How managers and students view public service: The theoretical vs. practical divide

2021 ◽  
pp. 014473942110130
Author(s):  
John R Wood ◽  
Kenneth Kickham
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Analysis Of Results

This paper examines existing management concepts and practices that make up three contemporary approaches to public policy and public administration. We attempt to understand whether municipal public administrators and public administration graduate students validate these perspectives in “reality” versus “ideally.” Addressing the extent to which practicing public administrators and students identify with theoretical frameworks, which one(s) they deem most prominent, and how closely their preferred frameworks correspond to what they see in practice, we offer an exploratory analysis of results from 176 respondents through descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). We hypothesize significant differences with respect to 1) what is preferred and what is perceived in the workplace, 2) group membership (administrator, graduate student, or undergraduate student), and 3) gender (female or male). This research will help public administration educators bridge the gap between theory and practice and narrow the distance between the “is” and the “ought.”

Serving the Country or Serving Thyself: The Quest for Prosocial Motives of Russian MPA Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara G. Nezhina ◽  
Alexey G. Barabashev
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Prosocial Motives ◽  
Informal Volunteering ◽  
Prosocial Motive ◽  
First Time

U.S. and European scholars have established the association between work in government and public service motivation (PSM). Yet, few studies measure PSM among master of public administration (MPA) students and link it to their intention to work in government. For the first time in Russia, the study tests the association between culturally determined measures of prosocial motives of Russian MPA students and their intention to work for government upon graduation. Three theoretical frameworks help structuring this research: public administration, political trust, and volunteering. The data in this study confirm that Russian MPA students with prosocial motives tend to choose work in government. We explain this phenomenon by deriving the prosocial motive theoretical perspective from the larger concept of PSM and from the theory of political trust. In addition, the study finds that formal and informal volunteering is not related to choosing work in government. The implications of these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Paradigm shift from New Public Administration to New Public Management: theory and practice in Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shikha Vyas-Doorgapersad
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
African Countries ◽  
New Public

The African continent is facing a number of administrative crises. The recent decline of public administration on the continent has forced some African countries to re-assess their governance systems. Their public service reforms are evidence of the emergence of New Public Management (NPM) for improved public sector administrative structures and operations. This article discusses the paradigm shifts from New Public Administration to New Public Management, as a means of meeting public administration challenges in Africa. At a contextual level, the paper examines the practical implementation by some African countries of NPM and the outcomes of NPM-led reform in these countries.Keywords: Public Administration (PA); New Public Administration (NPA); New Public Management (NPM); Public Value Management (PVM); paradigm; paradigm shift; public service reforms; governanceDisciplines: Public Management; Political Science; Sociology; Economics

scholarly journals The Truth About Honesty

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic D. Wells ◽  
Anthony D. Molina
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Service Value ◽  
Practice Teaching ◽  
American Society

This article examines the ethics of honesty and deception in public administration. Building on previous research showing that public administrators rank honesty as an essential public service value but also sometimes use deception while carrying out their duties, semi-structured interviews with public employees were conducted to explore this apparent tension. Specifically, this study asks: Why is honesty important for public administrators? What is honesty and dishonesty? Under what circumstances is the use of deception by public administrators legitimate? The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Code of Ethics is used as an analytical framework to assess the cases and examples provided by participants. The article concludes with a discussion of some important implications that this research has for public administration practice, teaching, and research.

scholarly journals Learning to manage public service organisations better: A scenario for teaching public administration

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-45
Author(s):  
Russ Glennon ◽  
Ian Hodgkinson ◽  
Joanne Knowles
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Learning Organisation ◽  
Public Value ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
New Knowledge

In the context of public value, it is argued that there is a need to adopt the learning organisation philosophy to manage public service organisations better. For collaborative work with public sector managers or in management education, a fictitious scenario is presented to develop the concept of the learning organisation as paradox. Faced with multiple and conflicting demands, public managers find it difficult to change organisational behaviour in response to new knowledge. The scenario demonstrates how learning organisation philosophy can be used to translate new knowledge into new behaviours. Key skills required for public managers to exploit the knowledge of all organisational members and confront the challenges of a contested concept, such as public value, are developed and comprise summarising evidence, making judgements, sharing thought processes on a contentious issue, and arriving at a consensus together. Contributions to public administration theory and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Relevance of Classical Management Theories to Modern Public Administration: A Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred G. Nhema
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Organization Theory ◽  
Organizational Management ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
The Past ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Management Theories

 ABSTRACTThis study focuses on the analysis of management theories of the 19th and early 20th centuries that are commonly referred to as classical organization theories. These ideas are contrasted with the human relations school of thought that achieved great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. The study asserts that there are valuable lessons that modern public bureaucracies and other public institutions can draw from these early theoretical frameworks. Public organizations molded on the classical organizational management theoretical perspectives have proven remarkably stable in different circumstances around the world. However, they are now increasingly expected to adapt to new and unforeseen circumstances by integrating the foundations inherited from the past and the lessons learnt over the past three decades. Such an approach will enable public institutions to adapt to rapid changing circumstances and in the process be well equipped to meet the demands of their citizens at the levels of theory and practice. Key words: classical organization theory, human relations perspectives, rationality, rule of law, public administration.            

The impossibility of a universal public service perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Stout
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Lofty Goal ◽  
Theories Of Leadership ◽  
Service Perspective

The international accrediting organization for public service pedagogy, the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, has established and adopted “universal competencies” that Master of Public Administration degree programs are expected to develop to establish a “global standard in public service education” ( http://www.naspaa.org/ ). This lofty goal suggests that there is one best way to prepare public administration students to: (a) lead and manage in public governance; (b) participate in and contribute to the policy process; (c) analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions; (d) articulate and apply a public service perspective; and (e) communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. While the universality of these competencies is not disputed, there are definitely competing ways to approach these various tasks. There are many different theories of leadership and management. Differing roles for public administrators in the policy process are each considered legitimate. Based on these differences, what can be articulated and successfully applied as a public service perspective will also differ situationally, particularly when considering the dynamic and diverse global context. This article explores this challenge and the implications it represents for instructors seeking to socialize students into the profession of public service and build their capacity “to articulate and apply a public service perspective” in consideration of “a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.” Successful pedagogical approaches to this conundrum are explored and the article concludes with discussion of the potential usefulness of this approach in the global context, given the diversity of public service contexts in which graduates may find themselves.

Her Ladyship and the Postal Princes

Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Dolph Santello
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Newspaper Article ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Administrative Behavior ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
The Public

This portrayal was obtained from observing "Her Ladyship" as a street person, as well as through a newspaper article, her social workers, and a relative of a postal worker. This tale has been repeatedly used, in a graduate public administration course on administrative behavior, to provide a basis for discussion about the roles and responsibilities of public administrators. A resulting major question that it raised is the balance between providing for the needs of an individual and those of society as a whole. That is, do we want those in the public service to be compassionate and respond to the special needs of individuals, or do we want them to be value neutral and follow the usually impersonal rules and regulations.

Reflections on the Life and Legacy of Donald C. Stone

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Howard Rosen ◽  
Winifred J. Weizer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Marshall Plan ◽  
Global Society ◽  
The Impact

Donald C. Stone, the founder of the American Public Works Association, died in 1995 at the age of 92. Professor Stone's life was a deliberate mix of public administration theory and public service practice. He is best known for his contributions to the implementation of the Marshall Plan, the organization of the executive office of the President of the United States, and the establishment of action-oriented professional associations serving a global society. This article is a reflection on the life and times of Donald Stone. It is also a call for historians to critically assess the impact of Stone and his colleagues on public works and public administration history, theory, and practice.

scholarly journals A Comparative Analysis of Contemporary Public Management Concepts in Thailand

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaiyanant Panyasiri
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Evolution And Development ◽  
New Public ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
New Public Governance

The main purpose of this article is to explore the competing concepts and perspectives in modern Public Management literatures including: New Public Management (NPM), New Public Governance (NPG) and New Public Service (NPS) and to compare the viability of these concepts toward public sectors of Thailand. The method of study relies mostly on documentary research on influential academic writings from well-known Public Administration theorists. This article explores these modern PA concepts in terms of rationale, assumptions, discursive aspects, evolution and development, strengths and limitations, applicability and so on.The result of the study shows dimensional comparison between various contemporary public management perspectives, including NPM, NPG and NPS in their theoretical backgrounds, perspectives and solutions on public governance in Thailand. Based on the results of the study, to properly adopt these competing modern Public Management concepts, Thailand should pursue a “hybrid” style of public management consisting of all elements from those three modern PA perspectives namely, NPM, NPG and NPS, plus Thai national value of moral and professionalism. The key to the sustainability of Thailand is to retain traditional value that is proven to be relevant and supportive of the responsive and participating form of public governance and to keep up with the postmodernist characteristics of the 21st century.

scholarly journals Features of personnel management in the public service system of the republic of Kazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-69
Author(s):  
Yu. Kim ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Personnel Management ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Service System ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Republic

Object: It is a social relations, developing in the sphere of formation of the civil service in the Republic of Kazakhstan. National and other countries experience indicate that it is impossible to create an effective public service system without developing scientifically based and verified concepts and features of personnel management in the public service system, which would eliminate systemic contradictions in the legal regulation. The growth of scientific interest in the problems of theory and practice of public service has objective grounds of the study. Methods: Methods of grouping and classification, as well as methods of mathematical modeling, were used in the processing and systematization of data. An econometric model was constructed. Findings: While investigating the features of personnel management in the system of civil service of Kazakhstan, it was revealed that the civil service is based on certain principles, on the basis of which it is possible to carry out personnel planning to respond to changes in the needs of the public service. The authors hypothesized, there is a relationship between the indicator "Services in the field of public administration; services in the field of mandatory social security" and the factor "The list number of employees in the field, mandatory social security" and "The average monthly salary of civil servants". A regression analysis was performed to prove or disprove this hypothesis. Conclusions: Based on the analysis we can say with confidence, the hypothesis put forward about the relationship between the indicators in previous stage are confirmed. The authors comes to the conclusion that the staffing of civil servants is a necessary management process, since the effectiveness of the activities of public authorities is largely determined by the quantity and quality of resources for effective public administration

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