The Milestones of the Development of Public Administration as a Distinct Field of Study: A Commentary
- November 4, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue X, October 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
H.H. Abdul
Management Consultant/Trainer, The Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Topo-Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria
Abstract: – This paper examined the development of public administration as a field of study. Being an evolving area of human enterprise, it has played a significant role in governance and public service reforms in the developed and developing countries of the world. The dynamic nature of public administration indicates that government operations will continue to under go changes. The changes that will be experienced in government operations will not only transform processes but institutions where these processes will be deployed. The methodology used for this paper is the secondary data from secondary sources such as existing literature from the textbooks, journals and materials downloaded from the internet. The paper covers definition of public administration, generic functions of public administration, history of public administration, approaches and schools of administrative theory in public administration and prospects of public administration. The paper concluded that the dynamic nature of public administration has made the field worth studying because of its impact on governance and public service reforms.
I. INTRODUCTION
Public Administration is a field of study that has being in existence for ages and its history is as old as that of human civilization. This field of study is an engine for driving governance and public service reforms in the developed and developing countries of the world. Governments as the primary instruments of democracy in the society exercise the power of the state on behalf of the people of the society in that territory which constitutes the state. Government makes policies to respond to the needs of the communities which it must serve, and then organizes and enables its administration to give practical effect to those policies. This implies that well-organized and enabled administrations will successfully engage in thought processes and actions to deliver services that satisfy the needs of the society.
