Public Administration: Definition, Elements, and Characteristics
The majority of state or public administration problems stem from community problems. State administration is designed to address these societal problems (Warsono, 2019; 28). This quote shows us that public administration is a science related to society, more precisely the welfare of people’s lives.
But before we go further into the definition of public administration, I would like to give a related definition of “what is administration?”
In general terms, we can understand administration through (1) administration from an epistemological perspective; (2) administration in a narrow sense; and (3) administration in a broad sense.
Administration from an Etymological Perspective
- Administration comes from the Latin words “ad” and “ministrare”. “Ad” means intensive and “ministrare” means to serve and fulfill, so “administrare” can be interpreted as serving or fulfilling intensively (Thoha, 1983).
Administration in a Narrow Sense
- Wempy Banga explains administration as all clerical activities, including correspondence activities, from recording or scheduling incoming and outgoing mail, typing, duplicating, distributing, and archiving mail, to recording and managing data and information needed by leaders in determining policies and making decisions related to the duties and functions of the organization (Banga, 2018).
Administration in a Broad Sense
- Dwight Waldo defines administration as a cooperative human effort with a high level of rationality (Waldo, 1971).
- Stephen P. Robbins defines administration as the entire process of activities to achieve goals efficiently with and through others (Robbins, 1983).
- The Liang Gie defines administration as the entire series of arrangements for the main tasks a group performs in cooperation to achieve specific goals (Gie, 1980).
From the expert quotations provided above, we can conclude that administration is a science that studies the processes, all forms of activities, and the dynamics of human cooperation. From the nature and importance of it, administration or cooperative activities can be divided into two, namely private cooperation activities and public cooperation activities. From here, we get to know the terms “private administration” and “public administration,” which are also branches of administrative science itself. So what is meant by public administration?
Public administration can be defined as the management and administration of government activities to achieve desired goals (Zahari, et al., 2023). Simply put, public administration is a science that studies how the government manages all forms of activities intended to achieve certain goals, including ensuring that all services provided by the government can run well and are on target, namely the public. One of the priorities in public administration is efficiency, where every service provided by the government is expected to be economical yet still has broad and equitable social benefits.
Elements
If we refer to various journals or books discussing public administration, we will find that there are many expert opinions regarding the elements of public administration. However, among all these, there is one thing agreed upon by experts regarding the elements, namely administrative elements, and this is what we will discuss briefly.
The Liang Gie (1926:63) defines administration as:
“The entire process of organizing in every cooperative effort of a group of people to achieve specific goals.”
From this definition, we find three elements of administration, namely:
- Activities involving two or more people
Interaction between different people or parties is necessary for public administration to complete administrative tasks. This indicates that planning, organizing, and directing the implementation of government policies and programs involve collaboration and coordination between two or more people as part of the public administration process.
2. Activities carried out together
Public administration requires collaboration between different people or departments within a government or public institution to accomplish shared objectives. Planning, enforcing policies, and managing resources like staff and budgets all involve active collaboration. Different viewpoints and areas of expertise can be combined through collaboration to increase public service delivery’s effectiveness, accountability, and transparency.
3. There are specific goals to be achieved
We need to have clear goals to ensure that all administrative tasks are directed toward specific outcomes. These goals provide direction and motivation for our work, making sure that every action we take contributes to achieving the results we want. Having clear objectives also allows for evaluating performance and making strategy adjustments as necessary, leading to better results and improved administrative efficiency.
Characteristics of Public Administration
- Have the power to enforce
To keep things in line and ensure everyone stays safe and well, government agencies have the legal power to make sure people follow the rules, regulations, and decisions and also put policies that everyone needs to stick to in place.
2. Specifically related to law
All government actions, decisions, and policies are required to be following the law and adhere to relevant regulations. Laws and regulations play a critical role in governing public administration to uphold principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability. This framework ensures that the government operates within established legal boundaries, safeguards citizens’ rights, and upholds the legitimacy and accountability of the administration.
3. Based on public accountability
Government officials and civil servants must be accountable to the public for their actions and decisions. This includes transparent administrative processes, clear reporting, and open performance evaluations. Public accountability ensures that governments serve the public interest, use resources efficiently, and improve performance in response to citizen feedback, ultimately increasing public trust in government institutions.
