The significance of Public Administration is its action part of the government. The action part of government affects the public opinion on government and is instrumental in the translation of government goals and influences public policy. Significance can be broadly classified into 5 aspects.
- Visibility
- Complexity
- Diversity
- Balance
- Change
Visibility
In this context, Woodrow Wilson ( US President) observed ” Public administration is the most obvious part of government which is most visible to the public ”
It is most visible as it wields a significant impact on the public. Therefore the impact of government policies depends on public admins. In this context, Stevenson observed ” Public Administration is all that comes after the last campaign promise and the election night’s cheer meaning thereby the public will assess the government not through manifestos or the campaign promises but through the Public Administration ”
Complexity
Society is becoming increasingly complex every day, therefore the role of government and the need for Public Administration. Thus Public administration is visualized as a ” Specialized organ which can assist the Government as a dedicated agency for execution of policy in a fast and effective manner. “
As a practice, Public administration is as old as the concept of state and society. Therefore without public administration in practice, it is impossible to run a state esp. the modern complex state and society. In this context significance of Public Administration is summed by Woodrow Wilson as ” it is getting harder to run a constitution than to frame one “.
Diversity
Subject to the diversity of society, the administration varies. Therefore it is necessary to study administration comparatively and apply contextually known as ” context sensitivity “.
So public administration should neither replicate the methods and models of others blindly nor ignore them totally.
A system of lateral entry is practised in countries like India to learn from the Private sector. While in countries like Singapore, Britain, and New Zealand, a system of secondment is practised instead of lateral entry. Pubic Administrators work in Private firms on deputation and vice-versa.
Balance
Public administration brings the balance between the regulation of Public activities and the accountability of the Government. This balance is needed for welfare. Therefore is said ” If men were angels then no administration is required but when men govern men we must have administration “
Change
NPA or New Public Administration advocates for four themes in the study of Public Administration namely
- Value
- Relevance
- Equity
- Change
The change from the old administration is needed to achieve societal values and government goals of welfare. Therefore Public Administration acts as a change agent.
Summing up the significance, Gerald Caiden observed Public Administration plays the following roles in contemporary society
- Preservation of Polity (Continuity)
- Maintenance of stability and order
- Institutionalization of socio-economic change (MGNREGA)
- Management of large-scale commercial service of government (Railways)
- Ensuring growth and economic development
- Protection of weaker section of society (Welfare)
- Formation of Public opinion (Visibility)
- Influencing the Public Policy (dilution of dichotomy)