New Public Administration

New Public Administration

NPA as a concept got popularized during the late 1960s and early 1970s following the Minnowbrook Conference-I. NPA emphasized on a new view of the theory and practice of public administration while breaking away with the core area of public administration. It emphasized on the Discretionist character of public administration as against the instrumentalist character. NPA was the by-product of revolutionary spirits of the young scholars in public administration to make public administration relevant and value laden. It took shape in the background of crisis ridden America in 1960s. It witnessed crisis likes Vietnam War, urban chaos, student unrest, racial conflicts, political assassinations etc. This turbulence in the American society was visible in the sensitivities of various seats of learning.

Every discipline was trying to address this problem and provide solution from its own standpoint. But, there was a sense of calmness in the house of public administration because the old established school of public administration emphasized on the instrumentalist character of public administration. Thereby, they were of the opinion that the problems of the society or the goals of the state are not the concern of public administration. It was only concerned with the tools and technique of administration required for efficient implementation and it was concerned only with the ‘how’ of the government and not ‘what’ of the government. This view got busted by some young scholars in public administration. They came together and radicalized public administration with its Discretionist character. It resulted into a movement in both the theory and the practice of public administration. This came to be called as NPA.

The NPA acquired its name and content from five major events of this period.

1.      Honey Report on Education, 1967- it highlighted the limitations of public administration as a discipline. The report outlined suggestions to enrich public administration. It highlighted

a.       Resource Constraints- Public administration as a discipline was suffering because of less number of researchers, teachers, students, finances etc.

b.      Institutional Constraints- It means inadequacy in the number of schools, colleges and universities imparting the formal courses in public administration.

c.       It also highlighted the gap between the theory and the practice.

d.      Uncertainty about the status of public administration as a discipline.

e.       It asked for bridging the gap between the theory and the practice and to make public administration more relevant. It also asked to clearly define the nature and scope of public administration.

2.      The Philadelphia Conference, 1967- This conference was conducted under the chairmanship of James C. Charlesworth. This conference was a get-together of young scholars and professionals. The view in this conference was to emphasize the Discretionist view of public administration and oppose the instrumentalist character of public administration. The emphasis was on

a.       The nature of the state is changing so is the role of the state. Public administration as a discipline should also remain flexible towards these changes.

b.      Public administration should not emphasize only on the study of tools and techniques of administration rather it should also take into account the programmatic concerns of the state such as public policies etc.

c.       Public administration should take into account various issues and problems of the society.

d.      There should be emphasis on the education and training in order to bring in ethics, honesty or enrich the world standards in administration.

3.      The Minnowbrook Conference, 1968- This conference took place in September, 1968 under the leadership of Dwight Waldo. This conference emphasized on the Discretionist view of the Public Administration. It negated the instrumentalist view of public administration. The major points in this regard are

a.       It emphasized on the study of public policy as against the various tools and techniques of the administration.

b.      It emphasized on equity apart from efficiency and economy in administration. The government in action should not only be economical but should also be equitus (a type of approach whereby everybody should have equal opportunity).

c.       It emphasized on honesty, integrity, responsibility, discipline etc. It also emphasized on public administration to focus on various social problems, issues concerning the citizens and the society.

d.      Public administration should emphasize on managing the changes rather than growth. It meant that whenever there is a need, the administration must grow and whenever the issue loses relevance, the administration must decline.

e.       It emphasized that while pluralism will continue to remain significant to explain politics, it will be not be same for administration.

f.       While the administration has to remain alive and sensitive towards public opinion, it has to conduct operations based on rationalism and scientism.

g.      This resulted into new public administration.

4.      Towards a NPA: The Minnowbrook Perspective, edited by Frank Martini

5.      Public Administration in an era of Turbulence, edited by Dwight Waldo