10 Importance Of Public Administration

10 Importance Of Public Administration

There are plenty of careers that you can explore if you fancy yourself a good problem solver. When you have a mind that can be both analytical and creative, solving problems can be a fantastic way to keep yourself stimulated.

There are many different types of problems you can apply your skills to. You might want to consider a career in public administration.

Public Administration is the field of service that maintains a civil society and provides for the needs of the public. It is the activities undertaken by the government to look after its people and manage its affairs.

One of the ways people working in public administration use their problem-solving skills is by helping during a crisis. Crisis management is necessary during a crisis and it’s important to limit the way that it impacts people.

Public administrators deal with containing the situation and helping to keep people safe, from arranging evacuations to distributing necessary supplies. With the rise in natural disasters and states of emergency, due to factors such as climate change, there’s plenty of need for people with the right skills.

Public administrators, therefore, need to be prepared to help out in different types of emergencies. It’s their job to know when to make certain decisions, and the best ways to solve various problems.

This article aims to explain the importance and purpose of public administration.

Elements of Public Administration

Some elements of public administration include planning, organising, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting.

As an activity, it can be traceable to the Almighty God who planned the existence of man as a being. As an academic field of study, it can be largely traceable to Woodrow Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson, the father of Public Administration first recognised it in an article titled “The Study of Administration”. This he published in 1887.

Since then, other countries such as Egypt and India organised public affairs offices. These offices are for administering justices and maintaining law and order.

The Importance Of Public Administration

The following are the importance of Public administration to individuals, our society, and the nation at large.

1. An Instrument For Providing Public Services

Public administration is the performance of a variety of activities by the government in the interest of the public.

It ensures that public goods and services are provided for you and I. Some of which include water, good roads, the supply of power, etc.

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2. As A Government Instrument

You would agree with me that safety comes first, and the government is responsible for our safety and security.

Public administration helps to achieve that. It sees to it that peace and order are maintained in society.

Hence, our lives and properties are protected from any unforeseen danger.

3. Establishes A Stabilizing Force in our Society

Even though government changes, violent change is seldom experienced in administration. This is often due to an element of continuity established in the operation of the public administration.

Thus, there is no disorderliness or sense of confusion whenever a new government exists.

4. An Instrument For Implementing Policies

Implementation of laws, policies, and programs, as well as their execution, is solely rested on Public administration.

Whether we accept it or not, government-formulated policies have a role to play in the growth and development of the nation.

Hence, public administration ensures the impact these policies have on us is positive.

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5. Serves As A Basis Of The  Government

Public administration is the pillar and backbone that supports the people and the Government.

No Government can function effectively and efficiently without the existence of the public administration.

6. Serves As An Instrument of Social Change and Economic Development

In our society today, we all blame the government for any retrogression in our economic development.

We believe that the government is responsible for speedy socio-economic advancement. As such, we look up to them with great expectations.

It will interest you to know that Government can do little or nothing in the absence of a well-organized public administration.                                 

Public administration has birthed a new sub-discipline known as “development administration”. This discipline helps the government to discover the areas where they need to put more effort.

7. Essential For The Development Of Civilization

Public administration helps to address issues. This includes sustenance of economic growth, promotion of social development and facilitating infrastructure development.

They also protect the environment to maintain and public-private partnerships among other technologically advanced nations of the World.

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8. Formation Of Public Opinion

The Government is to serve us and provide our social rights and benefits. Hence, if the reverse is the case, we have every right to peacefully bring them back to order.

Public administration creates room for us to make our views known through the ministry or the newspaper.

Either way, it is ensured that this is integrated into the planning of the government.

9. As An Instrument For  Welfare  State

Our welfare is the priority of the government.

The government should provide educational institutions, medical care, social security and employment opportunities for the young aspirants.

10. As A Study Of Discipline

It is very obvious that public administration plays a very major role in individual lives and societal development. Hence, it is a matter that should not be taken for granted.

Thorough research on its working system and procedure should be carried out. It is this study that would bring about vast knowledge and thereafter, a major breakthrough in our country.

Public Administrators and Their Roles

You may as well want to know the role of people who have decided to study this discipline – Public Administration. 

Public Administrators are people or a group of persons who are capable of providing solutions. More specifically, problems of man and see to the welfare of humanity.

Hence, Public administrators must prepare at all times to help out in states of crisis and emergencies.

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The Purpose Of Public Administration

1. Performance Of Administrative Roles

Among the sole purpose of public administrators, is the responsibility of providing information to clients. They also oversee and implement various programs for organizations.

Organization employees like researchers, program officers, consultants, etc. patronize their services in the aspect of direction and advise.

They are also in charge of the evaluation of programs and implementation of policies within organizations.

2. Oversee The Fiscal Administration

The public administrators hold in their hands, the financial strength of the nation. You can, therefore, see that the services and importance of Public administrators cannot be over-ruled.  

They monitor and approve budgets, and are responsible for revenue and expenditure planning. However, public administrators must not take laws into their hands.

They must comply with legal orders while managing accounting information. They should also be able to interpret and report financial information in a way the people would understand best.

3. Act As Public Guardians

Some public administrators take on the role of public guardians by managing the affairs of people. People who are victims of one ailment or the other may not be able to make financial decisions.

These set of people rely on Public administrators to act as conservators of their properties. This they do, sometimes, with permission from a court.

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4. Involvement In Fundraising Activities

Public administrators directly or indirectly participate in legal fund-raising activities in the course of their careers.

However, they must endeavour to maintain ethical standards of honesty and integrity.

Empathy, respect, and transparency are necessary for executing the fund-raising role for their organizations. They must comply with the laws and regulations guiding fund-raising.

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5. Act As Public Servants

Public administrators can also be public servants. They are in charge of implementing public services and policy initiatives in the most effective manner.

You can find these administrators in all levels of government and in non-profit organizations. Public administrators also work in hospitals, universities and even within private organizations in the area of government relations.

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6. Program and Project Management

Public administrators manage programs of all sizes. From Medicare to lower-level projects that involve workshops to educate people about Medicare programs.

Vision, forethought, and planning are all needed to successfully manage projects and programs.

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7. Handle Emergency Cases and Crisis

Public administrators must prepare mentally and physically at all times to handle emergencies.

This could range from domestic accidents to industrial accidents, fire outbreaks, floods, hurricanes, and other man-caused or natural disasters.

They must have a wide knowledge of how advanced technological devices would help them.  Some of these devices include Geographic Information Systems (GIS); Earthquake Early Warning Systems; Satellite data, etc. 

They also create awareness and inform the public whenever there is an ongoing crisis and suggest precautions.

Conclusion

Having acquired this much knowledge on the importance of Public administrators, their responsibilities to individuals, the Government, our society, and the nation at large, it is obvious that an absence of their services will lead to some abnormalities in the economic and financial affairs of the nation. Thus, this will lead to a regression in its development.

As a public administrator, you might be exploring available resources and technology to provide solutions on the ground.

Do you think public administration is for you? A Master of Public Administration could be the next step in your education.

It will surely help you to develop your skills, knowledge & turn your attention to a career in public administration.