COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

New trends:-

COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Fred Riggs is the father of Comparative Public Administration. In 1962 Fred Riggs in his article “Trends in comparative study of Public Administration,” emphasized on following points:-

a)      Emphasized the need to study politico-administrative institutions in their Social settings. After the Second World War, the study of third world countries became a common subject of almost all social sciences. Scholars of comparative Public Administration analyzed the question of administrative development to direct socio-economic change in cross – cultural contexts.

b)      Hence Comparative Public Administration means cross-cultural and cross national study of Public Administration.

c)      To understand impact of comparative Public Administration is necessary.

d)     Fred Riggs pointed out three trends in the Comparative study of public administration.

1.      From normative to empirical orientation.

2.      From ideographic to homothetic orientation

3.      From non-ecological to ecological orientation

1.      From normative to empirical orientation -

It means emphasis on the scientific methods, with a view to evolve the science of public Administration, Normative study stress on ‘what ought to be’ and Empirical study stress on ‘What is’. In comparative Public Administration we study from ‘what ought to be’’ to ‘What is’.

2.      From ideographic to homothetic orientation-

Ideographic orientation means study of one nation only or Individualistic studies. E.g. concentration on the unique case or case study, the single country, the biography etc.

Homothetic orientation means Universal studies. This approach seeks generalizations, laws hypotheses that assert regularities of behavior, correlation with variables. In comparative public administration, we go from individualistic study to universal study.

3.      From non-ecological to ecological orientation -

The ecological orientation meant the study of the environment of the administrative system and interaction between the two. Administrative system operates within the political system and is also influenced by social and economic forces. Thus the political, social and economic factors constitute the ‘environment’ of the administrative system.

e)      Comparative administrative studies have been conducted on three levels.

1)      Macro studies

It means focus on the comparisons of whole administrative system.

E.g. India and the United States in their ecological contexts. Generally the relationship between an administrative system and its external environment are highlighted in the macro level studies.

2)      Middle Range studies

It means studies are of specific aspects of administrative system.

E.g. a comparison of local government in different countries.

3)      Micro studies

It relates to an analysis of a part of an administrative system.

E.g. the recruitment or training in two or more administrative organizations.

Thus the question of modernization and developmental diversity in different systems are of great importance to the students of comparative public administration.

f)       Ramesh Arora has summed up the elements of comparative public administration as under:-

1)      Cross cultural Comparison

2)      Developmental Dimensions

3)      Ecological perspective

4)      Goal orientation

1)      Cross cultural comparison -

It means broad comparisons among administrative system of western and non-western countries.

2)      Developmental Dimensions -

It means broad comparison of linkage with the question of modernization.

3)      Ecological perspective -

It means comparative study of the interaction between the administrative system and their environment.

4)      Goal orientation -

It means analysis of the unique goals of particular cultures in relation to their administrative system.