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Public administration is a process of formulating policies, laws, and the affairs of society on behalf of the government to the people. Therefore this article further enlightens the general functions of public administration. Public administration is different and more advanced from common basic administration and management functions. Management only involves the process of organizing, planning, directing, coordinating and controlling. But public administration according to different scholars, is concerned with making of government policies and control of those structure in charge of public affair, while regulating behavior of public servants.
Public administration plays an important administrative role for public sector organizations, it’s involved also in the process of policymaking, control, and monitoring, including coordination of human resource, mostly people working in an organization and information at national level.
- Read: Public Administration vs Management: What is the difference?
- Read: Importance of Public Administration
General Functions of Public Administration
Below are 5 generic processes of public administration responsible policymaking, promoting common values among citizens, controlling government operations, budgetary planning, and resource provision.
1. Policy Making
The most important generic function of public administration is the process of formulating government policies. It’s of great significance and importance of public administration, especially in politics and democracy due to process required in making government policies. A good policy must uphold rule of law, promote fairness, development and security for people.
2. Controlling government operations
Public administration involves ensuring proper implementation, especially for government policies and programs. Hence in order to enhance government capabilities, one of the general functions of public administration, involves controlling government operations. Through managerial functions, administrators have proper planning, resource organizing, measures to help direct, and coordinating get properly implemented to attain efficiency and effectiveness.
3. Budgetary Planning & Control
Government budgets require checks and balances, public administrators play an important function in the process of Budgetary planning and control. Through the legislative, judiciary, or executive wings of government. Deals with accounting information that gets processed in democratic government to know how much was spent in the prior year and how that was done to the performance of different ministries and public institutions.
4. Resource provision
Among the general functions of public administration, one that can not be ignored is the provision of resources and utilization. Public administrators help in the act of providing food, in case of hunger or famine to people in need, etc. They are in charge of preparations, forecasting, and planning towards provision beforehand to ensure necessities, get properly utilized.
5. Determination of correct procedures
Public administration is responsible for the Determination of the proper process and ensures positive exemplary behavior that does not promote nepotism, favoritism, violation of human rights, and discrimination. Determination of correct procedure occurs during goal attainment and delivery of services to reduce corruptive practices and bring behavior that helps to motivate good behavior to help society and government achieve its goals.
Conclusion: Main general functions of public administration are Policy Making, Controlling government operation, Budgetary Planning & Control, Resource provision, and Determination of correct procedures.