bureaucratic arrangement. Under this setting, position classification according to the scientific principles and selection of employees on merit and fitness were the hallmark principles of this approach.

  6. The Managerial Approach to Public Administration View of the Individual Traditional managerial approach promoted the impersonal view of the individuals regardless of their status. Dehumanization was considered as a special to prevent irrational emotions coming in the way of job performance. The focus was that an employee has to adapt to the machine and not the vice versa. Clients and victims too have been depersonalized to promote the values of 3Es.

  7. The Managerial Approach to Public Administration Cognitive Approach The traditional managerial approach focused emphasized on the scientific method for the development of knowledge. The approach is deductive Budgeting To enhance the values of 3Es, traditional managerial approach focused on the budgeting system which is cost- effective. Decision Making Under this approach, public administrators should explore all possible alternatives to choose the one which is cost effective. This does not favor broad public participation.

  8. New Public Management (NPM) This approach (emerged in 1990s in US)was also reform oriented which aims at improving performance in public sector. This approach focused on following premises Result oriented; Market like approaches for the provision of goods and services; Treating citizens and clients like customer; Government should steer rather than rowing; Government should be regulated; Employee empowerment;

  9. New Public Management Public administration culture should be anti bureaucratic. Politics-administration dichotomy still prevailed in this approach. Organizational Structure Organizing public agencies like firms in the market Stress on decentralization, flatter organization and autonomy. Team working, use of information system for service tracking, less distinct boundaries between public agencies and environment.

  10. New Public Management View of the Individual This approach stresses upon customerization . Customers could be both internal and external. Cognitive Approach NPM relies heavily on public choice theory. It focuses on developing quantitative indicators to measure performance. Budgeting It encourages administrative agencies to generate their own revenues. Legislative appropriations should be based on performance, value for customer. Enough autonomy in using budgets.

  11. New Public Management Decision Making Decision should be based on responsiveness to customers, performance levels, and cost effectiveness. And, it should be decentralized.

  12. Political Approach to Public Administration Public administration is ultimately a problem in political theory : the fundamental problem in a democracy is responsibility to popular control; the responsibility and responsiveness of the administrative agencies and the bureaucracies to the elected officials is of central importance in a government based increasingly on the exercise of discretionary power by the agencies of administration (Wallace Sayre). Public administration has been called as political process by Appleby and other scholars have focused attention on the role played by public administrators in policy making.

  13. Unlike managerial approach which emphasizes upon what ought to be , political approach stresses upon empirical evidence . Political approach to public administration stresses upon the values of representativeness, political responsiveness and accountability through elected officials to the citizenry. The political approach to public administration is frequently in tension with the traditional managerial and NPM approaches like efficiency effected by sunshine law, similarly citizen participation and consultation is time consuming and costly. NPM focusing on results tend to eliminate accountability mechanisms.

  14. Organizational Structure The political approach stresses on the pluralism since executive branch is the microcosm of our society. The basic rationale behind pluralism within public administration is that the executive branch is the policy making center of the government and to counteract every group or segment of the society. While achieving this end structure of public administration becomes politicized and it has been widely denounced as making government unmanageable, costly and inefficient. View of the Individual The political approach to public administration tends to aggregate individual into a broad social, economic or political group. As a member of that particular group, individuals are considered as the targets or beneficiaries of public policies.

  15. Cognitive Approach Political approach views science as an appropriate way of developing knowledge. This approach looks for consensus as a primary technique for gaining relevant information. Budgeting Allocation of budget on political values , not on how money will be used or best satisfy the needs of the individuals. The approach to budgeting is incrementalism or decrementalism . Decision Making Decision is made on the basis of support/opposition rather than cost- effectiveness or scientific analysis. And the second source is opinion of public, interest group or media.

  16. Legal Approach to Public Administration It views public administration as applying and enforcing the law in concrete circumstances. This approach is derived primarily from three interrelated sources Administrative law; Judicialization; Constitutional law. Legal approach emphasizes the rule of law. It manifests several values like procedural due process, substantive rights and equity. Organizational Structure Full-fledged judicial trial. Independent judge might lack technical expertise To avoid confusions, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR): Negotiation, Meditation, Arbitration can be used.

  17. View of Individual In the light of procedural due process, equity and substantive rights, it leads to consider each individual as a unique personality. Cognitive Approach The legal approach favors adjudication as a method of developing knowledge. It is inductive. Decision Making This approach follows the principle of precedential incrementalism Budgeting This approach stresses upon constitutional integrity and the need to protect constitutional rights.

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