UNIT 1: ADMINISTRATION – PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

1. A. INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Nice to meet you

In pairs, use your spoken English to get to know each other, then introduce your partner to the whole class.

Activity 2: Finding expectations

In groups of five, discuss then select and prioritize four of five outcomes that you expect from this course of English for Public Administration.

B. TEXTS AND PRACTICE

Activity 3: Pre-reading of Text 1

Which of these words or phrases do you associate with the concept of administration? Can you explain your choice?

cooperation service having power coordination doing things for someone else

controlling people office work the state taking charge of things running a company

Activity 4: Text 1

Reading the following text about administration and find answers to these questions:

1. What are the two original meanings of “to administer”?

2. Do “administer” and “manage” mean the same thing?

Text 1:                                                     Administration

1. The term “administration” has a long history. Some authors consider that the term coincides with the formation of the state long ago. According to Dunsire, A. (1973, p: 1) “the classical Latin verb, as used by Cicero for instance, had two apparently distinct senses: to help, assist, or serve…; and to manage, direct, or govern…”. We can see the hint of a combination of the two principal senses, “directing” and “assisting” at the same time. The verb “administer” in various contexts can be translates as “minister” which can also mean “serve” or “servant”. Another meaning of the verb can be understood as “to run”. For example, to run the state.
2. Although originally “administer” and “manage” had some similar meanings, e.g. “looking after things” or “taking charge of” or getting things done”, “administration” has a subtler and more extended series of meanings. R.J.S.Baker (1972, p: 13) wrote: “It (administration) is more usually found in the public sector than the private and, in general, carries an implication, not of control, but of directing and coordinating things on behalf of other people or authorities. It is often connected with some notion of service”. This argument clarifies further the meaning of “administration” as government or direction “in the implementation of a  given purpose or end; or as “direction” or “execution” in the interest of someone else. H. A. Simon et al (1970, p:11) wrote “In its broadest sense, administration can be defined as the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish common goals”.

Activity 5:      Vocabulary work

Match the words/phrases on the left with their definitions on the right. The first word is done for you as an example.

to administer to coincide to serve to minister to run to take charge of the public sector authority execution activity

to be in charge of to opposite of “the private sector” person or group having the power to give orders or take action to control the affairs of to happen at the same time specific thing or things done to give active help or service to sb/sth. to be responsible for to carry out or performance of a piece of work, plan, duty. performance of duties

Activity 6: Summary

Summarize the text in four sentences, two sentences for each paragraph.

Paragraph 1: ........................................................................................................................................

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Paragraph 2: ........................................................................................................................................

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Activity 7:      Pre-reading of Text 2

1. Before you read text 2, make sure you know the meaning of the following words/phrases which are underlined in the text (you can look in a good dictionary, or ask your deskmate or your teacher).

public administration practitioners public services public employees institution behavioral administrative power

academics technical skills structure general election relationship occupational regulatory power

1. Pronunciation: With the help of your teacher, read aloud the given words and phrases. Make stresses clear.

Activity 8:     Read the following text as fast as you can.`              

What do you think is the topic of this text? Write down the topic once you have decided.

TOPIC: ................................................................................................................................................

1. Although the notion of public administration is as old as government, understanding about it still differs among different academics and practitioners. Debate is still going on about whether public administration is art of science. There is no doubt that some people have a gift for administration and become natural administrators. However, one may say that the artist is useless without necessary tools – without the technical skills (the science) that allow for the digestion and transference of information. It is, therefore, pointless to argue whether the practice of public administration is more art or science; it is inherently both. In addition, there is a view that public administration is a profession (Lawrence, 1997) which includes whatever the public employees of the world do; ranging from typing documents to running general elections. Although these people do not always think of themselves as public administrators, identifying themselves in their specific professions, they nevertheless provide public services.

1. The results of all these debates and arguments are very different definitions of public administration. Fletcher (1967, pp: 53-54) explained that “Public administration can be used to denote: (1) The activity of public servants; (2) The structure of executive  government: that is the institutions and patterns of relationships through which the activity of public servants is carried on; (3) The study of 1 and 2”. Put another way, as a subject, public administration “focuses pre-eminently on the institutions, organizational structures and decision/implementation processes of government” (quoted by John, G & Wilson, D, 1989, p: 2). It can be noted that while considering public administration as “the activity of civil servants”, this meaning is very narrow and focuses only on day-by-day work of the public servants. Furthermore, “the study” is concerned mainly with the objective side of public administration as “executive in action” to implement the system of executive power, omitting the subjective, behavioral side. In 1987 Waldo gave this definition: “(1) Public administration is the organization and management of men and materials to achieve the purposes of government. (2) Public administration is the art and science of management as applied to affairs of the state.” A decade later, while considering that public administration is too vast to encompass it all within one definition, Shafritz & Russell provided eighteen definitional discussions and grouped them into four categories: (1) political, (2) legal, (3) managerial, and (4) occupational (Shafritz & Russell, 1997, pp. 7-32).

1. Given the complexity of the function of public administration and also the scope of government at the present time, the following description is deployed: (1) Public administration is a power named “administrative power”, one component of the executive power (which may be divided into administrative power that is the power to organize, run and manage the administrative system itself, and regulatory power that is the power to issue by-laws and regulatory documents to implement laws). It is the power to organize and manage the state administrative machinery to conduct the operation of the state; (2) A system of public bodies including the government, various ministries and central agencies, local authorities, and other public institutions which have the competence to organize and regulate socio-economic processes and the actions of different organizations and citizens; (3) A set of institutions namely administrative institutions comprising of legal and regulatory documents and rules to govern the organizations; and (4) The action of public servants in the bureaucracy.
2. Activity 9: True or false?
   Now read the text again and say if the following statements are true of false. Write T for true or F for false. The first sentence is done for you as an example.
   
   
   --T-- 1. The notion of public administration has a long history.
   -----  2. There is a consensus about the scope of public administration.
   -----  3. Public administration is both an art and a science.
   -----  4. Public administration is also a profession.
   -----  5. Definitions of public administration are generally agreed upon.
   -----  6. The meaning of public administration as “the activity of civil servants” is very narrow.
   -----  7. Public administration is a power, namely “administrative power”.
   -----  8. Public administration is not comprised of public bodies.
   -----  9. Public administration is a set of institutions, namely administrative institutions.
   ----- 10. Public administration is an action of public servants.
   
   
   Activity 10: Answer the following questions
   1. What do you understand about public administration as an art?
   2. What do you understand about public administration as a science?
   3. Who considers public administration as a profession?
   4. What does public administration include as a profession?
   5. What is the definition of public administration given by Fletcher?
   6. What is the definition of public administration given by Waldo?
   7. What are the components of the executive power?
   8. What do you understand by “administrative institutions”?
   
   
   Activity 11: What is the main idea?
   Read again carefully to find the most important idea in each paragraph. Paragraph 1 is done for you as an example.
   Paragraph 1: Public administration is both an art and a science, and even a profession.
   Paragraph 2 (3-4 minutes) ...................................................................................................................
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   Paragraph 3 (3-4 minutes) ...................................................................................................................
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   Activity 12: Pronunciation
   Stress
   1. Words ending in –tion have at least two syllables or more. Now listen to the nouns ending in –tion. Mark the stressed syllable.
   2. The list:
   
   

   administration addition definition organization implementation

   information election institution decision regulation

   
   
   1. Study the list again. Can you tell what the rule is for stress in words ending in –tion?
   
   
   Activity 13: Group discussion
   What is your definition of administration and public administration? Discuss in groups of four or five, then tell the rest of the class what you decided.
   
   
   C.     EXTENSION
   Activity 14: Rule for the use of Present Simple and Present Xontinuous tenses
   Study the following explanations and compare the examples:
   
   

   Present Simple

   Present Continuous

   Use the simple tense for things in general or things that happen repeatedly. ………………I do………………… past                       now                         future Examples: Water boils at 100 degrees celsius. Some authors consider that the term “administration” coincides with the formation of the state long ago. Use the simple for a permanent situation Examples: Thu is hardworking. She works very hard most of the time. My brother’s family lives in Ho Chi Minh City. They have lived there for more than ten years.

   Use the continuous tense for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking. The action is not finished.                            I am doing past                         now                   future Examples: The water is boiling. Can you turn it off? I’m going to school now. Goodbye. Use the continuous for a temporary situation Examples: “You’re working hard today”. “Yes, I’ve got a lot to do.” He’s living with some friends until he finds a flat.

   
   
   1. Administration …………………. (carry) an implication of directing and coordinating things on behalf of other people or authorities.
   2. The director general cannot meet you now. He ………….. (chair) an important meeting.
   3. Hurry up! Everybody ……………….(wait) for you.
   4. Public administration ……………….(focus) on the institutions, organizational structures and decision/implementation processes of government.
   5. ‘What ………………………. (your husband/do)?’ ‘He’s an inspector but he ……………. (not/work) at the moment.
   6. The President is in London at the moment. He ……………. (stay) at the Park Hotel. He …………………(always/stay) there when he’s in London.
   7. An is very untidy. He …………………(always/leave) his papers all over the workplace.
   8. Thu and Nam…………………..(learn) English now in the classroom at the National Academy of Public Administration.
   9. We usually …………………..(work) in the Ministry of Trade but this month we ………………… (go) on a study visit to Singapore.
   10. Normally my wife ……………….(finish) work at 5.00, but this week she ………………(work) until 6.00 to finish all the documents.
   
   
   Activity 15: Filling in the gaps
   Complete the following paragraph. Fill in each gap with the most suitable word you can find.
   
   
   According to many authors, public administration is ………… (1) as the executive in action. It is important to note that ………….. (2) administration not only forms the largest part of government, it …………. (3) at the heart of the policy process. Public administration, at the same time, holds the responsibility for the …………… (4) of this policy. It can be distinguished from ……………. (5) administration.
   
   
   D. HOMEWORK
   
   
   Exercise 1: Translation
   Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese:
   1. Although the term “public administration” has a long history, there is not a general consensus about it.
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   1. My parents work for government organizations. They are considered to be public servants.
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   1. At present, the British government consists of about fifteen departments, also called ministries.
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   Translate the following sentences into English:
   1. Vợtôi thường đi làm vào lúc 7 giờsang, song tuần này cô ấy đi làm từ6 giờđểchuẩn bịbáo cáo thường kỳ cho ông giám đốc.
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   1. Ngài bộtrưởng hiện đang nghiên cứu vềhệthống hành chính công của Vương quốc Anh tại Luân Đôn.
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   1. Nền hành chính công là nơi thực thi các chính sách của nhà nước.
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   Exercise 2: Complementary reading:
   Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
   
   
   Administration – Public Administration
   Administration:
   There are different interpretations of the term “administration” according to various approaches. Administration can be considered from economic, juridical and social aspects and we can make a distinction between Public Administration and Private Administration.
   
   
   Public Administration:
   The term is commonly used in countries where a market economy is developed and the private sector plays an important role. It is used to distinguish it from Private Administration. Public Administration can be seen in three aspects:
   
   
   1 – It is a power named “Administrative Power”. This is an important component of the Executive power, which consist of the Regulatory and Administrative powers.
   
   
   Regulatory power is the power of executive bodies to issue regulatory acts under the law to implement state management work according to the law. Only the bodies in the executive system with the function of state management and on behalf of the State have the power issue regulatory acts to implement the law.
   
   
   Administrative power is the power to organize and manage the State’s administrative machinery to conduct the work of the State, the power to govern all activities with lateral right, as the one on behalf of the State. In this case, administration means the State management or ruling.
   
   
   Generally speaking, while considering administration as a power, we can understand that it is an entity organizations and operational statute of the executive machinery responsible for day-to-day work of the State conducted by the bodies which have the public power. This is the management of all areas of socio-economic life to carry out the political task, keep the public order, protect the rights of citizens and serve the daily needs of citizens. In this meaning administration is a functional system of the State which ensure the implementation of the executive power and continuous operation of state machinery.
   
   
   2 – Public Administration is an institution formed by a system of public power bodies including the Government, various ministries, people’s committees, public institutions, which have the competence to organize and regulate all the socio-economic processes and the actions of different organizations or citizens by regulatory acts under the laws.
   
   
   3 – Administration is action. It is the concrete day-to-day work to implement the guidelines of the manager. The work consists of drafting, printing, keeping documents etc. The meaning is very narrow.
   
   
   Public Administration is a component of the state machinery, involved in the political system and having the task to conduct state power.
   
   
   Answer the following questions:
   1. Are there many understandings of the terms “administration” and “public administration”?
   2. From which aspects can administration be considered?
   3. Where is the term “public administration” commonly used? Explain why.
   4. What are the main contents of regulatory power?
   5. What can we say about administration as a power?
   
   
   E. REVIEW TEST
   You have 20 minutes to complete the following test. When you have finished, your teacher will give you the key and you will mark your own answers.
   
   
   Test 1: Filling in the gaps
   Find words or phrases used in this unit to fill in the gaps in the following sentences:
   1. The classical Latin …………… , as used by Cicero for instance, had two apparently distinct senses.
   2. Administration is more usually found in the ……………. Sector than the private.
   3. Public administration is seen as an art, a ………………, and a profession.
   4. Public administration can be used to denote the ……………… of public sevants.
   5. The executive power may be divided into administrative power and ……………… power.
   (5 points)
   
   
   Test 2: Right or wrong?
   Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct the verbs that are wrong.
   1. The argument clarifies further the meaning of “administration”.
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   1. The manager writes a report to the director general now.
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   1. The water boils. Can you turn the gas off?
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   1. I hear you’ve got a new job. How do you get on?
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   1. My family lives in Hanoi.
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