Module Peer Discussions

See attached document 

Respond to two students discussion post. Just type the paragraph under the discussion. It doesn’t have to be in essay form.

Also, make sure that your response(s) are substantial and at least 250 words.

 

 

In your responses, you must include connections to course learning objectives. 

Discussion Post #1

Sakyla Arnold posted Sep 3, 2020 10:39 PM

According to Foundations of Public Administration: An Essay in its Paradigms public administration is defined as, “the collectivity of public bureaus at  the  different  levels  of  government,  including  the  members  of  government  under  whose  supervision  and  for  whose  support  they  function” (Snellen, 2014). This functionality that is centered by Snellen is a systematic science that include the normative rules and regulation that is necessary for public administration to exist. The very discipline of public administration is the doctrine that allows politicians to operate in a capacity with effectiveness. If we don’t recognize public administration as a discipline, we would ultimately deem politicians going off the cuff or hip with governance practices. The doctrine within the discipline is what utilizes the checks and balances within the United States constitution. It allows stakeholders to actually reprimand and hold politicians accountable. We have seen the discipline of public administration evolve and grow through decades as now it is respected as a more robust study. We no longer look at it like a refreshed history lesson but as a science with theories and social law which articulate the proper way to flourish within the matrix of politics. The fact that the political playground is so relationship dependent for success proves the unlimited outcomes and fluidity that exist with every move. Every move that politicians make must count because there will be a reaction stemmed from their action by the people. This is the matrix that exist. The discipline shows us how an obedient, effective and efficient instrument of political mastery is supposed to flow. Our expectation is birth out of the discipline that exist. I believe America is where it is today because of the evolution of not only government but the science behind it. It is because of the evolution of the doctrine we are able to go across the world and influence countries with a different view on government to become a democracy. “The public administration has to provide the autonomy and insights such that public administration can become a more effective and reliable policy production system in the service of politics.” The autonomy that is spoken of is the “free world” that democracy creates. It is what makes public administration such a fascinating study as the fluidity within the political environment is fed through autonomy. The idea of autonomy doesn’t only exclusively exist for our “political masters”, it exist just as much or maybe even more for the stakeholders. We are the stakeholders within democracy. Our autonomy is our power. Our autonomy is our freedom. It is autonomy that gives us leverage and without it, we would simply be living in a country where dictatorship, privatization, monopolization and a broken government system exist. We need the discipline of public administration to exist to police the decision making of politicians. The question isn’t whether or not it exist as a doctrine, but more so how do we continue to build and evolve technological facets of the doctrine. The doctrine is the discipline and the discipline is the doctrine. 

  
 

Discussion Post #2

Amanda Barfield posted Sep 2, 2020 9:44 PM

 In reading Chapter 1 of this week’s module reading’s, ‘Paradigms in Public Administration’, it discussed the meaning of ‘Public Administration’. “It attempts to show that the public administration discipline has interpreted the relationship between politics and public administration in diverse, fundamentally different ways, and how this has affected the functioning of public administration”(Paradigms in Public Administration, p.25). In this text, public administration is defined as a group of public offices at the various levels of government, including those under whose supervision and for whose support they function. The most common public bureaucracies in the public sector are the “ministerial departments, and agencies at the federal, provincial, or state levels of government, and regional and local offices”(Paradigms in Public Administration, p.26). They help in forming policies and they aim to establish or impose polices approved by political actors. 

     All policies are carried out from the viewpoint of the population. Every case no matter the size, be it one person or a group of people, and is viewed in the benefit of the people. “ This is one of the reasons why precedence is so important in public administrations”(Paradigms in Public Administration, p.27). Precedence acts like a rule or an example in all situations concerning citizens. 

     There are several interpretations on public administrative functions and have all had a significant impact on the function of public administration throughout the world. This chapter goes on to say how all interpretations matter, academic and non-academic. Whether right, or wrong, they are there to help clarify what citizens can expect from public administration. “At times, the public administration discipline may be able to influence the basic notions and tenets which represent and articulate the opinion climate”(Paradigms in Public Administration, p.27). 

    Five interpretations when discussing what the role of Public Administration in relation between public administration and politics would be:

1.     “Obedient, effective, and efficient instrument”

2.     “Reliable policy production system”

3.     Provide structure with supply and demand

4.     Social and technical rationality in decision making

5.     Develop structures and procedures in diverse rationalities (Paradigms in Public Administration, p.12) 

    American public administrators recognized that there was more than one way to run our constitution (Luton, 2002). The key themes of American public administration were asking the two questions: “Who should do the work, and how should the work get done”(Luton, 2002)? There were parts of government that were in charge of different roles. They believed in the separation of powers and checks and balancing system.