专题阅读资料 10 Introduction to Public Administration Definition Public Administration has more than one definition. Traditionally, public administration is thought of as the accomplishing side of government. It is supposed to comprise all those activities involved in carrying out the policies of elected officials and some activities associated with the development of those policies. Public administration is all that comes after the last campaign promise and the election night cheer. There is a new definition of public administration: the process by which resources are allocated and then used to cope with the problems facing a political community. What do you think about this definition? However, we have also got a short one: public administration is concerned with the management of public programs. Public administrators work at all levels of government, both at home and abroad, and they manage not-for-profit organizations, associations, and interest group of all kinds. The substantive fields within which public managers work range across the varied interests of government and public affairs, from defense and national security to social welfare and environmental quality, from the design and construction of roads and bridges to the exploration of space, from taxation and financial administration to human resources management. Though public administration varies tremendously in its scope and substance, those who work in public organizations share certain commitments. Among these, none is more important than a commitment to public service. There is something very special about public administration——that your work in public administration is distinguished by its pursuit of socialist values that emphasize the people...
