Public Administration Theory
“Napoleon was wrong. Armies do not ‘march on their stomachs’…they march on the proverbial backs of the tax collectors and on the roads built by administrators.”— (Shafritz & Hyde, 2016, p. 4)
Kingdom Sustainability.
Throughout history, the success and sustainability of every kingdom, empire, fiefdom, tribe, and community has depended on the humble accuracy and ferocious tenacity of administrators who performed their duties for the greatest public good. On many occasions, bureaucrats risked their careers to protect their organizations, and others stepped beyond an organization’s cultural values to shield citizens. Administrators have been privy to the inner workings of government and have had to repress their own values in order to elevate their service beyond short-sighted goals.
Confucius “held that there was in men an adaptation and readiness to be governed” (Shafritz & Hyde, 2016, p. 4). For thousands of years, we have known and acknowledged that humans can subordinate their individual needs in order to contribute to a higher-ordered community cause. Confucius was only partly correct. The same humans are quick to forget the common goal, and will immediately discredit the actions of administrators. For expediency, citizens will, without fail and without full comprehension of the background regarding issues, criticize the same administrators that protected them.
The field of public administration (from the spoils system, to nepotism, to New Public Management) have been either feared and loved, abhorred and cherished, and criticized and praised. Administrators have been categorized as lazy and unresponsive. However, I feel that certain demographics are even more lazy, inactive and narrow-minded, preferring to label their shallow understanding as justified criticism of issues they do not fully understand. Rare is the citizen that can hold conflicting ideas in his/her head and still operate with logical precision. Even more scarce is the citizen who can see the long-term positive value of today’s chaos and tomorrow’s potential problems. If the administrator becomes reactive to shallow criticism, they can become paralyzed by the overwhelming conflict and friction. The fear can lead to too little action to minimize criticism, or result in too much action to overcome negative perceptions, or can materialize as zero action to deflect responsibility.
In this essay, I will outline three challenges that when viewed from a different angle, would posture public administrators to become agile partners of the citizens and business — two areas that are bound together, inseparable that complete the human ecosystem in every country, government, or community.
1. The Global Economy is Beneficial to Public Administration.
Some argue that the “endstates of the global economy is that public administration has become subservient to the power elites.” From a fear-based view of the global economy, this would seem true. However, from a more comprehensive angle, public administration serves the economic engine of consumers, rich and poor, young and old, and the able and the unable.
The global economy operates at maximum efficiency only when the efforts of public administrators and business are synchronized with the needs of the end user.
Global business serves the needs of the local citizen and the global population — a touchy and extremely competitive arena. There are many businesses that become insolvent due to the inability to keep pace with the consumer’s ever-changing tastes. This hierarchical structure creates winners and losers where incumbents lose the top spot to make room for next fad.
Those in business risk losing all of their assets and savings for the opportunity to deliver goods and services to the public, while an employee risks only his/her job. Employees can leave their worries about the job at the end of the work day, while business owners must be concerned around the clock about sustainability and about making enough to pay employees.
In order to promote a healthy understanding and appreciation for business, I suggest that public administrators be given the opportunity to enroll in business classes and to attend sessions about the global economy. This will result in a well-rounded administrator who will unemotionally interpret local, regional, and global changes in the economy. Currently, some segments of society consider globalization as predatory. A well-rounded administrator will understand that changes in the economy are necessary step(s) to re-balance markets, to remove redundancies, and to rid of inefficiencies in the market (companies that are not competitive, or industries that are no longer relevant).
Competition is not predatory.
Competition is the normal order of human life, a daily occurrence in wildlife, and universally-ordered to align like energies and dislodge incompatible elements to be used elsewhere. Instead of being afraid of competition, we could view competition as the driver that force citizens to realize their full potential, to find new talents, and to push beyond the daily monotony of human life.
Some say that “surplus value” according to Marx is not necessary. However, without surplus, without savings, and without the alternative sources of production, humanity would not flourish and would begin to become lethargic in both action and in analysis.
Business surplus is necessary to sustain profit, liquidity, and a means to compensate the human labor force.
Just as administrators are motivated to save money, to put money in retirement accounts, and to save for a rainy day, business must be of the same mindset. Anything less, signifies that we have not developed beyond the short-sighted whims of predatory animals that consume for today, without an iota of thought for tomorrow’s needs.
2. Broaden the grass-roots experiences of public employees.
Socially-aware administrators can empathize with their audience. Public administrators should be graded on the bandwidth of their experiences, beyond their education, and beyond work knowledge. For instance, they should volunteer at local non-profits, serve on social services committees, and visit orphanages and prisons. Other meaningful organizations include the United Way, Veterans Homes, Salvation Army, Nursing Homes, Hospice, Hospitals, Clinics, Homeless Shelters, Foster Homes, and Food Banks. Getting a first-hand look at their constituents will increase compassion for the community that they serve. When afforded the opportunity to interact with people of different backgrounds, public employees will become more engaged in all elements of the ecosystem that will facilitate understanding.
3. Modify W.B. Cannon’s “Wisdom of the Body” to enhance the public administration ecosystem.
Cannon states that “Homeostasis refers to the body’s automatic efforts to maintain a constant, normal state of the blood stream.” P.T. Young in “The Experimental Analysis of Appetite” summed up that “if the body lacks some chemical, the individual will tend to develop a specific appetite or partial hunger for that food element.” Humans need all of the nine elements that Cannon described, namely: 1) the water content of the blood, (55% of blood is plasma, and plasma is 92% water); 2) salt content; 3) sugar content, 4) protein content, 5) fat content, 6) calcium content, 7) oxygen content, 8) constant hydrogen-ion level (acid-base balance), and 9) constant temperature of the blood.
According to Maslow, the “human being who is missing everything in life in an extreme fashion, it is most likely that the major motivation would be the physiological needs rather than any others.” If “all the needs are unsatisfied, the organism is dominated by the physiological needs.” The “receptors and effectors, the intelligence, memory, habits, all maybe now defined simply as hunger-gratifying tools.” Administrators who lack these elements at work, at home, in social circles, or in spiritual pursuits could become overly focused on satiation of the nine (9) elements that Cannon describes which will negatively shape the future of the person.
I propose that we turn the nine physiological needs of every human to reach homeostasis in the public administration workspace which will lead to efficiency and effectiveness.
Cannon’s Wisdom of the Body Modified for Public Administration Wisdom
Conclusion
Business is not the enemy of public administration. To counter this assumption, we should expose administrators to the intricacies of finance, accounting, economics, and other business-centric function. The global economy has to extend its network of supplier/partners in order to find complementary elements that help reduce cost and maximize profit. Just as the public administrator is motivated to purchase goods based on quality and price, the global economy has to acquire materials at a low price, and sell at a profit. Just as the public employee desires to sell his home for profit, business must set a price that is attractive for the consumer.
Copyright Leonard Casiple 2023. All rights reserved.
About the author: Leo Casiple is a first-generation American who grew up in Southern Philippines under martial law. He spent much of his 21-year career in the US Army as a Green Beret.
Leo is currently a doctoral student at Northeastern University’s Doctor of Law and Policy program (2022–2025 Cohort). He earned his education from California Lutheran University (MPPA), ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA in Global Management), Excelsior University (BS in Liberal Arts, Ethnic and Area Studies), Academy of Competitive Intelligence (Master of Competitive Intelligence™), Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center (18-month Arabic Language Course), and the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Special Forces Qualification Course and Psychological Operations Specialist Course).
For more information about the author, click here: Leo’s LinkedIn Profile
Sources:
Shafritz, J. M., & Hyde, A. C. (2016). Early Voices and the First Quarter Century. In Classics of Public Administration. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.