Public Administration and Governance
What the exam tests
Public administration is the machinery that converts public policy into services; governance is the wider system of rules, institutions and accountability relationships. Questions test whether you can distinguish administrative values and apply good-governance principles to realistic office scenarios.
Core rules and concepts
- Rule of law and legality: administrators act within legal authority; discretion is never unlimited.
- Accountability and transparency: decisions must be recordable, explainable and open to scrutiny.
- Effectiveness vs efficiency: effectiveness is achieving the intended outcome; efficiency is the input-output ratio.
- Equity and participation: identical treatment can be unfair where needs differ; affected parties should have a voice.
- New Public Management: shifts emphasis to results, performance measurement and citizen orientation, but can weaken due-process values if overused.
Worked example: A licensing office cuts average processing from 10 days to 4 by removing duplicate checks, but small rural applicants still travel twice. The change improves efficiency and effectiveness for most users, yet raises an equity/access concern. A good answer names the trade-off and proposes an online or mobile step rather than claiming the reform is simply 'better.'
Traps that cost marks
Do not equate governance with government; governance includes markets, civil society and networks. Do not call a faster process 'effective' without evidence of outcome. Do not treat efficiency and equity as synonyms; reforms often trade one against the other.