COMPARATIVE
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Evolution, Nature, Scope
&
Significance
Team:-
• Garagi Kaushik (Leader)
• Farheen Khan
• Khushnuma Khan
• Samreen Nasir
• Upendra Yadav
• Abdul Samad
• Abhishek Yadav
In Supervision of:-
Dr. Mohammad Aslam
Department of Political science
Aligarh Muslim University.
Contents:-
• Introduction
• Evolution of CPA
• Nature
• Scope
• Characteristics
• Models
• Significance
• Limitations/Problems
• Conclusion
Introduction:-
• Comparative Public Administration can be Defined as the Study of
Administrative Institutions, Process, and Behaviours across
Organizational, National and Cultural Boundaries.
• New Concept
• Contradictory Approach Against Orthodox Public Administration.
• Method of Investigations and Analysis.
• Compares Attributes And Performance of Administrative Systems And
Sub systems.
• Fred W Riggs “Father of Comparative Public Administration”.
• Most Important Contribution by “Comparative Administrative
Group”.
“The Public Administration has Applied to Diverse
Cultures and National Setting and The Body of Factual
Data, by which it can be examined and tested”
:- The CAG (Comparative Administrative Group).
“Comparative Public Administration has been
predominantly Cross-cultural in orientation”
:- Jong S. Jun.
“Comparative Public Administration is a Discipline
which uses empirical tools of comparison to study the
total matters of public administration irrespactive of
time, place or cultural Variables”
:- A.H. Tyagi.
Evolution of CPA :-
• The Emphasis on the Need for Comparative Method in Studying Public
Administration is Given Long Back By Woodrow Wilson in 1887.
• Woodrow Wilson :- “We Can Never learn either Our Own Virtues By
Comparing Ourselves with Ourselves it is best on the whole to get entirely away
from our own atmosphere and to be Most Careful in Examining Such System As
those of france or Germany”.
• Robert Dahl in his essay “The Science of Public Administration-1947” says
“No science of Public Administration is Possible Unless There is A body of
Comparative Studies”.
• Comparative Administration Group was Formed in 1960 to formulate Universal
Comparative Theory of Public Administration Under the Chairmanship of
Fred W Riggs.
• Focus on The Comparative Study Became Vigourous After The Second World
War.
• Five Motivating Concerns Addressed By The School of Comparative
Public Administration :-
The Search For Theory.
The Urge For Practical Application
The Incidental Contribution of The Broader Field of Comparative Politics.
The Interest Of The Researchers Trained in The Tradition of Administrative
Law
The Comparative Analysis of Ongoing Problems Of Public Administration.
Factors that influenced the evolution of Comparative Public
Administration :-
The revisionist movement in comparative politics .
The dissatisfaction with traditional public administration which was culture bound.
The emergence of newly independent Third World countries.
The scientific, technological and theoretical development.
The Comparative studies in sociology, anthropology and other areas.
CAG Discontinued In 1973.
Fred W Riggs and Other Scholars Established a Section on International
& Comparative Administration which is Continuously Promoting Study
And Teaching and research in Comparative Public Administration.
The Major Areas Of Research are Bureaucracy, Public Policies,
Motivation, Finance, Developmental aspects of Administration etc.
As of 2022 The Discipline of Comparative Public Administration is Taught in
Large Number of Foreign and Indian Institutions.
Nature :-
• Durkheim and Eisenstad Believes That comparison are inherent part of any
Social Analysis.
• Some Scholars believe that Comparative Enquiry Has Special Focus and
Techniques.
• Fred W Riggs Observes 3(three) trends in The Study Of CPA
- Normative to Empirical.
- Ideographic to Namothetic.
- Non Ecological to Ecological.
• Normative to Empirical:-
- The Traditional Studies Focused on Classical Approach
- Idealistic Nature.
- Main Attention Was Good Administration.
- Efficiency & Economy Were Primary Goals.
- Administrative Principles Were Prescriptive in Nature.
- After 1945 Focus Shifted From Idealistic Studies to Realistic.
• Ideographic to Nomothetic:-
- Ideographic Studies Focus On Studies of Unique Cases Such As historical events,
Study of Single Agency or Country.
- Nomothetic Studies Seeks To Develop Generalisation and Theories Based
On Analysis Of Regularities of Administrative Behaviour.
- The Objective Was To Examine Similarities And Differences And
Draw Generalizations.
• Non Ecological to Ecological:-
- In Traditional Public Administration No Serious Attempt Was Made In Regards Of
Environment In Which Administrative System Functions.
- In 1960s Fred W Riggs And Other Scholars Focused On Ecological Approach For
Comparing Administrative & its External Environment.
Scope Of CPA:-
Woodrow Wilson has very accurately visualized the Scope of CPA in his article
“The Study of Public Administration” as “The Scope Of CPA Would Be to
Use It For The Practical Purpose of Introducing Administrative Reforms in
Different Countries Based on the Experience of Other Countries.”
• CPA has Developed an Inter Disciplinary Orientation.
• Covers Intra National, Inter Institutional, Cross National Studies.
• CPA made Public Administration Research Oriented.
Robert Dahl has Aptly Remarked that “As Long As The Study is Not
Comparative, Claims of a Science of Public Administration Sounds
Rather Hollow!”.
Characteristics:-
• Comparative Public Administration is The Study of The Individual
Characteristics of Administrative Systems Functioning in Different Nations.
• It Helps in Developing and Researching the Attributes of Public
Administration.
• It Is oriented Towards Empirical Approaches, In The Discussion of
Comparative Public Administration Scientific Methods Are Applied.
• This Discipline Has Western Domination.
• Concerned With The Problems of Developing Nations & Possible
Solutions.
• Studies and Compare Similar & Dissimilar Features in Order to Find Out
Causes or Reasons For Effective Performance or Behaviour of
Administrators.
Models :-
Every culture offers support and obstacles to change and development
Three Tools:
• Ecological approach
• Structural – Functional
• Ideal models.
Ecological Approach :- Administration is one subsystem of a society and
so is influenced by other subsystems viz. political, social.
Structural Functional Approach :- Society has many structures that
perform various functions viz. political, economic.
Ideal Models :- Based on structural functional models.
There are two models:
- Agraria – Industria
- Fused - Prismatic - Diffracted.
Significance:-
• It Makes Students, Teachers, Researchers, Administrators & Experts
Aware of Administration of Other States & How The Systems Differ
From Each Other.
• Hypothesis Theories and Models Can Be Constructed Through
Comparative Public Administration.
• CPA is Considered As a Movement that seeks to Transform the Idea Of
Public Administration From Idealistic to Empirical and Pragmatic.
• It Helps Researchers Understanding The Success & Failures of
Administrative Structures in Different Environments.
• CPA Played an Important Role In Making The Subject Broader, Useful
and Inter Disciplinary.
Limitations/Problems:-
• Loopholes of One System Can Produce Ideas To Create Imaginary Crisis In
Another System.
• Risk of Benchmarking, Despite Being In The Same Environment What Works
In One Country May Not Work In Another.
• New Concept lacks Substance.
• CPA Focuses on Development and Neglects Other Areas of Importance Such
as Culture.
• Potential Cause Of Civil Unrest If Models Used By Politician As Campaign
Strategy.
• Lacks flexible Mechanism to Resolve Conflicts Between Private & Public
Interest.
Conclusion:-
• It is a New Field Of Study.
• Half a Century Ago The Pace of Administrative Activities was Slow
and Area of Operation was Limited.
• The Importance increased Due To Scientific Advancements and
International Awareness.
• F.W. Riggs Due To His Most Appreciated Contribution is Known As
Father Of CPA.
• Intellectual Developments Starting From Woodrow Wilson to Section
of International Comparative Administration (SICA) 1973
Strengthened the Concept.
Future Prospects:-
• Greater Focus on Comparative Public Policy Analysis.
• Identify best methods.
• Promote Teaching and Training Methods.
References:-
• Comparative Public Administration by TN Chaturvedi
• Comparative Public Administration by P.B. Rathod
• Public administration A Comparative Perspective by Ferrel Heady.
• PAD 784 Comparative Public Administration, National Open University of Nigeria.
• Transcending the Limits of comparative administration: a New Internationalism in the
Making by Jong S. Jun, California State University, Hayward.
