Public Administration and Governance: Core Concepts and Exam Traps
Foundations
Public administration is the study of how government organizes, staffs, funds, and delivers public services. Distinguish public administration (the machinery of implementation) from public governance (the broader exercise of authority through state and non-state actors). Know the classical pillars: the Wilson-Weber tradition of hierarchical bureaucracy, Taylor's scientific management, Fayol's administrative principles, and Simon's bounded rationality critique. New Public Management reframes citizens as clients, emphasizes results over process, and favors decentralization, outsourcing, and performance measurement. New Public Service and good governance frameworks instead stress participation, transparency, accountability, equity, and the rule of law.
Philippine Context
Review the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160): devolution of health, agriculture, and social welfare; the barangay, municipal, city, and provincial tiers; and the mandate to devolve functions together with resources. Understand E-Governance, the Anti-Red Tape Act (RA 9485), and the Civil Service Commission's role in merit and fitness. Know the accountability bodies: COA, Ombudsman, and Sandiganbayan.
Traps
Questions often swap authority with responsibility, confuse deconcentration (shifting work within the central agency) with devolution (transferring power to local governments), or mislabel privatization as decentralization. Watch for options that sound participatory but lack legal basis.
Rule of Thumb
When a question asks which principle applies, ask: Who holds the power, who holds the resources, and who is accountable? If power and resources move to the LGU, it is devolution.
Worked example: A health program is transferred to a province with corresponding budget, personnel, and accountability. That is devolution, not deconcentration.