Meaning of Public Administration

Meaning of Public Administration

 Public Administration carries two major dimensions:

---As an activity.
---As an area of study.



Practice – activity by government
Government in Action
Actional part of governance

As an area of study – as a systematic area of study believes in govt. in action and many more than that.

Epistemology of public Administration.

Public – specific meaning for public Administration

Dwight Waldo: It means State or government

Administration: Origin from two latin terms in combination has given rise to. Administration.

Ad + Ministrare: to take care, to save or to look after

E.N. Gladden: “Term Administration appears to be long and pompous but it carries a very humble meaning”.

Other Definitions of Public administration

Ø L D White observes, “Public Administration consist of all those operations 

having for their purpose the fulfilment or enforcement of public policy”.

Ø Pliffner defines It would seem that “Public Administration consists of getting the 

work of government done by co-ordinating the efforts of the people so that 

they can work together to accomplish their set tasks”.

Ø Prof: Woodrow Wilson defined Public Administration as detailed and systematic 

execution of public law; every particular application of general law is an act of 

administration.

Ø Luther Gullick ‘Public Administration is that part of the science of 

administration which has to do with Government and thus concerns itself 

primarily with the executive branch where the work of the government is done.