1. POLI 213 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Lecturer: Dr. Emmanuel Debrah,
Contact Information:

2. Theories of Public Administration (part 1)
Session 5

3. Session Overview
Some interesting approaches have shaped our understanding of public administration. They provide insights into significant dimensions of organizational life and behaviour. They emphasize the character, nature and the relationship between administrators and their organization, and also provide answers to why they do certain things.

4. Session Outline Some topics to be discussed in this sessions are:
Topic one: Behavioral Approach (Behaviouralism)
Topic two: Ecological of Public Administration

5. Behaviouralism
Topic one

6. Background and Meaning of Behaviouralism
The term, behaviouralism was borrowed from John Watson’s concept of ‘behaviourism’ which means the study of empirically observable behaviour of humans and animals.
Behaviouralism was inspired by the unprecedented achievement of science after WW2.
some scholars became dissatisfied with the traditional approaches that narrowly focused on principles.

7. Background and meaning of Behaviouralism
First, behaviouralism means the study of individuals and groups’ behaviour in organizations.
Second, behaviouralism is also about a method. It advocates the use and application of scientific methods such as;
field observation,
mathematical and statistical analysis, and
computer simulations to comprehend administrative behaviours.

8. Scope and Objectives of Behaviouralism
Establish a body of knowledge that facilitates understanding and predicting human and group behaviour in organizations.
Build a formal scientific theory of administration.
Apply scientific methods to solve social or administrative problems.
Behaviouralism claims to study administrative phenomena in terms of observed and observable behaviour of men.

9. Scope and Objectives of Behaviouralism
interpersonal relations,
decision-making,
job-satisfaction and motivation,etc.
It is concerned with factual issues of human lives in organizations.
It lays emphasis on logical positivism and so frowns on value judgments.

10. Importance of Behaviouralism
It highlighted the fact that human behaviour is critical to public administration.
The emphasis on scientific methods was a major shift from the orthodox study of public administration.
Behaviouralism brought sanity in the study of public administration.
It encouraged tests and valid principles of universal applicability into the study of public administration.

11. Criticisms against Behaviouralism
Value-free approach to public administration makes its study sterile and irrelevant to the vital issues of modern administration.
It ignored the non-human factor in the study of public administration.
The application of scientific methods such as tests and generalizations in public administration is viewed as unrealistic.

12. SAMPLE QUESTIONS Identify two elements of the behavioural approach.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Mention two reasons that show that the application of behaviouralsm in public administration may face some difficulty.

13. Ecology of public administration
Topic two

14. Origin and Meaning of Ecology
The term ecology was coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866 to mean the relation between living organisms (plants and animals) and their natural environment.
Later, it came to mean the interactions and interconnections between an larger environment within which public administration is situated.
examination of how these environmental factors affect public administration.

15. John M. Gaus’ Views on Ecology of Public Administration
Gaus spelt out the seven environmental factors which influence public administration.
People – the human resource of organizations which also focuses on number, age and knowledge and their effect on their jobs,
Place – this refers to the climate, soil and location (of the organization)
Physical technology – the physical equipment with which the people run the organization.

16. John M. Gaus’ Views on Ecology of Public Administration
Social technology – the kind of formal organizational structures which provide communication and lay down other forms of relationship between one level and another.
Wishes and ideas – aspirations, desires and objectives.
Catastrophe – security, insurance, etc.
Personality – how leadership affect organizations’ effectiveness.

17. Robert Dahl and Fred W. Riggs’ Perspectives
Dahl empasized cross-cultural studies of administration (public administration is always influenced by political, social and cultural factors.
Riggs noted that administrative institutions are shaped and influenced by the governmental setting and the socio-economic and cultural conditions prevailing in a place.

18. Robert Dahl and Fred W. Riggs’ Perspectives
He identified five environmental factors that affect public administration:
Economic – fiscal (monetary) system.
Social – family, religion, class, etc.
Symbols – codes, myths and consensus
Communicative – literacy, news paper circulation
Political – change in the political regime, type of political parties and their ideologies and character of political leadership.

19. Importance of the Ecological Approach
It helps explain variations in administrative systems.
It emphasizes adaptation to socio-cultural conditions as a means of achieving administrative efficiency.
It serves as a tool for comparative studies.

20. SAMPLE QUESTIONS
Identify two organizations, one in Accra and the other in a rural district and examine their administrative systems.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
In three sentences, explain the differences in their administrative behaviours and level of performance

21. references
Heady F. (2001). Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective 6th Edition. Marcel Dekker Inc: New York.
Riggs, F. W. (1991). Public Administration: A Comparativist Framework, Public Administration Review 51 (6) (Nov. - Dec):
Sarana, R. R. (2001). Behaviouralism and Political Theory. India: Rawat Publications.