Introduction American’s view of government today is predominantly a negative one. This is an America immersed in distrust of government. It does not matter if a person leans to the left or right, America believes in the culture and spirit of individual choice. Americans believes it has the right to listen to their individual voice within and believe it is wrong to be forced to obey to the external ideals from government, which is why Americans have difficulties getting behind government and the public administrators who oversee governing agencies, a difficult task I may add. Governing in an era of distrust is more difficult than governing in an age of trust, and because of that, government now lacks the legitimacy to impose its will on Americans, so politicians and public administrators face extraordinary pressure to generate situations in which all Americans can feel like they are getting something of value. This is an impossible task forces administrator to act in ways that may lead to unethical decisions, abuse of power or misuse of public assets, which leads down t he path of illegitimacy. Distrust is only one aspect of the legitimacy problem in Public Administration (PA). This paper will discuss and examine legitimacy problems in PA through the lens of the four sources of legitimacy in PA, which are constitution, legal, public perception, and professionalism. First, a discussion of the current the legitimacy problems public administrators and agencies battle on a daily basis and two, an examination of nature or inherent reasons for these legitimacy problems. Legitimacy Problem Before we can dive into the legitimacy problem in PA, an understanding of what makes the PA legitimate should be considered. Legitimacy is depe... ... middle of paper ... ... nature behind the legitimacy problem. The nature consists of the remaining five pillars of PA, ethically uneducated and psychological factors that lead administrators to unethical behavior and how the Constitution does not allow for the legislature authority to be in the hands of bureaucrats. Public administrators face extraordinary pressure to operate in manner that is accepted by Americans. This is an impossible task forces administrator to act in ways that may lead to unethical decisions, abuse of power or misuse of public assets, which leads down the path of illegitimacy. America is a country of free choice that is contrary to government mission of deciding what is best for Americans. Until government is decentralized and stripped of its vast authority as seen through the lens of the Constitution, a negative pub perception of government will continue to exist.
Discretion does have its advantages. Philip Howard puts forward as an argument that discretion is an essential and inevitable element of public administration. According to Howard discretion is needed to make certain that benevolence is in the manner of governing. He suggest that in an effort to attain conformity with the rules or fairness, more than is normal limited the discretion of public officials in some principle of action adopted by government areas.
Democracy is rule by the people; the people elect governing officials based off of their personal values and beliefs. Different political parties rule the political scene and are serving to represent the people’s opinions in the best ways possible. Previously, I had a belief that my political view was essentially the only one possible and therefore it was the best. These views changed quickly once I learned the different political parties, their views, how they represent the people’s views, and how public opinion shapes politics. The government is formed around differentiating opinions on which policies should be in place and which social aspects need to be considered first. Not only is the government guided by opinion, but the people’s lives are guided by opinion as well. Each individual holds a different view, and each view can have an influence on society. Fortunately, after roughly eight weeks of studying American Government, I now have a better sense of complexity and the value of
Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America’s Future – Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2004.
The government of the United States of America is very unique. While many Americans complain about high taxes and Big Brother keeping too close an eye, the truth is that American government, compared to most foreign democracies, is very limited in power and scope. One area American government differs greatly from others is its scope of public policy. Americans desire limited public policy, a result of several components of American ideology, the most important being our desire for individuality and equal opportunity for all citizens. There are many possible explanations for the reason Americans think this way, including the personality of the immigrants who fled here, our physical isolation from other countries, and the diversity of the American population.
Schmidt, Steffen W., Mack C. Shelly II, Barbara A. Bardes. American Government and Politics Today: 2010-2011 Brief Edition. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011
The American government prides itself on the foundational principle of democracy which allows individual voices to be heard. Afterall, the roots of power in our nation stem from the people. The Constitution was established to ensure the balance of powers among the federal government, state legislature, and the common people. Time, however, has worked against the American people in the battle towards democracy. The idea of a governing body drawing its power directly from its constituents has been undermined by the corrupt nature of modern politics where politicians act out of self-interest. While the Constitution and later amendments had every intention of securing basic liberties, certain limitations later undermined the original intentions of the founding fathers to give power back to the people by placing the larger majority of power in the hands of the state.
Redford’s concept of democratic morality as a cornerstone of the public organization is befitting when analyzing the indoctrination of ethical standards, especially in governmental bureaucracy. As governmental entities compelled to uphold democracy, their legitimacy is derived from a democracy and they are therefore compelled to embrace it (Denhardt, 2007). The standards held by these organizations are derived from democratic rule, perhaps more so in the form of representative bureaucracy. It functions in such a way, that our views and agendas are to be legislated through our elected officials, and then enacted in law. It is only natural that citizens should expect society’s morals, values, and ethical standard to be expressed in our public organizations. If they are not expressed in the governmental institutions then it would inspire one to question: “What power does the democratic will ultimately hold?”
But if lawmaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of influential Americans, then America's claims to being a democratic society isn’t justifiable. Without the collaboration of American citizens in daily political tasks, and their lack of knowledge on how the politics functions hinders progression as a society. Although, no political interest is shown by majority since most vote and help make decisions off personal interest and benefit which divides us as a
Woodrow Wilson’s purpose in writing “The Study of Administration” is to bring awareness that the government systems in place need to be re-evaluated and improved. Wilson encourages we need to examine the history of administration set forth by others in determining certain needs to be accomplished in effective ways and methods. Wilson’s desirable outcomes for research within the public administration field are for government systems to become more productive and organized.
Public Administration involves the development, implementation and management of policies for the attainment of set goals and objectives that will be to the benefit of the general public. Since Public Administration involves taking decisions that affect the use of public resources there is often the question of how to utilize public resources for maximum public good. The National Association of Public Administration has identified four pillars of public administration: economy, efficiency, effectiveness and social equity. These pillars are equally important in the practice of public administration and to its success. This paper seeks to explain the role of each of the pillars in the practice of public administration.
Rabin, J. (2003). Encyclopedia of public administration and public policy: K-Z. United States: CRC press.
Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes.
Since the Regan era more and more people have taken the idealistic political stance that governments should act more like a business with President as both CEO and Commander in Chief and voters as costumers and shareholders. There are three main reasons that adopting this ideology and borrowing the principles and practices of business undermines the essence and core values of Public Administration. The first reason is the most obvious to the casual observer, businesses are based on profits and governments are based on people. Success in the business world means profit, therefore asking government to run more like a business is asking the government to start maki...
Legitimate Power – This is power that comes from holding a position within an organization
...ot function properly. Politics and administration should be seen as very interconnected. It is worth reiterating just as the structure of governments has changed over the years, the structure and role of public administration have also changes dramatically. Furthermore, it is important to state that public administration has grown from its traditional role of merely implementing policies adopted by the “political” branches of government to playing very significant role in the formation of public policies. This is definitely more evident in regards to professional expertise bureaucratic officials provide during problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, and evaluation that shape the content of public policy today. Overall, the idea that Wilson has proposed gives an accurate idea of what the relationship should be between politics and administration.