PUB2601 study pack.

1. Name and describe the six (6) elements which comprise public administration in terms of the Public Administration model. (25) public administration refers to the process whereby government delivers services to society and all its related activities and institutions. The goods and services provided by the government are aimed at improving the general welfare of society. Public administration also refers to all government-related activities, institutions and statutes. Such public administration results in the formulation of public policies, the enactment of the constitution, the building of roads, the presence of police, clinics and schools to name a few. Element of public administration This model of Public Administration is an attempt to explain the relations between the different elements in public administration. These elements are the manifestations of society as we see it. The model therefore seeks to give a logical order and explanation to things and processes that we observe every day and yet are unable to give them a name or to understand why they happen. Society Society preceded the existence of public administration processes. This derives from the social contract theories for understanding the origin of government and the state as we know them today. It is the assumption of these theories that in the beginning there were individuals who lived as small family units independent of each other. Over time it became necessary to interact and share resources as larger groups, which led ultimately to the formation of larger societies. The need for harmonious coexistence thus led to the formation of a centralised authoritative body. It is important to note that society is made up of individuals. In all references to society, we therefore imply the individual. When we refer to government providing society with services we are in fact referring to individuals. This marked the beginning of the political organisation of society into a state. Government Government is the machinery of the state. This is based on the assumption that the state and the government are not synonymous. The state has a much broader scope which includes the government. The functions of government are defined and determined by the state though the political element of government will make the functions vary slightly. Government came into existence as a mechanism which society could use to meet its needs. It responds to the needs of society and provides the following functions and services. Government Functions Government is a dynamic political element of the state through which the following functions are performed to respond to societal needs:  protection  welfare and social services  education  wealth creation  environmental protection and preservation In addition, other services are also provided by government in conjunction with the private sector. These services are provided in a dynamic environment. The government functions and services will be dealt with in the relevant modules. The government performs its functions within the framework of the constitution. Private Sector The private sector is both part and product of organised society. This means that the nature of activities which arose as a result of the development of political society led to the need to distinguish between private and public goods and services. The provision of goods and services is a shared function between the state and private business. The extent to which the government is involved in economic activities depends on the political ideology of the government of the day. For example, in the case study of UnEx it is said that the state has a hand in the running of the university. However, the extent of the involvement depends on the interests of the particular government. The private sector is in business to generate profit. The government on the other hand can only benefit through taxes paid by the people. It is therefore to the benefit of the government to have more private businesses from which to get taxes. The private sector is of course composed of citizens who are also part of the state. Society also benefits directly through the jobs created by the private sector as well as other financial assistance as part of community initiatives of the private sector. The Constitution The relations and interactions among the different individual and corporate members of the state are regulated centrally. The constitution is the utmost authority and framework for the existence of the state, its members and its machinery. It defines the roles and power limits for all the different members of the community encompassed by the state. The extent to which that happens is of course not absolute and will depend on the nature of the established political system. The Global Village The state is part of a larger international environment. This means that the state exists as part of a community of other states. In that context there are international rules and regulations which are equivalent to the constitution at the national level. There are a number of international institutions which South Africa has become part of since the change from the apartheid government system. This means that racial segregation and other violations of human rights which were being perpetrated by the apartheid government are not acceptable in terms of the laws of the international community known as the global village. Some examples of organisations of which states are members are: the United Nations, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the European Community. The activities of a state have an impact on the related activities of other states. On the other hand the activities of the international community also impact on the individual state. For example, the poverty of African countries to the north of South Africa has impacted on the South African economy to a large extent through the influx of illegal and legal immigrants into the country. Environmental Factors Dynamic forces are constantly impacting on public administration. The activities of the government are collectively referred to as public administration. These activities are governed and influenced by such forces as:  needs of society  ethical values  availability of resources When looking at the schematic presentation of the Public Administration model it should be apparent to you that there is no element among the above which stands alone as an independent entity. Rather, all the elements are dynamic and interactive in nature. This means that for our purposes, we should look at society as a platform for all activities and relationships in public administration. The needs of society are divided into two types: those which are indivisible and those which are divisible. The first class of needs, also known as the need for public goods and services, cannot be provided exclusively to some people rather than others. On the other hand, divisible or private goods and services can be provided exclusively by virtue of some or other criteria. Accordingly it becomes necessary to have institutions to provide these goods by separate means. That is to say, public goods are provided by the government while private goods are provided by the private sector. The motive for the private sector is potential gain in the form of profit. On the other hand, the government operates on near-zero profit. The link among the three main elements in the state is the constitution. As you can see in the model, the constitution runs right round and makes a complete circuit of the role-players. Meanwhile, there is also a very active element on the outskirts, the global village and other environmental forces. The inward facing arrows show the constant interdependence of activities between the two spheres