BASIC PRACTICES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / FUNCTIONS PERFORMED

INTRODUCTION

Public administration performs a variety of functions which complement the activities of the various branches of government. This unit therefore will discuss the various functions performed by public administration. Among the roles highlighted in unit are (a) sustaining incumbent governments in power (b) provision of employment (c) identification and management of resources (d)
provision of social welfare services to the populace (e) conducting foreign affairs, and negotiation, conciliation and arbitration of
conflicting interest in the state.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

At the successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1.  Describe how public administration sustains the incumbent government in power 
2. Explain how public administration provides employment opportunities
3.  State the position of public administration in the identification and management of state resources 
4. List the responsibilities of public administration in the provision of social welfare services to the populace
5.  Mention how public administration conduct foreign affairs 
6. Discuss the role of public administration in negotiating, conciliating, and arbitrating the conflicting interest in the society. 

3.0 MAIN CONTENT

3.1 Sustaining the incumbent government in power

The most fundamental and important function of public administration is to maintain the incumbent government in power. This involves certain measures:

1.  Generating goodwill for the government from the majority of the population 
2. Maintaining the ruling class in control of state power. 

These primary and fundamental functions guide all other functions.
They include:

1. Advising the government on how best to implement programs: On the bases of its long tradition and experiences in handling resources and its store of data on every aspect of life of a society, public administration is in a very good position to advise the government on possible alternative courses of actions and their implications for the government and society. 
2.  Public administration also performs the function of informing the public at large about government programs and what progress is being made to realize them. The goal here is to avoid any conflict between the people and the government arising from the people’s ignorance of what the government  is doing, as well as to help generate support and goodwill for the government. The ministry of information usually performs this function. 

A complementary function of public administration is that of informing the government about the attitudes of the people, including various groups in the society, towards government policies and programs. Such information is often necessary to enable the government to order or reorder its priorities. The various field agencies of government ministries and departments often provide it.

Self – Assessment Exercise 3.1

Describe how public administration sustains an incumbent government in power

3.2 Provision of employment

An important function of public administration is the provision of employment for the population. This function can be quite crucial in the ex – colonial societies of Asia and Africa where the government is often the largest employer of labor. Most, if not all, of those thus employed work within the public administration. Such employment opportunities include:

1.  National and Regional Ministries like education, health, science and technology, finance, information, sports, defense, external affairs, interior, agriculture, industry etc. 
2. Public enterprises, such as agro – allied industries, petrochemical companies, power generating companies, transport companies, mining industries, communication companies, etc.
3. Government agencies which include financial regulatory agencies, import and export promotion bodies, anti graft, agencies, human rights bodies etc. 
4. Educational and health institutions at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels 
5.  Local government departments etc. In this way the civil service is a source of the means of livelihood, in the form of wages and salaries, for thousands, if not millions, of the population. 

Self – Assessment Exercise 3.2

Explain the ways through which public administration provides employment opportunities.

3.3 Identification and Management of Resources

Another function of public administration is that of identifying all the resources available to the government from within its territory, and managing these resources adequately. It is the government’s
bureaucracy that is responsible for conducting or supervising surveys to assess the existence of: Various minerals within the country The unused agricultural potential of the nation Resource endowment with respect to the organization of industrial enterprises The availability of the various categories of labor force and The various resources that can be procured from external sources, as well as the prices for their procurement. 

The government bureaucracy not only identifies all these resources, it also organizes the most profitable and useful way of bringing them into productive activity to the benefit of the ruling class in particular and the population in general.  Such resource management has as its goal the task of ensuring that government programs are tailored to the resources available to the government, and to eliminate all waste in harnessing these resources to the relevant government programs.

Self – Assessment Exercise 3.3

State three areas where public administration can identify and effectively manage the resources of the state

3.4 Provision of social welfare services to the populace

Public administration is also very crucial in the organization and provision of social welfare services to the population.

1.  It is responsible in many countries for ensuring constant and adequate supply of water, electricity, health care and educational facilities. 
2.  It is responsible for public works such as urban and other road constructions. 
3.  The dredging of rivers, the building of port facilities, irrigation facilities, the organization of famine relief when necessary. 
4.  sanitation, drainage facilities, the control of erosion and other natural disasters. 
5.  the payment of pension and other labor benefits 
6.  In some countries it organizes the provision of housing, day care facilities for pre – school children and public transportation. 

In this way public administration influences directly the standard of living and the life style of the people. Other functions include

1.  The planning of the nation’s economic life in both the short term and the long term, 
2.  Taking care of the finances of the society, especially the balance – of – payment function or the foreign exchange task. 
3.  It must gather and store all possible information on every aspect of national life and preserve important documents for future use and scrutiny. 
4.  The practical details and the equitable and fair use of the instrument of justice, as well as law and order, are also the responsibility of public administration. Public administration must ensure that the courts function smoothly and are not overloaded, that the prisons are not congested or run inhumanly, and that the law enforcement agencies do not act arbitrarily. 
5. In addition, the civil service must co ordinate all the multifarious activities of its various departments and agencies to ensure that they are not working at cross – purposes. 

Self – Assessment Exercise 3.4 

List five welfare services that can be provided by public administration to the general public.

3.5 Conducting Foreign Affairs In the field of international affairs, public administration must win friends and influence peoples and nations for the country. To do this:
It must portray the country in as favorable light as possible, learn as much as possible about other countries, negotiate with them for the best possible advantage for the country in the procurement of external resources, and the procurement of the country’s domestic resources by foreign countries

It must operate to increase the number of the nation’s friends and reduce the number and strength of its enemies.

It must act in such a way that the nation is not subject to foreign invasion, and if such an attack becomes inevitable that is has enough strength and foreign friends to help ward it off.

In the performance of this task it may have to negotiate, threaten, conciliate, arbitrate and settle disputes. And by liaising with the ministry of defense, the ministry of external affairs has the duty of protecting the independence and territorial integrity of the country. The ministry of defense additionally ensures that the internal challenges to the power and authority of the ruling class are crushed.

Self – Assessment Exercise 3.1

Mention five areas where public administration can conduct the foreign affairs of a nation 

3.6 Negotiation, Conciliation, and Arbitration In the course of its duties public administration must of necessity come into contact with various interest groups and political parties with competing interests and programs that they wish the government to respond to. In some cases these interests conflict with one another.

In its formulation and execution of public policy the government bureaucracy may not necessarily confine itself to these expressed and organized interests. It may articulate and aggregate interests on its own initiative in important areas where no interest groups or political parties have shown any interest, or even where they have shown interest.

Of course, its function in this regard is not limited to the articulation and aggregation of interests. It goes ahead to convert these interests into policies in conformity with government programs. But before this can be done public administration may first be involved with interested groups and parties in a protracted process of negotiation, conciliation, arbitration and settlement of disputes.
This is a dramatic process when conflicts over conditions of service of the various sections of the working population are concerned, or when the government wishes, for example, to control the prices of foodstuffs.

Self – Assessment Exercise 3.6

Discuss two procedures that can be used by public administration in articulating and aggregating the interests of individuals and groups in a state without rancor.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Public administration is seen here as a veritable tool for social, political and economic development of a state. Some important areas are then put in perspective for discussion so as to ascertain the level to which public administration functions. Public administration has continued to play a critical role in sustaining the government in power and providing essential public goods to the citizenry. While
different countries have different public administration, the basic functions of public administration are performed by all states. 

5.0 SUMMARY

In summary, this unit has highlighted the various functions performed by public administration. Although not exhausted, we have looked at the following functions: Sustenance of the incumbent government in power, Provision of Employment, Identification and Management of Resources, Provision of social welfare services to the populace, Conducting Foreign Affairs, Negotiation, Conciliation,and Arbitration.

6.0 TUTOR – MARKED

1.  Explain how public administration can be used to generate employment opportunities by governments 
2.  List and explain four major ways of identifying and managing resources through administrative setting. 
3.  State four processes through which administrative structures reconcile conflicting interest of groups and individuals in embarking on development projects.