1

Ethiopian Public Administration,

Governance and Ethics

FASILITATOR: Hagos Gemechu (Dr.)

Extension
2013/ 2021
 Contents of the Module
Chapter- One:- INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Chapter -Two:- CONCEPT OF GOVERNANCE
Chapter - Thee:- PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT
PART ONE: CONCEPTS OF PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY
PART TWO: CHANGE MANAGMENT
Chapter - Four PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND ETHICS
PART ONE: THE CONCEPT OF ETHICS IN PUBLIC SECTORS
PART TWO: CONCEPTS OF NORMATIVE ETHICS
PART THREE: ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBLE
PART FOUR: UNETHICAL PRACTICES IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
Chapter - Five: PROFESSIONALISM IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
Chapter Six: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN ETHIOPIA
 Assessment Methods
 Students will be assessed based on the following parameters:-

- Test-one……………………………..20%
- Individual assignments………….20%
- Test-Two……………………………..20%
- Final exam……………………………..40%
Total ……………………….100%
INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Chapter- One
 Brief Contents of Unit One
1.1.What are the importance of studying public administration?

1.2. Evolution of Public Administration

1.3. Definition of public administration

1.4. Politics and Public Administration dichotomy

1.5 Approaches to Public administration

1.6. The role, scope, pillars and environment of public Administration

1.7 Cost of Public Administration

1.8 What are the determinant success/failure factors for public administration

1.9. The Distinction b/n Public and Private Administration

 1.1 WHY studying and understanding public administration?
or

1.1 What are the importance of studying public administration?

 1.1 What are the importance of studying public administration?

The importance of studying public administration

a) Instrument of governance

b) Instrument of development and change

c) Instrument of welfare state

d) The practical concern that government today has to work towards public interest

e) Instrument as a witnessed holds a place of significance in the lives of people

 1.1 What are the importance of studying public
administration?...

a) Instrument of governance
 The most importance of government is to govern i.e to
maintain peace and public order and to ensure the safety and
security of the life and property of the citizens.
 It has to ensure that the contracts are honored by the citizens
and their disputes settled.
 It has been growing with the growing complexity of modern
civilization. E.g, new methods of investigation have had to be
devised to take care of the better equipped criminals.
What are the importance of studying public administration?...

b) Instrument of development and change

 The administration of the country reflects the genius of its
people and embodies their qualities, desires and aspirations.
 What ever the people decide to proceed on the road to
development, their main instrument in the public
administration.
 They need trained manpower to run this school, colleges and
technical institutions.
What are the importance of studying public administration?...

c) Instrument of welfare state

 In modern democratic welfare state, the government has to
provide many service for the welfare of its citizens.
 The development process brings up many new problems like
of the slums and juvenile delinquents (Youth criminals).
 Instrument of welfare state is important because it will be
construct the government become efficient and effective in
making the country higher level of welfare and citizens easy to
get the resources for generate income.
What are the importance of studying public administration?...

d) The government today has to work towards

public interest
 In this context, Willsounian definition of the subject as
efficiency promoting and pragmatic (realistic) field was the
first explicitly articulated statement on the importance of a
separate discipline of public administration.
 The field's increases practical concern for public problems
solving has increasingly legitimized its place in larger family
of social science.
What are the importance of studying public administration?...

e) Instrument as a witnessed holds a place of

significance in the lives of the people
 It touches the lives of people at every step.
 For most of their needs of their lives, which depends upon
public administration that the citizens cannot ignore.
 The study of public administration will contribute to the
realization of the values of citizenship.
What are the importance of studying public administration?...

In conclusion;
 Without public administration, the government cannot operate
and manage own activity effectively and efficiently.

 With public administration always take serious of the public

needs and welfare.

 Thus, the importance of public administration is very wide in

modern state. Why??????
1.2 Evolution of Public administration
1.2 Evolution of Public administration

• PA had been continuously evolving along the evolution of

Society and the State,
• Though the art of public administration had been on practice
for centuries, it was not widely written and documented until
recent years.
• Even some ancient societies in the middle east were
implementing some qualities of public administration.
• However, professional attention to the field of public
administration was almost entirely lacking until the end of the
19th century.
• Starting the end of 19th c. up to now, public administration
evolved through different stages or generations
1.2 Evolution of Public administration…

 The origin of public administration as an academic

discipline is traced to the publication in 1887 with the title
“the study of public administration” by Woodrow Wilson.
 The first systematic approach used was studying public
administration through law, which was devoted to the:-
* legal organization of public authorities,
* legal forms and actions of public authorities
* limits of power of public authorities.
 The main focuses at that time were justice and
security issues.
 1.2 Evolution of Public administration…

 Later on attention had been given to administrative system

primarily focusing on the nature of administrative:-
* institutions
* functions.

 Generally, the expansion of government functions gave raise

for public administration as an activity to become highly:
* diversified,
* complex and
* specialized.
1.3. Definition of public administration
 1.3. Definition of public administration

 PA is defined by different scholars using different terminologies but essentially the same.

Scholars Definition from the literature

L.D White PA as a systematic execution or implementation of public laws,
policies, plans….to achieve given public goals.

D. Waldo PA is the art and science of management applied to the affairs of the
state representing the people/the society.

H. Simon PA refers to activities of the executive branches of a government at

any level.

 In a nutshell, Public Administration refers to the translation of politics of

a given country into the reality that citizens realize every day.
 Who translates the politics of a given country into reality. ????? ?????
 1.3. Definition of public administration…
 Public administration can be defined from four different
perspectives.

Manageri Political
al
perspectiv perspec
Public tive
e
administr
ation

Occupatio Law
nal
perspectiv
perspecti
e ve
 1.3. Definition of public administration…

a) Political definition of Public Administration

 From Political perspective, Public Administration refers to:-
- the steps and processes of public policy-making.
- identifying and implementing the general public interest.
- doing collectively which cannot be done well individually.
- taking decisions throughout the process of governing people.
- implementing accountability, transparency, participation…..
• Strong state should be accompanied with strong public administration ’
bureaucracy’.
• A strong state in a weak bureaucracy and visa versa is a disaster. Why?
• ‘The less politics the better?’ ‘The involvement of elected officials in PA hinders
the performance, bcs, it requires managerial skill? Argue..
• What will be the possible solution? Suggest?
 1.3. Definition of public administration…

The solution for ‘The less politics the better” ;

• The argument is; Too much involvement by politicians in public sector management as a
result not taking management very seriously, or at least not seriously as electoral
considerations.
• Solution; Separate the roles of elected officials and organizational managers in PA is
important.
• Career officials are expected to provide continuity, expertise and loyalty.
• Elected officials are expected to provide legitimacy, political judgment, and policy
guidance.
• Bureaucrats are some times accused of attempting to monopolize policy making through
their expertise, and their control of the procedures of gov’t.
• While politicians are accused of micro-management and attempting to politicize the day-
to day management of organizations and personnel.
• Certainly PA cannot ignore their nominal political ‘masters’ but they must also be sure to
maintain their own rightful position in governing. How to keep the balance is the
challenging issue.
 1.3. Definition of public administration…

b) Legal definition of Public Administration

From Legal perspective, Public administration:-
• is supposed to be created and bound by law.
• refers to the execution of a public laws and policies.
• refers to respecting rules and regulations.
• refers to taking disciplinary and legal measures.
 1.3. Definition of public administration…

C) Managerial definition of Public Administration

From Managerial perspective, Public administration:-

• is related to specialized management knowledge at:-
- middle management
- lower management
- experts to execute public policies and laws
• refers to areas of art and science in management in which:
- art refers to value judgment and common sense
- science refers to technical skills, competency and abilities
 1.3. Definition of public administration…

D) Occupational definition of public Administration

From occupational perspective, public administration:-
- is considered as one occupational category.
- all public employees are taken as administrators.
 Occupationally, PA is taken as a profession because:-
• it includes body of academic and practical knowledge.
• it can be measured by serving the needs of society.
• it is guided by professional/code of ethics
• it appropriates sanctions and punishments..
1.4 Politics and Public Administration dichotomy

Which comes first? Politics or

administration
 1.4 Politics and Public Administration dichatomy

The Politics-Administration Dichotomy.

 Woodrow Wilson, the father of modem public
administration, considered politics and administration as two
separate issues and processes and he attempted to
conceptually distinguish between the two areas of study.
 Frank Godnow, another exponent of the politics-
administration dichotomy, observed that:-
- politics has to do with identifying and formulating policies of
state
- administration has to do with the execution of policies of state.
 1.4 Politics and Public Administration …

For class discussion:

1. Administration is all about politics? Yes/No

2. PA is Non-political public bureaucracy? Yes/No?
3. Public administration is a professional? Yes/No
4. Professional is equal to politics? Yes/No
5. What does a well- functioning public administration mean?
6. What are the major factors that makes PA a well-functioning public
administration?
1.4 Politics and Public Administration …

PA is an interdependence not independence? Yes/No WHY?

YES!
If yes, What are the interdependence parts of PA?
 1.4 Politics and Public Administration …

 PA stands at the intersection of Politics and Administration

Public Administratio
Politics administration n

Could this intersection/interdependence solve the dichotomy b/n politics and PA?

YES/ NO, HOW?

 1.4 Politics and Public Administration …

 Politics and public administration are differentiated on the basis of

their institutional locations that:-

- The location of politics is identified with the legislature branch of

government.
- The location of administration is identified with the executive of government

 Effect of politics on administration

 Administrative officials are subject to the overall control of the political executive (ministries)
and the legislature.
 Political administrators are accountable to both the law making and law implementing bodies
 Administrative officials are responsible for the execution of public policies by the civil servants.
 1.4 Politics and Public Administration …

 Administrators constitute the civil servants under the

executive branch of government responsible for:-
* implementing policies
* reporting to the political executives.

 A public administration of a country is held

accountable to the:-
* the electorate indirectly
* politically elected body directly
 1.4 Politics and Public Administration …

 Difficulty to differentiate politics from administration. Why??????

• Public Administrators are supposed to be career officials and they are not expected to:-
 be involved in partisan politics

exercise their own individual political interest.

• Public administrators as professionals have to be free from politics when they carry out
their tasks.
• Politicians, on the other hand, are interested in policy making and realizing the interest of the
electorate.
• Politicians give the order to the administration and control their work.
• Therefore, public administrators get sometime difficult to differentiate politics from
administration because policy implantation and policy formulation are highly interrelated.
1.5 Approaches to public administration
1.5 Approaches to public administration

Public
Theoryadministrati
Practice
on
1.5 Approaches to public administration…

• Public Administration stands at the intersection of theory and practice.

• From time to time been heated debates over the relative weights that should be
assigned to those two ways of approaching the field.

• The practitioners (practice) have seen academics (theory) as a hopelessly wound

up in theoretical debates that had little or nothing to do with actually making a
program run successfully.

• Academics, on the other hand, have seen practitioners as hopelessly mired in

‘man-hole counting’ and incapable of seeing the larger issues that affect thier
practice. REFLECT ON THIS ISSUE.

• As well as standing at the interaction of theory and practice, PA also stands at the
intersection of s number of academic disciplines; political science, economics,
sociology, psychology, law, management, and philosophy, and probably others,
have had some influences on the study of PA.
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA

a) Roles of Public Administration

 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

a) Roles of Public Administration

 Public Administration has the following major roles.
• It is the basis of government in the case of implementing
policies.
• It is an instrument of change in the society.
• It plays vital role in the life of the people.
• It is an instrument for executing laws and programs of a state.
• It is stabilizing force in the society.
• It is an instrument of national integration in a country
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

b) Scope of Public Administration

 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

b) Scope of Public Administration

Scope wise, public administration is limited to:-
• the executive branch of government only
• the implementation of public policies
• deal with human behavior, cooperative group effort
• the production of public goods and delivery of services
• public issues, disregarding private issues.
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

c) Pillars of Public Administration

 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

C) Pillars of Public Administration

 The field of public administration rests upon certain
principles that have been discussed among scholars
and practitioners for some time.
 The major principles are often referred to as the
four E’s or the four pillars of public administration.
 The major principles are often referred to as the
four E’s or the four pillars of public administration.
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

Four pillars (Four Es) of PA

Economy Effectiveness Efficiency Equity

 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

Four pillars (4 Es) of PA

1. Efficiency
 Frederickson defines efficiency as achieving:-
* the best results
* the most preferable public services for available resources.
 Weimer defines efficiency as:-
* maximizing the total value
* minimizing the scare resources.
 Efficiency in public administration can be reflected through:
* reducing waiting times for trials
* faster response from emergency services
* one-stop shopping options for social services………
 Efficiency refers to a proper utilization of inputs to produce outputs.
 Efficiency means:- doing things the right way.
 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

2. Effectiveness
 Effectiveness is the extent to which an organization achieve its:-
♠ goals
♠ objectives.
 Effectiveness is all about whether:-
♠ objectives are met or not
♠ the right work is being completed or not.
 Effectiveness refers to:- doing the right things.
 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

3. Economy
 Economy refers to:-
 Acquiring resources at the lowest cost while
maintaining the objectives of the organization or
agency (Akram kahn, 1988)

 The financial aspects of work being completed.

• Minimizing the cost of resources.
• Doing things at a low price.
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

4. Equity
 Equity is defined as equal treatment and
fairness in delivering public services.
 Equity brings central issues like justice,
fairness and equality into public administration
‘democratic government’.
 It is not sufficient to have economical and
efficient government, but who is being served,
who is being benefited it must be considered
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

d) The environment of PA
 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

d) the environment of PA
• Public administration exists in a peculiar:-
- socio economic environment
- demographic environment
- political environment that affects performance.
• Thus, Public Administrator must be aware of what is
going in its :-
1- internal environment
2- external environment
• PA is a function/interaction of internal and external environment
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

External
environment

Environm
ent of PA

Internal
environment
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

Internal
environ
ment
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

1.Internal environment
 Internal environment refers to those
conditions, which are within the control of the
administration like:-
- organizational structure
- pattern of authority in the formal hierarchy
- purpose and mandate of the organization
- working culture and procedures
- availability of material, financial, and other resources.
 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

2. External environment
 External environment refers to the setting which is outside the
control of an administration but having major impact in
shaping the features and determining the successes or failures
of the overall objectives that public administration wants to
achieve.

• The external environment can be generalized as demographic,

political, economic, natural, social, technological, international
factors……each of which reflected in many ways.
1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

Politically
Availability of
financial and Demographic
other ally
resources
Extern
Internationally
al Economically
enviro
nment
Technologi
Naturalist
cally
Socially
 1.6.The role, scope, pillars and environment of PA …

• Politically, the type of government, the nature of constitution, policies, national and
international political trends and changes; bilateral and multilateral agreements have direct
impact on a given public administration.
• Demographically, the size, density, location (geography), age, sex, race, occupation and
other statistical elements of the population.
• Economically, national economic trends and level of growth and development; the global
market and economic situation as well as the extent of mutual economic assistance and
cooperation.
• Naturally, includes environmental issues such as pollution, energy shortages, wasting of
natural resources.
• Socially, societal beliefs, values, attitudes, cultures, and lifestyles; public expectations and demands;

• Technologically, ability or access to use the type of modern technology (example; communication and
production).

• Internationally, Oil policies of OPEC for instance practically influence the operations of
much organization in other countries which depend on oil as their main source of energy, multinational
business firms.
1.7 Cost of Public Administration
1.5 Cost of Public Administration

Is Public Administration very costly?

Yes or No?

Why and How?

 Yes!
Why and How
 Is Public Administration very costly?

Yes
Because;

• It is one of the most costly social items. Why?

• Because;

a) Generally, the expansion of government functions gave raise for public administration as
an activity to become highly:
* diversified,
* complex and
* specialized.
b) It is not only a matter of knowledge,

– Rather it is more about commitment and integrity, which is one of the most scarce social
values that can not be achieved by financial capacity only.

– Why? PA is one of the most scarce social values.

1.8 What are the determinant success/failure factors for PA?
 1.8 What are the determinant success factors for PA?

Success factors for PA

Intelligent Managerial Emotional

qualification (MQ) qualification (EQ)
qualification (IQ) =
=
=
Knowledge (theory)
Practice (Practitioner) ++ Personality, integrity
commitment, common
sense, value of judgment ….
 1.8 What are the determinant success factors for PA?...

Factors for PA failure

Intelligent Managerial Emotional

qualification (IQ) qualification (MQ) qualification (EQ)
=
= = Personality, integrity
Knowledge (theory) Practice commitment, common
(Practitioner) sense, value of judgment ….

• PA is a matter of perception/integrity - For or against the public

• PA is very costly, which demands commitment and integrity that is not only a
matter of knowledge and finance
• That is why gov’t elected by the people couldn't deliver good public service to
their people, which makes frustrate both the rich an the poor.
• As a result, the state detached from the society that leads to look for change.
1.8 What are the determinant success factors for PA?...

Who will be the impact of the success or failure of PA?

 1.8 What are the determinant success factors for PA?...

Who will be impacted by the success or failure of PA?

• Generally, both the state and the society? Why?

• Mostly, the disadvantaged sector of the community? Why?

• Both success and failure of PA is an opportunity for both

state and society. Why?
1.9 Public and Private Administration
1.9 Public and Private Administration
 The public and private administrations can be distinguished based on the
following points.

1. Purpose
• The purpose of public administration is to serve the public;
hence general welfare and, in specific cases, public satisfactions are the
ends that public administration must serve.

• By contrast, private/business administration is basically oriented

toward earning profit for the business proprietors. Inability to earn
profit will soon drive a private enterprise out of business