Articles Approaches to Public Administration

Classical and Modern Approaches

to Public Administration

Polya Katsamunska* government, though not all countries adopted

the whole new public management package.
Summary: There is another distinctive model of
reform, which is followed by many European
Public administration has a long history
countries and requires selective and limited
which has been going in parallel with the
use of its elements and instruments.
very notion of government. The classical
approach to public administration, derived Key words: bureaucracy, ideal type
from Weber, Wilson and Taylor, largely bureaucracy, traditional model of governance,
dominated most of the 20th century. In Weberian approach, managerial approach,
fact, Webers theory of bureaucracy is the government modernization, new public
most important theoretical principle of the management, Neo-Weberian state.
traditional model of public administration.
This model started to change in the mid 1980s JEL: L32, M38
to a flexible, market-based form of public
management because the traditional public Inroduction
administration was discredited theoretically
and practically. All this led not simply to a
minor change in management style, but to a
T he traditional public administration
was established to run a state in a
stable and predictable way in a relatively static
change in the role of government in society environment and therefore, public administration
and the relation between government was not prepared to meet new challenges
and citizenry. The introduction of modern and was resistant to change. Today it has to
managerial approach and the adoption of adjust and accommodate to a rapidly, at times
new forms of public management mean unpredictably, changing environments. Over the
the emergence of a new paradigm in the last few decades the efforts across the world to
public sector. The wave of reforms started conduct substantial reforms in the public sector
from the Anglo-American countries as they were directed at ensuring good governance
were the first to attach bigger importance in terms of effective, ethical, accountable and
to the role of private sector forms and transparent administration. The accumulation of
techniques in the process of modernizing changes in public administration over that period
*
Polya Katsamunska is a Ph.D., associate professor at the Public Administration and Regional Development of UNWE,
e-mail: [email protected]

74 Economic Alternatives, issue 1, 2012

 Articles

is really impressive and yet "almost no national Classical Approaches to Public

government would argue that administration Administration
change has now been completed or that the In order to understand the changes and
public sector has been put into good working reforms in the system of public administra-
order"1 tion we need to understand the traditional
The object analyzed in the article is the model of governance, because any attempt
model of public administration and the analysis at reform is viewed and evaluated against
is focused on the classical and modern it. This classical model was thought to be
approaches to change in public administration. the best way for organizing the public sec-
The main reason for the collapse of the tor work and undoubtedly worked well for
traditional model of administration is that it no a long time. The traditional model of pub-
longer worked and was widely perceived as lic administration has been regarded as the
failing. The emergence of modern managerial most successful theory of public sector
approaches to public administration is regarded management, although it does not have a
not simply as a reform of the traditional public single, coherent intellectual foundation. Its
administration, but as a transformation of its theoretical basis is derived from W. Wil-
paradigm. son and Fr. Taylor in the United States, the
The aim of the analysis is to explore Northcote -Trevelyan Report in the United
whether these is a single possible alter- Kingdom and M. Weber in Germany. In gen-
native to the classical approach to public
eral, it is characterized as "an administra-
administration and whether the traditional
tion under the formal control of the political
model of bureaucracy could be replaced by
leadership, based on a strictly hierarchical
adopting some sort of marketbased mech-
model of bureaucracy, staffed by perma-
anism in order to obtain better results from
nent, neutral and anonymous officials, mo-
public sector organizations.
tivated only by the public interest, serving
The study has several tasks: 1) to
and governing party equally, and not con-
present the classical approach to public
administration and to describe the tributing to policy but merely administering
traditional model of bureaucracy and its those policies decided by the politicians"2.
key features and dimensions; 2) to explain This model and its definition has been wide-
the emergence of the new model of public ly accepted and used in the Western coun-
sector management in most advanced tries and mainly in Continental Europe dur-
countries and many developing ones; 3) to ing the 19th century and the first half of the
analyze the modern managerial approach to 20th century. The key feature of this model
the public sector referred to as New Public is that "in the modern governmental sys-
Management; and 4) to outline a particular tems professional bureaucrats execute the
route of a modern reform followed by many tasks of public administration while sepa-
continental European countries. rated from the political mechanisms as well
1
Peter, B.Guy, The Future of Governing, 2nd ed., the University Press of Kansas, 2001, p.
2
Hughes, Owen E., Public Management and Administration: An Introduction, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 2003, p. 17.

75
 Articles Approaches to Public Administration

as from the private sphere"3. In contrast to Weber not only gave the characteristics
this model, the earlier, pre-modern models and criteria for modern bureaucracy, but
were based on personal relationships. The also outlined the terms of employment in
most important characteristic shared by the the bureaucratic organization4:
earlier systems of administration is that they Officials are personally free and are
were "personal", based on the loyalty to a appointed on the basis of a contract.
particular individual such as a king, a lead- Officials are appointed, not elected.
er, a minister or a party, instead of being Weber argues that election modifies the
"impersonal", based on legality and the loy- strictness of hierarchical subordination.
alty to the organization and the state. The Officials are appointed on the basis of
end of patronage or nepotism in Europe and professional qualifications.
the spoil system in the United Stated came Officials have a fixed money salary and
at the end of 19th century, which set the be- pension rights.
ginning of forming a governmental adminis- The officials post is his sole or major
tration based on merit and political neutral- occupation.
ity instead of political dependence and cli- A career structure exists with promotion
entelism. The European and the American based on merit (though pressure to
public administration have passed through recognize seniority may also exists).
different historical development, but the We- The official is subject to a unified control
berian approach become common for them and disciplinary system in which the
and both stressed the necessity of an im- means of compulsion and its exercise
personal, formally regulated and hierarchi- are clearly defined.
cal mechanisms. An important dimension to this classical
It is well known that the principal focus model of the public administration was
of Webers analysis was not administration, added by Woodrow Wilson, who introduced
but his main distinctive contribution to the the politics-administration dichotomy. In
field of public administration is related to Wilsons words public administration is "the
the analysis of the social and historical con- detailed and systematic execution of public
text of administration, and more particularly, law" and he believes there should be a strict
bureaucracy. Weber did not invent the term separation of politics from administration
"bureaucracy", but identified bureaucracy because administration lies outside the
as the dominant form in a legal-rational so- proper sphere of politics and administrative
ciety and specified the features of the most questions are not political questions. W.
rational form of bureaucracy, which was Wilson firmly believed that the dichotomy
called the "ideal type" bureaucracy. Max between politics and administration could

3
Hoos, J., G.Jenei and L. Vass., Public Administration and Public Management: Approaches and Reforms, In: Public Policy
in Central and Eastern Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices, (eds.) M. Potucek, L.T. Leloup, G. Jenei, L. Varadi, NISPAcee,
2003, p. 123.
4
Fry, Brian R., Mastering Public Administration: From Max Weber to Dwight Waldo, Chatham House Publishers, Inc., Chatham,
New Jersey, 1989, p. 31.

76 Economic Alternatives, issue 1, 2012

 Articles

not only eliminate the arbitrariness and was "one best way of working". According to
corruption in the administration, but also may Hughes, "there are two main points to Taylors
have wider effects. From a theoretical point theory: standardizing work, which meant finding
of view, the realization of the dichotomy the one best way of working and controlling
seems to be very simple, but in reality there so extensively and intensively as to provide for
has not been complete and clear separation the maintenance of standards"5 In short, as
between politics and administration. Fry says "these three components time and
What distinguishes America from Europe motion studies, wage incentive systems, and
is the transfer of effective management functional organization constitute the core of
methods between the large private and Taylors scientific management"6 Taylors "idea
public organizations. It became evident that a of one best way", the standardization of work,
strong business culture had been developed the systematic control and the hierarchical
and attained in America and this import organization fit public administration and
of managerial innovations from the private explains why scientific management was the
sector became a characteristic feature of most influential theory in the public sector until
the American public administration. The most the 1940 s..
important theory, which was first transferred After the World War II, the basis of
from the private organizations, was Scientific scientific management was questioned,
Management. In 1911 Frederick W. Taylor both in theory and in practice, and the
published his fundamental work "Principles most powerful critics came from the Nobel
and Methods of Scientific Management". Prize winner in economics Herbert Simon,
At that time there was a search for general whose work represents a radical departure
administrative techniques in the private sector from the classical approach to public
that could possibly be used to enhance the administration. The classical approaches
efficiency in the operation of the American of Weber and Taylor have been referred to
government and the scientific management as the public administrative orthodoxy7,
attracted the support of governmental officials, but when a series of challenges to the
who believed that its techniques, directly classical approach to public administration
concerned with the question of efficiency, appeared in the 1940s heterodoxy replaced
could be applied in the public sector. orthodoxy 8, to quote Dwight Waldo. In other
Today it is beyond any doubt that Frederick words, different theoretical approaches and
Taylor is credited with formulating scientific practical experiences started to influence
management and his belief was that there administrative organizations.

5
Hughes, Owen E., Public Management and Administration: An Introduction, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 2003, p. 27.
6
Fry, Brian R., Mastering Public Administration: From Max Weber to Dwight Waldo, Chatham House Publishers, Inc., Chatham,
New Jersey, 1989, p. 60.
7
Hoos, J., G.Jenei and L. Vass., Public Administration and Public Management: Approaches and Reforms, In: Public Policy
in Central and Eastern Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices, (eds.) M. Potucek, L.T. Leloup, G. Jenei, L. Varadi, NISPAcee,
2003, p. 127.
8
Fry, Brian R., Mastering Public Administration: From Max Weber to Dwight Waldo, Chatham House Publishers, Inc., Chatham,
New Jersey, 1989, p. 227-228.

77
 Articles Approaches to Public Administration

The New Public Administration movement Modern Managerial Approaches

of the late 1960s and early 1970s criticized to Public Administration
the "old" public administration for its lack of
The traditional administrative system
an explicit ideological framework. The basic
persisted for a long time and was undoubtedly
principles of the New Public Administration
very successful, because in Guy Peters
were participation, decentralization and
words "it fought several wars, produced and
representative bureaucracy. Both types
administered a massive expansion of social
of participation as a political process
programs, instituted large-scale economic
and participation as an organizational
management for the public sector, and did a
process were supported, because political
host of other remarkable things"10. During the
participation was to be a means of dispersing
1980s and 1990s there was a large-scale
power and increasing citizens involvement
rethinking of governance, which was followed
in government, while organizational
by attempts to move administration far away
participation was believed to be a means
from its roots and only few governments have
for promoting change and dispersing power
remained untouched by the wave of reforms.
within the organization. Decentralization was
The Anglo-American countries are the most
intended to increase citizens involvement in
seriously affected ones by these changes.
governmental and organizational processes.
Therefore it comes as no surprise that the
Representative bureaucracy was meant to
reforms are most dramatic in these countries.
produce client-centered administration and
Before the term "new public management"
the representation of clientele interests by
was coined, the new model of public sector
administrators.
management had several names. Different
A new managerial approach in the
names such as managerialism, new
public sector emerged in the 1980s and
public management, market-based public
early 1990s and it was named New Public
administration, post-bureaucratic paradigm,
Management. This new approach lays the
entrepreneurial government were used to
emphasis on the economy, efficiency and
describe the same phenomenon. The new
effectiveness of government organizations,
approach to public management is oriented
instruments and programs, and higher
to results, focusing on clients, outputs and
quality service delivery. This new model
outcomes. It focuses on management by
of public sector management emerged in
objectives and performance management, the
the most advanced countries, as well as in
use of market and market-type mechanisms
many developing ones, and is regarded by
in the place of centralized command and
many authors "not a reform of the traditional
control style of regulation, competition and
public administration, but a transformation of
choice, and devolution with a better matching
the public sector and its relationship with
of authority, responsibility and accountability.
government and society"9
9
Hoos, J., G.Jenei and L. Vass., Public Administration and Public Management: Approaches and Reforms, In: Public Policy in Cen-
tral and Eastern Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices, (eds.) M. Potucek, L.T. Leloup, G. Jenei, L. Varadi, NISPAcee, 2003, p. 135.
10
Peter, B.Guy, The Future of Governing, 2nd ed., the University Press of Kansas, 2001, p. 13.

78 Economic Alternatives, issue 1, 2012

 Articles

In the United Kingdom during the Thatcher eration and Development (OECD), the
government there was a concerted effort to World Bank and others showed an interest
implement the three es of economy, efficiency in the ways of improving public manage-
and effectiveness at all levels of British ment. What is more, the OECD Report of
government. The reform was mainly aimed at a 1998 argues that improving efficiency and
massive privatization of public enterprises and effectiveness of the public sector itself
cutting other parts of the public sector, while "involves a major cultural shift as the old
the civil service moved from an administered management paradigm, which was largely
to a managed bureaucracy. process and rules driven, is replaced by a
In 1992 Osborne and Gaebler published new paradigm which attempts to combine
Reinventing the Government in the United modern management practices with the
logic of economics, while still retaining the
States, which it became a major event.
core public service values"12.
Even the presidential candidate Bill Clinton
Several years later, in 2005, the OECD
showed a keen interest in reforming
published a review of modernization initiatives
government through changing the culture
launched in most of the organizations member
of the American federal government. The states, which was entitled Modernizing
task of launching the National Performance Government and highlighted the widely
Review was assigned to Vice-President Al shared objective to make public sector more
Gore, who was clearly influenced by the responsive, transparent and efficient, although
books ideas. The Gore Report quoted there was a variety of different policy paths
innovative practices, used in Britain, to achieve it13. This means that modernization
Australia and New Zealand for developing depends on the context, because history,
the new public management. Gores culture and the stage of development give
suggestion for reinventing the government governments different characteristics and
was based on four key principles11: priorities.
Cutting red tape shifting from systems The main central government management
in which people are accountable for reforms carried out since 1980 in the "core new
following rules to systems in which they public management" states such the UK, the
are accountable for achieving results; USA, Australia, New Zealand, have pursued
Cutting back to basics and producing the strategies of marketizing and privatizing.
better government for less; All states in this group see a large role for the
Putting customers first; private sector forms and techniques in the
Empowering employees to achieve process of the restructuring the public sector.
results. A specific feature of this group is that they are
Not only industrialized democracies, countries with an individualistic culture and
but also international organizations such pro-business attitude, which is reflected in the
as the Organization for Economic Coop- prevailing ideology of the public interest view

11
Gore, Al, The Gore Report on Reinventing the Government: Creating a Government that Works Better and Cost Less, Report
of the National Performance Review, New York: Times Books, 1993.
12
OECD, Public Management Reform and the Economic and Social Development, PUMA (Paris: OECD), 1998.
13
OECD, Modernising Government: the Way forward. Paris, 2005.

79
 Articles Approaches to Public Administration

of the government. This explains why they "all described by G. Bouckert and Chr. Pollitt in
think in terms of the government rather than their book "Public Management Reform: A
the state" 14. Comparative Analysis"16:
Recent comparative studies of the reform A shift from an internal orientation towards
process clearly show that the pure new bureaucratic rules to an external orienta-
public management model of marketization tion towards meeting citizens needs and
and privatization is not implemented by all wishes. The primary route to this achieving
European states. The European countries this effect is not the employment of market
such as Belgium, Finland, France, the mechanisms (although they may occasion-
Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and others ally come in handy) but the creation of a
form the group of modernizers and follow professional culture of quality and service.
a distinctive reform model, one which Geert Supplementation (not replacement) of
Bouckert and Christopher Pollitt refer to as the role of representative democracy by a
the Neo-Weberian State. In this modernizing range of devices for consultations with, and
group there are significant differences in terms the direct representation of citizens views
of the speed and precise mixture of change, (this aspect being more visible in the north-
but they all continue, albeit in a modern ern European states and Germany at the
form, the established traditions of a strong local level than in Belgium, France, or Italy).
statehood and the high status of the top civil In the management of resources with
servants. Compared to the group of "core new government, a modernization of the
public management" states, the European relevant laws to encourage a greater
modernizers still " continue to place a greater orientation on the achievement of results
emphasis on the state as the irreplaceable rather than merely the correct following of
integrative force in society, with a legal procedure. This is expressed partly in a
personality and operative value system that shift in the balance from ex ante to ex post
can not be reduced to the private sector controls, but not a complete abandonment
discourse of efficiency, competitiveness of the former.
and consumer satisfaction"15. A professionalization of the public service,
This comes to show that there is more so that the bureaucrat becomes not simply
than one route of modern reforms in central an expert in the law relevant to his or her
government. The label Neo-Weberian sphere of activity, but also a professional
State, associated with the European group manager, oriented to meeting the needs of
of modernizers, suggests that this new his or her citizens/users.
specific model implies a modernization of This distinctive model of reforms, composed
the Weberian tradition, not its rejection in of Weberian elements and neo elements,
terms of the market model. In effect this shows that continental European countries have
means that new elements are added to not converged to the new public management
the Weberian elements and are precisely model. As a whole, when compared with the
14
Pollitt, Chr., S. Thiel, V. Homburg (eds.), New Public Management in Europe: Adaptations and Alternatives, Palgrave Mac-
Millan, 2007, p. 19.
15
Pollitt, Chr., S. Thiel, V. Homburg (eds.), New Public Management in Europe: Adaptations and Alternatives, Palgrave Mac-
Millan, 2007, p. 19-20.
16
Bouckert, G. , Chr. Pollitt Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 99-100.

80 Economic Alternatives, issue 1, 2012

 Articles

core new public management group, the privatization has spread over to the Anglo-
European countries have shared a more American countries, whereas the countries
optimistic attitude towards the future role of in continental Europe, despite their many
the state and a more constructive approach to and substantial differences, have generally
the reform of the public services. In fact, the adopted an approach towards modernizing
new public management approach is often government in the Weberian tradition.
discussed as a single notion, though it in fact
encompasses a variety of different approaches References
to change, some of which are contradictory
Bouckert, G., Pollitt, Chr.. 2004. Public Man-
and mutually exclusive.
agement Reform: A Comparative Analysis.
Conclusion 2nd ed. Oxford University Press.
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tration, in terms of both theory and practice, ministration: From Max Weber to Dwight
was an outstanding success and widely emu- Waldo. Chatham House Publishers, Inc.,
lated by governments all over the world. The Chatham, New Jersey.
traditional public administration developed at a Gore, Al, 1993. The Gore Report on Rein-
particular point of the industrial development, venting the Government: Creating a Gov-
but the later large-scale reconsideration of ernment that Works Better and Cost Less.
governance was followed by attempts to move Report of the National Performance Review,
administration far away from its roots. New York: Times Books.
The traditional model of public administration Hughes, Owen, E., 2003. Public Manage-
is an ideal type of model. In an ideal bureaucracy, ment and Administration: An Introduction.
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separated and a clear distinction between Kjar, A. M., 2004. Governance. Key Con-
politics and administration is made. The central cepts. Polity Press.
assumption of the classical approach to public OECD, 1998. Public Management Reform
administration is that hierarchy involves direct and the Economic and Social Development.
control, with the civil servant being accountable PUMA (Paris: OECD).
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The growing criticism of the traditional Way forward. Paris.
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