Public Administration Papers Topic : Introduction

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Online Course

Public Administration Papers Topic : Introduction

"The Study of Administration should start from the base of management rather than the foundation of law," Explain. (20 marks, 2010)
"Public and Private Administrations are two species of the same genius, but also have special values and techniques of their own." Comment (20 marks, 2007)
"If public administration is to play a major Legitimising role in governing our complex society, It needs to be more fully conceptualised." Discuss (20 marks, 2006)
"The field of Public Administration is a field of business." (Woodrow Wilson). (20 marks, 2009). Q.5 "Calling Woodrow Wilson,the father of Public Administration is doing injustice to equally or even more eminent contributions made prior to him." Comment (20 marks, 2008)
"Administrative questions are not political questions." Discuss (20 marks, 2005)
How would you trace the development of Public Administration in terms of paradigms from the politics /administration dichotomy of 1900-1926 to the rise of Public Administration as Public Administration after the formation of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) in the USA in 1970? (30 marks 2012)
In the evolution of the discipline of Public Administration. Minnowbrook Conference 1,2 and 3 reflect the discipline's reconceptualisation and its changing values. Elucidate. (30 marks 2011)
From Woodrow Wilson to Herbert Simon most writers on administration have taken the achievement of efficiency as the central objective. Justify the statement with references to the work of major writers. (60 marks 2009)
Give an account of major landmarks in the growth of the discipline of Public Administration in the20th Century. What are the possible trends in its growth in the first decade of the 21st century ? (60 marks 2003)
"The advent of the concept of "roll back of the state" since the nineteen eighties has been altering the role of Public Administration but certainly not diminishing its central place in human society." Discuss. (60 marks 2003)
"New Public Administration is a revolution or radicalism in words, and (at best) status-quo in skills or technologies." (20 marks 2009)
It is said that "the perspective of public administration, developed over a century, with a tradition of management of public institutions and services has received a jolt from the novelty of New Public Management". Bring out the core values, approaches and assumptions of traditional public administration and show how the New Public Management has attempted to change or retain them,and to what extent. (60 marks 2009)
In the last two decades, almost all countries of the world have experienced transformations in their administrative systems." Explain this phenomenon with examples from the developed and the developing nations in the context of New Public Management Movement . (60 marks 2008)
Civil Servants must be social moralists in action,living up to Paul Appleby's dictum that 'responsible government is ethical government'. Examine this statement in the light of good governance. (30 marks 2011)
"Not merely governance but good governance is the key factor in achieving the United Nations Millennium Goals." Explain. (20 marks 2010)
Democracy and good governance are contradictions in terms. Discuss with examples (60 marks 2004)
‘On a more sophisticated plane public choice is concerned with "Pareto optimality", or at least with "Pareto improvements".’ Comment. (12 marks 2012)
Whereas Downs' model is largely dependent on a theory of psychological motivation, Niskanen's model is framed by neoclassical thinking.
In the light of the above, discuss the public choice approach to decision-making. (30 marks 2011)
How did the traditional Public Administration resolve the fundamentally irresolvable problem- creating an administration strong enough to be effective but not strong enough to endanger accountability? (10 marks, 2013)
New Public Administration may have neither been the savior its enthusiasts promised, nor the devil its critics worried it would be. Discuss.(25 marks, 2013)
Public Administration in the neo-liberal era is government less by the instruments of accountability and more by those of external accountability Elaborate (10 marks, 2013)
A variety of different organizational arrangements can be used to provide different public goods and services. Example the theory underlying this proposition and its potential contribution. (15 marks, 2013)
Public interest is still inadequate as a ground concept to evaluate public policy. (25 marks, 2013)
What are the implications of the post-structuralism perspective on the discrete aspects of Public Administrations, coming from its epistemological positions? (10 marks, 2014)
“New Public Management and post-New Public Management reforms initiatives have affected the balance between managerial, political, administrative, legal, professional and social accountability.” Analyze. (20 marks, 2014)
Waldo’s The Administrative State’ provides a fundamental challenge to some of the orthodox premises. Explain. (10 marks, 2015)
Discuss how the Public Choice Theory promotes the concept of ‘Steering’ and undermines the concept of ‘Rowing’ in visualising efficient and effective administration. (10 marks, 2015)
“Globalisation has transformed the nature and character of State from traditional administrative Welfare State to a Corporate State.” Analyse the changes in the nature of public administration in this context. (20 marks, 2015)
“Public Administration is the translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day.”(Donald F. Kettl and James W . Fesler) Explain. (10 marks, 2016)
“The New Public Administration has seriously jolted the traditional concepts and outlook of the discipline and enriched the subject by imparting wider perspective by linking it closely to the society.” (Felix A. Nigro and Lloyd G. Nigro) Elucidate. (15 marks, 2016)
“Good governance is ensuring respect for human rights and strengthening democracy, promoting transparency and capacity in Public Administration.” (Kofi Annan) In the light of the statement, critically examine the criteria of good governance as provided by the United Nations and Nayef Al- Rodhan. (15 marks, 2016)
Even after 130 years of its publication, Woodrow Wilson’s essay “The Study of Administration” continues to have great relevance even today.” Comment (10 marks, 2017)
New Public Management has been branded by certain scholars as ‘Neo-Taylorism’ . Is it a justified comparison? What factors have led to the decline of NPM as soon after its birth (20 marks, 2017)
“With every major transformation in the applied world of Public Administration , the study of Public Administration has grown in scope and intensity.” Discuss the relationship between the evolution of the discipline and profession of Public Administration. (15 marks, 2017)
"The scope of the discipline of Public Administration is determined by what an administrative system does." Does it mean that the scope of this discipline is boundaryless ? Explain. (10 marks, 2018)
“New Public Service approach is an improvement over its predecessor, New Public Management." Discuss. (10 marks, 2018)
“The Phenomenological Approach advocated by the New Public Administration has obstructed the path of theory building in Public Administration." Comment. (15 marks, 2018)
"Political and administrative systems have reciprocal relationships.” Discuss. (15 marks, 2018)
“Public Administration is constantly being reinvented because it is contextual.” Elaborate. (10 Marks, 2019)
With the entry of the concept of ‘good governance’ the discipline of Public Administration has shed its statist character. Explain. (15 Marks, 2019)
Has New Public Management failed in promoting a democratic polity? Analyze in the contexts of individuals as a citizen and individuals as a customer. (15 Marks, 2019)
“Globalization has constructed the administrative state to save and serve corporate power structure.” Discuss how transnational corporations impact government and public administration in the contemporary era. (20 Marks, 2019)
"The strength of Public Administration is in its exploration of the complexities and nuances of public policy making and implementation." Discuss. (10 Marks, 2020) (10 Marks, 2020)
The movement towards governance as an organizing concept for public administration and management is because the focus of administration has been shifting from the bureaucratic state to the 'hollow state' and 'third-party government. Critically examine. (20 Marks, 2020)
New Public Service emphasizes democracy and citizenship as the basis for public administration theory and practice. Elucidate. (20 Marks, 2020)
"Accountability under New Public Management has undergone a radical change, although the focus has continued to remain on management." Comment (20 Marks, 2020)