INTRODUCTION

Comparative Public Administration is designed to enable students acquire comparative knowledge of administrative systems in different countries with different cultural, ideological and political influences on their public service. The course focuses mainly on the interpretation of concepts which include public policy, administration and public administration. It studies the organisation and management of public resources across the globe.

The Meaning of Public Policy: Public Policy can be defined as government decisions or actions on how to resolve the various societal problems or issues that are perceived as requiring collective rather than individual actions. It can also be seen as “policy developed by a governmental body and officials for the benefit of a society,” (Kunle Ajayi, (1998). Public policy aims at promoting public good and public interest rather than a narrow private interest.

Public Policy could be defined as follows:

1. It is a Predetermined action with a goal or purpose. This means that it is not a random action or chance behaviour of government but an action or decision purposely carried out by public officials.

• It is a decision of governmental officials and not a private or personal decision of an individual outside government.

• For its pubic orientation in terms of its source and target of action backed by modalities for its implementation and enforcement. For instance, the Universal Basic Education, Poverty Reduction and Anti-Corruption Policies of the Obasanjor regime. These policies were backed by Acts of Parliament for their implementation and where necessary, spelt out penalties.

• Public policy is what has been actually decided and carried out by government and not just what government is planning or intend to do. It is therefore what is actually done in concrete terms and not mere policy pronouncements.

• Public Policy is regarded as positive when its effects are specifically directed at a particular problem. For instance, the Babangida regime’s Anti-smoking Policy was directed at reducing cigarette smoking induced ailment and death.
• Public Policy is authoritative and legitimate as it is based on law. Public Policy is made by constitutionally powered governmental officials in the various arms of government. It is on this  basis that public laws and policies are seen as binding on all.

Types of Public Policy:

Public policy can be classified into three categories based on its intention and purpose.

These categories are:

1. Distributive Policy: These are policies which concern large-scale service delivery or benefits to specific sections of the population or groups. Examples are the National Directorate of Employment; the Peoples Bank; Better life for Rural women, Poverty Reduction and Family Support programmes by Successive regimes in Nigeria. These programmes have specific objectives, for instance, the Poverty Reduction Programme of the Obasanjo regime was to provide at least 10,000 job opportunities in each state of the federation. Likewise, the regimes Universal Basic Education Policy, was to reduce the level of illiteracy in the country.

• Regulatory Public Policies: These are policies to regulate the activities and behaviour of individuals in certain aspects and fields. Significant among these policies are those regulating business activities such as those dealing with food and drinks’ consumption.

Pharmacy department of the Ministry of Heath regulates the issuance of patent licenses for the sale of drugs. The National Agency for Food and Drugs Control and Administration (NAFDAC) regulates the preparation of food items and drugs including the sale of “pure water” in Nigeria, poor quality foods, drugs and drinks are usually impounded by the Agency.

The Anti-corruption Act and the Code of Conduct Bureau in Nigeria are meant to check political and administrative corruption by public officials.

• Redistributive Policies:

These are policies that government deliberately want to employ measure to correct social injustice or provide some level of equality in the population. For example,  the free education and free medical treatment for the underprivileged people such as the under-aged and the aged by some state governments. The Land Redistribution Policy of the Mugabe government in Zimbabwe was to redress the gross inequality in land ownership between blacks and whites in the country.

ADMINISTRATION:

The instrument for executing policies is referred to as administration. Administration is the organization and management of societal group and organizational resources for the attainment of planned goals. Augustus Adebayo (1985) conceives administration as “the organization and direction of persons in order to accomplish a specific end”. In the same vein, Priftner and Presthus (1960) describe it as the activity or process concerned with the means of carrying out prescribed ends.

From the foregoing, administration is seen as the execution of policies. Thus without administration as a means, policy as an end cannot be implemented. That is, administration facilitates the management and organization of resources for the implementation of policies.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION:

The society is made up of both public and private sectors. The public sector is the entire collectivity of any polity or society with the control under the aegis of government. The private sector concerns the narrow interest of the individual or few rather than the entire societal populace.

Public Administration is the organization and management of public resources for the attainment of public goals. It is the action part of government and what it does are best perceived through what public officials are seen doing.

Public Administration performs some traditional roles which are best categorized by Luther Gulick’s famous acronym – POSDCORB. The acronym contains the first initials of the seven most obvious tasks administrators perform. These are: Planning; organizing; staffing; directing; co-ordinating; reporting and budgeting.

From the foregoing descriptions, public administration is the vehicle for implementing government programmes.

FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION:

Public Administration deals with what government is actually doing and not what it plans to do. It is the action part of government. Actions of government and what it does are best seen through what public officials are doing. Let us explain the duties in detail:

1. Planning: Kunle Ajayi (2000) describes planning as a process of decision-making which involves developing a broad outline of activities to be carried out and the methods of execution as to how to accomplish goal or objectives of the establishment.

Planning has two broad categories – namely tactical planning and strategic planning. Tactical planning concerns short range, short duration programmes – ranging from one to five years. An example is government’s annual budgets. Strategic planning covers much longer period, usually ranging from five to fifty years or more. This type of planning is more prevalent in developed countries such as Canada, United States, France, Germany and Britain to mention but a few.

In general, planning is concerned with “what” and how of organizations. The “what” are the objectives/goals, while “how” concerns parameters for achieving the goals.

• Organizing: This deals with designing the structural framework of an establishment. It provides the formal structure, flows of authority the hierarchy and flow of communication. The organizational chart depicts the structure of the establishment. It also covers the whole range of the personnel management including industrial relations.

• Directing: Personnel act on instructions and directives in carrying out their duties. Directing, therefore, concerns giving specific and general directions on a continuous and regular basis by supervisors to the subordinates. Directives, guidance and initiatives are provided by the leadership during policy-making process and execution. In Nigeria, the Minister or Commissioner gives policy directives in his ministry.

• Coordinating: Organizations are structured into various departments, divisions and units. The activities of sub-units need be coordinated if organizational goals are to be realized. At the federal level, the activities of the various ministries are coordinated by the secretary to the federal government.

• Reporting: This is a feedback system from subordinates to the superiors on the achievement of the set goals of the organization. The problems encountered in the process of attaining the goals are also forwarded upwards to the management for the desired attention and rectification. Reporting also provides a system of measuring the success or failures of the organization with a view to knowing if there is a need for improvement where necessary.

• Budgeting: Budgeting concernes the financial management of the organization. No organization can effectively function without financial resources either internally or externally sourced. Therefore, budgeting covers fiscal planning, accounting and control. It also involves the need for accountability and planning of financial leakages and corruption in the public set up. Budgeting also suggests ways of generating financial resources which may include both internal and external avenues

• Auditing of the public resources is also part of budgeting. This is necessary in order to instill financial discipline and prevent misappropriation, wastage and embezzlement of public resources.

Public administrators perform all the above functions in addition they also perform some other functions.

They maintain continuity of government during periods of political instability when constituted governments are either forcefully removed by coup de’tats or societal revolt.

Public administrators maintain law and order.

In developing countries like Nigeria, Public administrators are responsible for the provision of some social amenities and services such as pipe-borne water, electricity and refuse disposal.