10.1 Public Administration

When we talk about state agencies, we are also talking about the larger field of public administration. At its core, public administration is a field of study and practice focused on how government gets things done and the people who make it work.

Public administration can be understood in several ways: as the activity of carrying out government policies, as a profession made up of people committed to public service, and as an academic discipline studied at universities like CSU.

This section introduces each of these perspectives.

Public Administration as an Activity

In this context, public administration is the work of carrying out government policies and programs. It involves managing people, money, and resources to serve the public and put laws into action.

Employees of state agencies practice public administration every day. Their responsibilities include developing regulations, overseeing compliance, delivering services, and communicating with the public. In these ways, they help make government decisions real and meaningful in people’s lives.

Understanding public administration as an activity helps set the stage for thinking about the people who do this work as professionals.

Public Administration as a Profession

Public administration is more than a set of government activities. It is also a profession made up of people who dedicate their careers to public service. Like other professions, it is grounded in specialized education, ethical responsibilities, and professional standards.

Public administrators work in many roles: they might manage agencies, design and enforce regulations, or advise elected officials. What unites them is a commitment to serving the public interest.

The profession is supported by university programs that prepare students for public service careers, as well as by professional associations such as the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).

Thinking of public administration as a profession naturally leads to the question of how people are educated and trained for these roles, which brings us to public administration as an academic discipline.

Public Administration as an Academic Discipline

Public administration is both a profession and an academic field. It looks at how government agencies operate, how policies are carried out, and how resources are managed to serve the public. Studying public administration prepares students to understand government institutions and to work in roles that improve community life.

Interested in this path? CSU offers several options:

• The public policy and management major introduces undergraduates to the study and practice of public administration.
• The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program builds advanced knowledge for leadership positions in government and nonprofit organizations.
• The accelerated BA/MPA program allows qualified undergraduates to start graduate courses early and complete both degrees more efficiently.

Taken together, these three perspectives show why public administration is important for understanding state agencies. State agencies bring all of these perspectives together, which makes public administration something that is not only studied but also practiced across Ohio.

References

Greene, Jeffrey D. 2005. Public Administration in the New Century: A Concise Introduction. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Henry, Nicholas. 2013. Public Administration and Public Affairs. 12th ed. Pearson.

Kettl, Donald F. 2021. The Politics of the Administrative Process. 8th ed. CQ Press.

Rosenbloom, David H., Robert S. Kravchuk, and Richard M. Clerkin. 2021. Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector. 9th ed. McGraw-Hill Education.

Waldo, Dwight. 1984. The Administrative State: A Study of the Political Theory of American Public Administration. Holmes & Meier.