Public Administration || QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS!!
What are the three enduring themes of public administration? Do you see the reflection of
these themes in the daily operation of public administration? correct answers Politics,
performance, and accountability.
1.Politics is about the choices the organizations within the bureaucracy. What gets emphasis
and what doesn't? When a president takes over and appoints heads, they have to lead the
organization to accomplish a goal. That choice shows politics.
2. Performance- how well does it work? How well does public administration work, how
well is at being effective, and how efficient is it? Yes, otherwise government programs do not
get public support.
3. Accountability: Who the bureaucracy answers to and with what information. Yes, the
bureaucracy has to navigate through three branches that have control and appeal to the public.
What is accountability? Does accountability equal control? correct answers Accountability is
about who answers to who and with what. Who they report to and what facts do they report.
No, there are several branches that all control different things that affect the bureaucracy. The
congress doesn't have complete control, same with the president, judicial branch, or the
public.
Do policy makers (e.g., elected officials) want to control public agencies? If not, why not?
correct answers No, it offers them a scapegoat
What is administrative discretion (make sure you know examples)? How important is it to the
efficiency of public agencies? How is it related to accountability? correct answers Congress
doesn't know how to execute a law, so allowing administrators of organizations the discretion
to decide how to execute the laws is necessary for efficiency. If Congress doesn't like how the
agency handles the execution, they can take necessary action (defund)
What are different approaches to hold public agencies accountable? What are examples of
legal restrictions? How is Wilson's politics-administration dichotomy fit into this
perspective? correct answers Internal control: accountability is achieved from inside the
agencies. This implements professionalism, moral standards, and ethics.
External control: accountability is secured from outside the agency. This is done through
legal and popular control. Sunshine and Sunset laws (require certain information be made
public) are a good example of legal restrictions against the bureaucracy.
Wilson's politics-administration dichotomy: separate administration from politics
Pay attention to the debate between Herman Finer and Carl J. Friedrich. How do they differ
in terms of how to hold public agencies accountable? Whose approach do you agree? correct
answers Whether professional training or external controls could hold administrators best
accountable.
Finer argued that the long tradition of administration being held accountable by legal
standards.
Friedrich made the case for relying
How has the rise of mixed federal-state-local public-private actions complicate the issue of
accountability correct answers The more people involved = more people that have to
, report/be reported to. Also, we have an issue of local accountability to the state, state
accountability to the nation
Define fiscal accountability, process accountability, and program accountability. Are they
compatible? correct answers Fiscal Accountability- attempting to manage how agency
officials spend money on the programs they are heading.
Process Accountability- concerned with HOW agencies perform their tasks.
Program Accountability- Newest and most difficult objective of control systems.
Not really, all three don't work together, we often rely on one or another to measure
accountability.
What are the different dimensions of accountability? correct answers Transparency: Did the
organization reveal the facts of its performance?
Liability: Did the organization face consequences for it's performance?
Controllability: Did the organization do what the principal desired?
Responsibility: Did the organization follow the rules
Responsiveness: Did the organization fulfill the substantive expectation of its clients?
Why is it hard to hold public agencies accountable? correct answers Policy makers don't want
to control them (scapegoats)
Discretion (laws are vague, so discretion is needed)
Mixed state-local-public-private actions/
Public doesn't care what the government is doing
Conflicting objectives given by government
What is "administrative state" coined by Dwight Waldo? correct answers Coined by "The
Administrative State" by Dwight Waldo (dissertation), the administrative state is the growth
of public administrations role in society and how pervasive it has gotten. In other words, it is
the growth of governmental agencies and their role.
Give examples to show public administration in actions correct answers Social Security
Administration distributes monthly payments to millions.
FDIC insures accounts
NYFD (New York Fire Department) responds to tens of thousands of structural fires within a
5 minute window.
How large has the government grown in terms of budget? And in terms of number of
employees? What explain the growth? correct answers The use of the budget on programs
and agencies has grown tremendously, as well as the number of employees. There are a
couple reasons for this trend
There government has to adapt and respond to people while dealing with increased technical
complexity
Increasing demands by interest groups
An attempt to deal with serious economic and social problems in our country
US is a world leader
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS!!
What are the three enduring themes of public administration? Do you see the reflection of
these themes in the daily operation of public administration? correct answers Politics,
performance, and accountability.
1.Politics is about the choices the organizations within the bureaucracy. What gets emphasis
and what doesn't? When a president takes over and appoints heads, they have to lead the
organization to accomplish a goal. That choice shows politics.
2. Performance- how well does it work? How well does public administration work, how
well is at being effective, and how efficient is it? Yes, otherwise government programs do not
get public support.
3. Accountability: Who the bureaucracy answers to and with what information. Yes, the
bureaucracy has to navigate through three branches that have control and appeal to the public.
What is accountability? Does accountability equal control? correct answers Accountability is
about who answers to who and with what. Who they report to and what facts do they report.
No, there are several branches that all control different things that affect the bureaucracy. The
congress doesn't have complete control, same with the president, judicial branch, or the
public.
Do policy makers (e.g., elected officials) want to control public agencies? If not, why not?
correct answers No, it offers them a scapegoat
What is administrative discretion (make sure you know examples)? How important is it to the
efficiency of public agencies? How is it related to accountability? correct answers Congress
doesn't know how to execute a law, so allowing administrators of organizations the discretion
to decide how to execute the laws is necessary for efficiency. If Congress doesn't like how the
agency handles the execution, they can take necessary action (defund)
What are different approaches to hold public agencies accountable? What are examples of
legal restrictions? How is Wilson's politics-administration dichotomy fit into this
perspective? correct answers Internal control: accountability is achieved from inside the
agencies. This implements professionalism, moral standards, and ethics.
External control: accountability is secured from outside the agency. This is done through
legal and popular control. Sunshine and Sunset laws (require certain information be made
public) are a good example of legal restrictions against the bureaucracy.
Wilson's politics-administration dichotomy: separate administration from politics
Pay attention to the debate between Herman Finer and Carl J. Friedrich. How do they differ
in terms of how to hold public agencies accountable? Whose approach do you agree? correct
answers Whether professional training or external controls could hold administrators best
accountable.
Finer argued that the long tradition of administration being held accountable by legal
standards.
Friedrich made the case for relying
How has the rise of mixed federal-state-local public-private actions complicate the issue of
accountability correct answers The more people involved = more people that have to
, report/be reported to. Also, we have an issue of local accountability to the state, state
accountability to the nation
Define fiscal accountability, process accountability, and program accountability. Are they
compatible? correct answers Fiscal Accountability- attempting to manage how agency
officials spend money on the programs they are heading.
Process Accountability- concerned with HOW agencies perform their tasks.
Program Accountability- Newest and most difficult objective of control systems.
Not really, all three don't work together, we often rely on one or another to measure
accountability.
What are the different dimensions of accountability? correct answers Transparency: Did the
organization reveal the facts of its performance?
Liability: Did the organization face consequences for it's performance?
Controllability: Did the organization do what the principal desired?
Responsibility: Did the organization follow the rules
Responsiveness: Did the organization fulfill the substantive expectation of its clients?
Why is it hard to hold public agencies accountable? correct answers Policy makers don't want
to control them (scapegoats)
Discretion (laws are vague, so discretion is needed)
Mixed state-local-public-private actions/
Public doesn't care what the government is doing
Conflicting objectives given by government
What is "administrative state" coined by Dwight Waldo? correct answers Coined by "The
Administrative State" by Dwight Waldo (dissertation), the administrative state is the growth
of public administrations role in society and how pervasive it has gotten. In other words, it is
the growth of governmental agencies and their role.
Give examples to show public administration in actions correct answers Social Security
Administration distributes monthly payments to millions.
FDIC insures accounts
NYFD (New York Fire Department) responds to tens of thousands of structural fires within a
5 minute window.
How large has the government grown in terms of budget? And in terms of number of
employees? What explain the growth? correct answers The use of the budget on programs
and agencies has grown tremendously, as well as the number of employees. There are a
couple reasons for this trend
There government has to adapt and respond to people while dealing with increased technical
complexity
Increasing demands by interest groups
An attempt to deal with serious economic and social problems in our country
US is a world leader
