Transcript Topical Problems of European Public Administration VSFS

Nov. 2012
Topical Problems of European
Public Administration
VSFS
Prof. El. Thalassinos
University of Piraeus
Greece
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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The Theoretical Background of State Theory and Public Administration
stems from historical development, custom practice, Acts of Law and core legislative actions.
English Heritage on Government (13th Century and onwards):
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Renaissance and Humanism (14th-17th Century)
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Magna Carta (1291)
Petition of Rights (1628)
Writs of Habeas Corpus (1679)
Bill of Rights (1689)
Test Act (1673)
Act of Settlement (1701)
All constitute the British version of state governance and “Constitution”
Humanists propose the forming of an ideal state in which man would live according to nature law under
the reign of rulers (sometimes elected), whom first and foremost task would be the well being of their
subjects under a status of religious tolerance that would be accompanied by tolerance and fair sharing
goods that would eliminate economic and social disparities
Renaissance puts forward the ideals of humanism and of man’s well being putting human nature and the
centre of political, religious and social analysis
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus or Erasmus of Rotterdam (NETH) (1466-1536):
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He distinguishes the Rulers well-being from that of the people. The Ruler should first and foremost
discern right from wrong (morality in actions) and act like his subjects are members of a common entity.
The Ruler should attend the realm’s issues with diligence avoiding to act when in power like in his private
life → early distinction between state interest and personal interest
The Ruler should hand over the realm to his successor in better position than the one he inherited
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (ITA) (1469-1527)
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Leading Politician, Historian, Diplomat, Political Philosopher, Humanist and Secretary at
the House of Medici on the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence
Masterpiece - The Prince:
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Ultimate responsibility of the Ruler: to protect his subjects and his territory from
external threats, preserving state power and security
All people are driven by personal interest in pursue of additional power and
prosperity.
At no time should the Ruler take his citizens’ obedience to law or to him for granted
given their self-motivation. Hence, rules in public Governance should be different
than those in personal life (public and private morality), putting the State above
all→ Raison d’ Etat and State Building
“The End Justifies the Means: a ruler must be concerned not only with reputation,
but also positively willing to act immorally at the right times. As a political scientist,
Machiavelli emphasizes the occasional need for the methodical exercise of brute
force, deceit, and so on.
Violence may be necessary for the successful stabilisation of power and introduction
of new legal institutions. Force may be used to eliminate political rivals, to coerce
resistant populations, and to purge the community of other men strong enough of
character to rule, who will inevitably attempt to replace the ruler. (Machiavellianism)
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Jean Bodin (FRA) (1588-1679): Theory on Sovereignty
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Hegemons enjoy absolute and lifetime sovereignty over their subjects and their Kingdoms
Hegemons are bound by divine and moral law having the responsibility to uphold any
agreement the get into (Latin based value of Pacta sunt Servanda)
He sustained that there is no restriction to Monarchs’ sovereign power. However, this does
not equal to Tyranny, as the Ruler should act according to divine and natural law (common
law and common justice).
Subjects’ revolt should be avoided at all costs as it would undermine state balance, which
is the prerequisite for any kind of progress
Bodin’s major contribution:
the theory on sovereignty, meaning that the Ruler has the absolute and sovereign
power over his realm and subjects, having no restrictions by any human power but
only by divine and natural law (Ruler by Divine right and royal prerogative). “The
Sovereign Prince is only accountable to God”. His obligation is to secure justice and
religious worship in the state.
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Bodin's classical definition of sovereignty is: “la puissance absolue et perpetuelle
d'une Republique” (the absolute and perpetual power of a Republic).
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Introduction of the modern concept of “state” but was in the fact with the older
meaning of a monarch “maintaining his state”
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Public office belonged to the commonwealth, and its holders had a personal
responsibility for their actions.
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No separation of powers was mentioned
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He declined Machiavelli's premise of immorality, putting forward the law and the
Ruler’s authority to maintain order acting within natural and divine law.
After Bodin the term “State” (continental Europe)-”Crown” (UK) makes its presence
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Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Thomas Hobbes (ENG) (1530-1569): The State as Distinctive Entity &
origins of the Social Contract Theory
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Masterpieces: Leviathan – De Cive
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Sovereigns masters absolute power without any restrictions, not even from divine
law as Bodin claimed. The people is responsible if the sovereign becomes a tyranne
In a "state of nature" human life would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". In the
absence of political order and law, everyone would have unlimited natural freedoms,
including the "right to all things" and thus the freedom to plunder, rape, and murder; there
would be an endless "war of all against all" (bellum omnium contra omnes).
To avoid this, free men contract with each other to establish political community
i.e. civil society through a social contract in which they all gain security in return for
subjecting themselves to an absolute Sovereign, preferably (for Hobbes) a monarch.
Though the Sovereign's edicts may well be arbitrary and tyrannical, Hobbes saw absolute
government as the only alternative to the terrifying anarchy of a state of nature.
According to Hobbes (in whose view government is not a party to the original contract)
citizens are not obligated to submit to the government when it is too weak to act effectively
to suppress factionalism and civil unrest.
No doctrine of separation of powers was envisaged. The sovereign must control civil,
military, judicial and ecclesiastical powers
Hobbes defines the State as an “artificial man (entity)” comprised of the union of the
people and detached from the mere existence of the Sovereign. However, the Sovereign is
more powerful than ever.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Hugo Grotius (NETH) (1583-1645): The State as centerpiece of the Intern. System
& the origins of civil society
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He introduced the modern idea of natural rights of individuals: each individual has natural
rights that enable self-preservation. It constitutes the basis for moral consensus in the
face of religious diversity and the rise of natural science.
His goal: to find a kind of natural law that everyone could accept. He goes so far as to say
that even if there is no God, these laws would still hold.
He suggested that power can ultimately go back to the individuals if the political society
that they have set up forfeits the purpose for which it was originally established, which is
to preserve themselves → individual persons are sovereign the people are sui juris (under
their own jurisdiction).
People have rights as human beings but there is a delineation of those rights because of
what is possible for everyone to accept morally; everyone has to accept that each person
as an individual is entitled to try to preserve himself. Each person should, therefore, avoid
doing harm to or interfering with another. Any breach of these rights should be punished.
He tried to convince about the need of application of rules in interstate relations, deriving
from law and justice
He was in favor of the sovereigns absolute power as the means of achieving domestic
order
People have willingly given up their power to a sovereign due to his absolute power and
the fact that he represents the State
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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The importance of the philosophers’ efforts to establish Absolute
Monarchy (authoritarianism):
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The theory of authoritarianism expressed that order and security are
more important values than that of freedom.
It Reflected the desire of the merchant class for attaining the ultimate
degree of stability and protect the interests of their companies.
Mercantilism and policies economic protection of the monarchs fit
perfectly with the new theories of authoritarianism.
The motto of Louis XIV that “L ‘eetat s’ est moi” (The state is me) was
not merely a brash boast of a tyrant but rather it expressed the
prevailing sentiment for the type of governance of continental Europe’s
countries. It represented the fact that a form of supreme power to
govern society has gone to existence.
Those who had a certain place to the upper class society really believed
that the monarch coincided with the state. It was almost impossible for
them to understand that a government could protect and enhance their
economic activities without having a centralized if not unlimited power.
Between Hobbes and Lock’s theoretical structures, the State as an
Abstract Concept distinct from the Ruler’s existence rises. Roman Res
Publica comes to the foreground.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Enlightenment and Political Philosophers
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They constitute the foundation of the modern Western political and
intellectual culture bringing political modernization to the West, in terms of
introducing democratic values and institutions and the creation of modern,
liberal democracies.
They make a permanent break with the feudal past denying the subjection of
man to another man and power by divine law. They decline the axiom “One
God, One Monarch, One Faith, One Culture”.
They introduced concepts such as civil rights, personal liberties, personal
economic prosperity, progress, reasoning and rationality and they establish
the nation-state as the supreme power and form of political and social
organization.
They emancipated man from axiomatic spiritual powers and forms of
superstition advocating rationality, critical thinking, reasoning and better
understanding of human’s environment.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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John Locke (ENG) (1632-1704):
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He formulate a political theory based on "natural law"
He essentially established the modern way of thinking: He introduces
a new theory of knowledge, contrary to the Cartesian doctrine,
arguing that knowledge comes not from innate ideas but from
interaction with the immediate environment and the operation of
human senses → “tabula rasa” (white paper): nothing is pre-written,
knowledge is acquired through acquaintance with the world.
Logic coupled with the intellect, organize and coordinate the
knowledge gained from sensory perception to build a useful and
usable set of general truths. Sense and logic are both necessary, the
first to provide the mind the raw material of knowledge and the
second to provide the critical process giving knowledge a useful
meaning.
John Locke central argument: God has nothing to do with good or
evil. If there is any evil in the world it is not because of some divine
plan but rather the result of an environment and an education
system that people have devise and only people also can change.
Locke says: "Improve Society and human behavior will be improved
as well”
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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John Locke (ENG) (1632-1704)
Masterpiece-”Two Treatises of Government” (1689)
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He formulate a political theory based on "natural law“ and Social contract
approach.
Locke's political theory was founded on social contract theory.
He believed that human nature is characterised by reason and tolerance, than
his selfish nature.
Yet, in a natural state all people were equal and independent, and everyone
had a natural right to defend his “Life, health, Liberty, or Possessions".
He asserted that the sole right to defend in the state of nature was not
enough, so people established a civil society to resolve conflicts in a civil way
with help from government in a state of society.
Even the a bad Government is better than the absence of it.
Yet, absolute power should be replaced by coercion with people through
elections. He stated that civil society has pre-existed to that of the State, and
theat the former formed the latter as means of protecting its collective
interest.
Locke also advocated governmental separation of powers and believed that
revolution is not only a right but an obligation in some circumstances.
These ideas would come to have profound influence on the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Montesquieu (FRA) (1689-1755):
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He formulates a political theory based on "natural law“ and Social contract approach.
He examines the various regimes of governance of human societies
He articulates the theory of separation of powers.
He supports enlightened, and not absolute, monarchy
But, ultimately and in tandem with his time, he is characterized by political and social
conservatism:
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he, like Voltaire, held that society should be ruled by the richest who would are
more capable to serve rationality
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He firmly accepted the role of a hereditary aristocracy and the value
of primogeniture
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he endorsed the idea that a woman could head a state, he held that she could not
be effective as the head of a family.
However, he was in favor of civil society in terms of protecting its rights against despotic
power.
He popularizes terms such as the Law maker and Feudalism
He frames civil and criminal laws appropriately to ensure political liberty - “Robust
procedural due process“: the right to a fair trial, the presumption of innocence and
the proportionality in the severity of punishment.
He argues against slavery and for the freedom of thought, speech and assembly.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Montesquieu (FRA) (1689-1755)
Masterpiece-”The Spirit of Laws” (L’ Esprit de Lois) (1748)
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He divided French society into three classes (or trias politica): the monarchy,
the aristocracy, and the commons
He saw two types of governmental power existing: the sovereign and the administrative.
The administrative powers were the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. These
should be separate from and dependent upon each other so that the influence of any
one power would not be able to exceed that of the other two, either singly or in
combination. This was a radical idea because it completely eliminated the
three Estates structure of the French Monarchy: the clergy, the aristocracy, and the
people at large represented by the Estates-General, thereby erasing the last vestige of
a feudalistic structure.
He discerned three main forms of government, each supported by a social
"principle": monarchies (free governments headed by a hereditary figure, e.g. king,
queen, emperor), which rely on the principle of honor; republics (free governments
headed by popularly elected leaders), which rely on the principle of virtue; And
despotisms (enslaved governments headed by dictators), which rely on fear.
Republican political systems vary depending on how broadly they extend citizenship
rights -- those that extend citizenship relatively broadly are termed democratic republics,
while those that restrict citizenship more narrowly are termed aristocratic republics.
The distinction between monarchy and despotism hinges on whether or not
"intermediate powers" (such as the nobility, the clergy, etc.) exist that can restrain the
authority of the ruler: if so, the regime counts as a monarchy; if not, it counts as
despotism.
The free governments are dependent on fragile constitutional arrangements.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) (FRA) (1694-1788)
Masterpieces -”Traite sur la Tolerance” (1763) & Lettres Philosophiques (1734)
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He advocates of individual liberty, religious tolerance, freedom of expression
He denounces absolute monarchy and oppression of man by organized religion.
He founds his political premise on the existence of a powerful government that would serve its
people respecting their liberties and rights
He considers social equality as an elusive goal. Thus, he favors the richest to govern society as
they are more qualified to champion rationality on institutions, justice, tax and commerce in a
society.
David Hume (SCO) (1711-1776)
Masterpieces -”A Treatise of Human Nature” (1739) & Political “Essays”
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He argued against the existence of innate ideas, concluding instead that humans have
knowledge only of things they directly experience
Founder of the cognitive science: ethics are based on feelings rather than abstract moral
principles
He advocates the importance of the Rule of Law and the need of moderation in Politics
Society is best governed by a general and impartial system of laws, based principally on the
"artifice" of contract. He is less concerned about the form of government that administers these
laws, so long as it does so fairly
Private Property is justified because resources are limited
Unequal distribution of property exists because perfect equality would destroy the ideas of
savings and industry. Perfect equality would thus lead to impoverishment
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Jean Jacques Rousseau (FRA) (1712-1778):
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He advocated man’s benign and cooperative nature rejecting the notion of the
original sin and authoritarian rule
Patrie is not only a community of common interests that stemmed from
property rights, but rather it was the origin of man’s intellectual and moral
attributes
Patrie is not some abstract high ideals, but rather a common language,
common culture, common customs and traditions, common festivities, even
common outfit and the way a country is being built
The individuals that form a community are in direct linkage, as the latter has a
collective personality (moi commun) providing the ground for the notion of
the majority rule
He envisaged a Europe that respects freedom, civil rights, religion, language
and race
He envisaged a rather decentralized form of state organization with
confederate entities.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Jean Jacques Rousseau (FRA) (1712-1778):
Masterpiece -”The Social Contract” (Du Contrat Social) (1763)
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He advances the Social Contract theory, which outlines the basis for a legitimate political order
within a framework of classical republicanism (political rights are based on unlimited popular
sovereignty)
Competitiveness VS Cooperation: As society developed, division of labor and private property
required the human race to adopt institutions of law. Man is prone to be in frequent competition
with his fellow men while also becoming increasingly dependent on them. This double pressure
threatens both his survival and his freedom.
Civil society through the Social contract: individuals abandoning their claims of natural right and
through a voluntary formation of civil society they can both preserve themselves and remain
free. This is because submission to the authority of the general will of the people as a whole
guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others and also ensures that
they obey themselves because they are, collectively, the authors of the law.
Popular sovereignty & Direct Democracy: liberty is possible only where there is direct rule by the
people as a whole in lawmaking, rejecting even Parliamentarian representation
General Will and General Law: People often did not know their "real will”. A proper society
would not occur until a great leader ("the Legislator") arose to change the values and customs
of the people, likely through the strategic use of religion. A citizen cannot pursue his true
interest by being an egoist but must instead subordinate himself to the law created by the
citizenry acting as a collective. The law constitutes the qualitative leap of humans from the
state of nature to the state of civil society where common good is expressed.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Adam Smith (SCO) (1723-1790)
Masterpiece – “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” (1776)
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He introduced the theory of free market, free from restraints of the past, which will govern the lawdemand market, through which prosperity of the people would be ensured
It is not the accumulation of valuable metals that constitutes a nation’s wealth, but rather Labor and
Entrepreneurship
Personal gain serves the society’s best interest more efficiently
Immanuel Kant (GER) (1724-1804)
Masterpieces – “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch” (1795) & Doctrine of Right (1797)
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State: the union of men under law (Rechtsstaat). State is constituted by laws which are necessary a
priori because they flow from the very concept of law. A regime can be judged by no other criteria nor
be assigned any other functions, than those proper to the lawful order as such.
Rechtsstaat the “Legal Stats” or “State of Rights”: a “Constitutional Government” in which the
exercise of government power is constrained by the Law. The State is limited in order to protect its
citizens from the arbitrary exercise of authority
Law pre-exists to Liberal Democracy, as the latter cannot take place without it.
Citizens share legally based civil liberties that can use in courts.
Republican Government and International Organization can only be based upon the Law
Republican Government and Law order are opposed to Direct Democracy as the latter’s majority rule
poses a threat to the individual’s liberties, being in essence a form of despotism
He discerned three forms of government: democracy, aristocracy, monarchy and a mixed system
Separation of Powers: executive, legislative, judicative limiting each other through checks and balances
Executive and Judicative powers are bound by Law, while Legislative is bound by the Constitution
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Johan Gottfried von Herder (GER) (1744-1803)
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One of the first theorists of Nationalism: He was interested not in Law and Justice but
on the inner soul (Wessen) of Nation
He rejected the Enlightenment’s emphasis on rationality and unified nature and advanced
the notion of uniqueness and differentiallity: each nation is different with different
culture, traditions, character, language. Each nation has a character, a distinctive
existence that contradicts the “tabula rasa” notion
He was one of the first to political philosophers that focused upon language and cultural
traditions as the ties that create a “Nation” (Volk), extended to include folklore, dance,
music, art etc. State=Nation=People (Volk)
Johan Gottlieb Fichte (GER)(1762-1814)–”Addresses to the German Nation”(1808)
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Founding figure of German Idealism
Self-consciousness is a social phenomenon
State should control international relations,the value of money, and remain an autarky
“Relation of Right”: mutual recognition between states of rationality for both parties
He urged German people to have character and be German
He entailed in his idea of Germaneness, anti-Semitism
He cultivated anti-French feeling due to Napoleonic France’s occupation although he had
initially welcomed the ideas of French Revolution (separation between state and civil
society, thus the corruption that the Old Regime had brought about)
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (GER)(1770-1831)- ”The Philosophy of Right” (1820)
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Giuseppe Mazzini (ITA)(1805-1872)
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He focuses on History’s soul (Weltgeist) to interpret how are affairs between people and societies are
regulated
He elevated the notion of the “State” recognizing sovereignty as its most important attribute for
imposing and maintaining law and order
Individual’s real liberty can be attained only within the State. Without the State, man is relegated to
a lawless and immoral being, as its connection to outer world is disrupted
Prominent figure of Italian Unification
Advocate of Nationalism, national integration and the national sentiment coupled with liberalism and
personal liberties
Forerunner of the idea of European Integration advocating the “United States of Europe”
Antonio Gramsci (ITA)(1891-1937)
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One of the most important Marxist thinkers
According to Gramsci, State is divided to Political Society (the police, the army, legal system, etc. –
the arena of political institutions and legal constitutional control) & Civil Society (the family, the
education system, trade unions, etc. – commonly seen as the 'private' or 'non-state' sphere, including
the economy)
The capitalist state rules through force plus consent: political society is the realm of force and civil
society is the realm of consent.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Summarizing from Theoretical concepts, the are four (4) theories
of the creation of the state are the following: Divine Right Theory,
Social Contract Theory, Evolutionary Theory and Force theory.
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Force theory should be the easiest to understand. The state is
created through some type of struggle or aggression and people are
conquered and assimilated.
Divine Right: The state was created from god and that only those of
royal birth could rule that state. Each citizen was bound to god and
therefore bound to the king or queen etc..... and to disobey would be
a moral and mortal sin
Social Contract Theory: A theory where people agree to form a
government for their own preservation and protection. They agree to
live within the rules of an established government as long as that
government provides protection ie. Life, liberty and property
Evolutionary theory: the state grew from the basic family structure
and head of the household. Families with mom and dad grew out to
include cousins and that grew into communities that grew further
out, but the idea is that it started at the most basic level, the family.
Civil society pre-existed the State and formed the latter to protect its
rights.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Theories of State Function
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Anarchist
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Marxist
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It considers the state immoral and instead promotes a stateless society, or anarchy, with the
sense of the absence of a central authority.
Anarchists believe that the state is inherently an instrument of domination and repression, no
matter who is in control of it.
Revolutionary seizure of state power should not be a political goal. They believe instead that the
state apparatus should be completely dismantled, and an alternative set of social relations
created, which are not based on state power at all.
The communist goal was a classless society in which the state would have "withered away"
Marx: the state as "parasitic", built upon the superstructure of the economy, and working against
the public interest. He also wrote that
The state mirrors class relations in society in general, acts as a regulator and repressor of class
struggle, and acts as a tool of political power and domination for the ruling class
The state is nothing more than "a committee for managing the common affairs of
the bourgeoisie.
Pluralism
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Society is a collection of individuals and groups, who are competing for political power. Thus, the
state is a neutral body that simply enacts the will of whichever groups dominate the electoral
process.
State is a neutral arena for contending interests or its agencies as simply another set of interest
groups. With power competitively arranged in society, state policy is a product of recurrent
bargaining.
Although pluralism recognizes the existence of inequality, it asserts that all groups have an
opportunity to pressure the state.
Modern democratic state's actions are the result of pressures applied by a variety of organized
interests.
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Theories of State Function (cont’d)
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Postmodernism
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The state cannot be looked at as passively responding to economic class interests
The modern state plays a large role in structuring the economy, by regulating
economic activity and being a large-scale economic consumer/producer, and
through its redistributive welfare state activities.
Changes in the practice of government to understand changes in the nature of the
state
The structural position of the state is configured in such a way to ensure that the
long-term interests of capital are always dominant
Institutionalism (State Autonomy)
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The state is an entity that is impervious to external social and economic influence,
and has interests of its own
State actors are to an important degree autonomous.
State personnel have interests of their own, which they can and do pursue
independently of (at times in conflict with) actors in society
Since the state controls the means of coercion, and given the dependence of many
groups in civil society on the state for achieving any goals they may espouse, state
personnel can to some extent impose their own preferences on civil society
A high degree of overlap has been identified between upper-level corporate
management and high-level positions in government
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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The concept of the state can be distinguished from the concept
of government.
The government is the particular group of people, the
administrative bureaucracy, that controls the state apparatus at a
given time.
Governments are the means through which state power is
employed.
States are served by a continuous succession of different
governments.
Public administration theory is the amalgamation of history,
organizational theory, social theory, political theory and related
studies focused on the meanings, structures and functions of
public service in all its forms.
Public administration is "centrally concerned with the organization
of government policies and programmes as well as the behavior
of officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their
conduct"
Theoretical Background of the
State & the Government
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Theories of State Legitimacy:
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Divine Right:
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As it has become obvious, the rise of the modern state system was closely
related to changes in political thought, especially concerning the changing
understanding of legitimate state power.
Thomas Hobbes and Jean Bodin undermined the doctrine of the divine right of
kings by arguing that the power of kings should be justified by reference to
the people. Hobbes in particular went further and argued that political power
should be justified with reference to the individual, not just to the people
understood collectively.
Both Hobbes and Bodin thought they were defending the power of kings, not
advocating democracy, but their arguments about the nature of sovereignty
ultimately opened the way to more democratic claims
Rational-Legal Authority:
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Max Weber (Politics as a Vocation – 1919): he identifies three main
sources of political legitimacy:
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The first is tradition: things should be as they have been in the past, and that
those who defend these traditions have a legitimate claim to power
The second is Leadership: devotion to a leader or group that is viewed as
exceptionally heroic or virtuous
The third is rational-legal authority: a certain group has been placed in power
in a legal manner, and that their actions are justifiable according to a specific code
of written laws). Weber believed that the modern state is characterized primarily by
appeals to rational-legal authority
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Max Webber (GER) (1864-1920)
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Politics: the art of compromise & the sharing of state's power
between various groups, and political leaders are those who wield this
power
Decision-making: based on social benefits weighed against costs
State: a compulsory political organization with a centralized
government that maintains a monopoly of the legitimate use of force
within a certain territory. He discerned two forms of State based on
the relationship between the administrators and their access to the
actual means of administration:
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The administrative staff beneath the ruler in status and power has its own
means of administration separate from those of the ruler. This can include
various forms of wealth and possessions, as well as means of production
and control over labor. This administrative staff is essentially aristocratic,
subdivided into distinct estates
The administrative staff is completely or partially separated from the
actual tools of administration, i.e., how the proletariat is separated from
the means of production. This staff become confidants without means in a
patriarchal organization of deference and delegation. (modern state)
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Max Webber (GER) (1864-1920)
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Weberian Bureaucracy:
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“…hierarchical organization, delineated lines of authority in a fixed area of activity,
action taken on the basis of and recorded in written rules, bureaucratic officials need
expert training, rules are implemented by neutral officials, career advancement
depends on technical qualifications judged by organization, not individuals”.
The most efficient and rational way of organizing, bureaucratization for Weber was
the key part of the rational-legal authority, and furthermore, he saw it as the key
process in the ongoing rationalization of the Western society
Preconditions of the emergence of Bureaucracy:
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Growth in space and population to be administered
Growth in complexity of the administrative tasks being carried out
Existence of a monetary economy requires a more efficient administrative system
Development of communication and transportation technologies makes more efficient
administration possiblE
Democratization and Rationalization of culture resulted in demands that the new system
treats everybody equally.
“The decisive reason for the advance of the bureaucratic organisation has always
been its purely technical superiority over any other form of organisation” M. Webber
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Max Webber (GER) (1864-1920)
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Weberian Bureaucracy:
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Six bureaucratic values that are vital in obtaining a functioning and self-sufficient business
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imperial positions (three purposes that determine the methods as to which the
information is shared throughout the organization)
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every day activities must be maintained by official positions for successful bureaucratic
business
for those who hold these positions to disseminate orders in a specific and stable manner
for methodical provision, which is used for the constant fulfillment of these specified duties
rule-governed decision making: Every worker needs to know the office hierarchy and which
avenues to take when they have a question
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Professionalism: a sense of professionalism in the workplace creates a distinguished atmosphere
creating the opportunity for workers to achieve their utmost potential
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chain of command: everyone in the organization must know whose directives they should
follow. The hierarchy of power is exemplified through salaries
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defined responsibilities: An office or workplace must have fields of specialization in order to
diversify the company. Every worker must know the responsibilities of his job in the most intimate
detail possible
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bounded authority: In the workplace, there must be a stable, defined set of general rules for
the employees that they must abide by at all times
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Max Webber (GER) (1864-1920)
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Weberian Bureaucracy:
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Each of the aforementioned values is pertinent to the success of a bureaucratic
business.
Every individual Weberian characteristic yields a different aspect that builds the
foundation of a strong bureaucracy. If one value is missing from the equation,
then the bureaucracy will fail.
Each aspect to Weberian Bureaucracy is a vital building block to the foundation
of creating a flourishing business.
While recognizing bureaucracy as the most efficient form of organization, and
even indispensable for the modern state, Weber also saw it as a threat to
individual freedoms, and the ongoing bureaucratization as leading to a "polar
night of icy darkness", in which increasing rationalization of human life traps
individuals in the aforementioned "iron cage" of bureaucratic, rule-based,
rational control.
In order to counteract bureaucrats, the system needs entrepreneurs and
politicians.
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Woodrow Wilson (USA) (1864-1920)
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The Study of Administration (1887) – Father of Public Administration in the US
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Four Concepts
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Separation of politics and administration
Comparative analysis of political and private organizations
Improving efficiency with business-like practices and attitudes toward daily operations
Improving the effectiveness of public service through management and by training
civil servants, merit-based assessment
The separation of politics and administration has been the subject of lasting
debate. The different perspectives regarding this dichotomy contribute to
differentiating characteristics of the suggested generations of public
administration.
Government in action: it is the executive, the operative, the most visible side of
government, and is as old as government itself
He was more practical criticizing those leaders that were focusing more on the
philosophical issues ad the nature of government than in the government’s
efficiency
He insisted that Public Administration lies outside the sphere of Politics
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Chester Barnard (USA) (1886-1961)
Magnum Opus - “The Functions of the Executive” (1938)
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Barnard looked at organizations as systems of cooperation of human
activity, and noted that they are typically short-lived. O
Organizations are not long-lived because they do not meet the two criteria
necessary for survival: effectiveness and efficiency.
Effectiveness: being able to accomplish stated goals.
Efficiency: the degree to which that organization is able to satisfy the
motives of the individuals.
If an organization satisfies the motives of its members while attaining its
explicit goals, cooperation among its members will last.
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Dwight Waldo (USA) (1913-2000)
Magnum Opus – “The Administrative State” (1948)
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Challenged mainstream scholars' view of public administration as a valuefree, non-partisan social science that promised to make government more
efficient and effective.
Democratic states are underpinned by professional and political
bureaucracies
Scientific management and efficiency is not the core idea of government
bureaucracy, but rather it is service to the public.
Public Administration constitutes a field of political theory.
“Efficiency" itself is a value, and it can run counter to other values, such as
democratic participation in governance.
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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Herbert Simon (USA) (1916-2001)
Magnum Opus – “Administrative Behavior” (1947)
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Behavioral and cognitive processes of making rational human choices, that is,
decisions.
An operational administrative decision should be correct and efficient, and it must
be practical to implement with a set of coordinated means.
The task of rational decision making is to select the alternative that results in the
more preferred set of all the possible consequences. This task can be divided into
three required steps:
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the identification and listing of all the alternatives
the determination of all the consequences resulting from each of the alternatives
the comparison of the accuracy and efficiency of each of these sets of
consequences.
Given the inevitable limits on rational decision making, Simon explores other
techniques or behavioral processes that a person or organization can bring about
addressing a wide range of human behaviors, cognitive abilities, management
techniques, personnel policies, training goals and procedures, specialized roles,
criteria for evaluation of accuracy and efficiency, and all of the ramifications of
communication processes. Simon is particularly interested in how these factors
directly and indirectly influence the making of decisions.
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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What is Governance? (UNDP Definition)
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Governance as “the exercise of economic, political and
administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at
all levels. It comprises the mechanisms, processes and
institutions through which citizens and groups articulate
their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their
obligations and mediate their differences”.
(World Bank Definition)
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Governance as the method through which power is
exercised in the management of a country’s political,
economic and social resources for development
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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What is Public Administration?
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(UN Social and Economic Council Definitions)
Public administration is "centrally concerned with the organization of government policies
and programmes as well as the behavior of officials (usually non-elected) formally
responsible for their conduct”
Public administration as all processes, organizations and individuals (the latter acting in
official positions and roles) associated with carrying out laws and other rules adopted or
issued by legislatures executives and courts.
Public administration is the use of managerial, political and legal theories and processes
to fulfill legislative, executive and judicial mandates for the provision of government
regulatory and service functions
UNDP Definitions
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The aggregate machinery (policies, rules, procedures, systems,organizational structures,
personnel and so forth) funded by the State budget and in charge of the management
and direction of the affairs of the executive government, and its interaction with other
stakeholders in the State, society and external environment;
The management and implementation of the whole set of government activities dealing
with the implementation of laws, regulations and decisions of the Government and the
management related to the provision of public services.
Theoretical Background of Public
Administration
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What is Bureaucracy? (Legal Definitions)
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An administrative or social system that relies on a set of rules and
procedures, separation of functions and a hierarchical structure in
implementing controls over an organization, government or social
system. Large administrative staffs are most common in large
organizations that need standardized rules and procedures or
consistency across a wide range of business activities.
A group of specifically non-elected officials within a government or
other institution that implements the rules, laws, ideas, and
functions of their institution carrying out the decisions of
the legislature or democratically-elected representation of a state.
A system of administration wherein there is a specialization of
functions, objective qualifications for office, action according to the
adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority and
delegated power.