2024 · Q6 · Contemporary theories and Classical versus New Public Administration (20 marks)

Source: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 2024.pdf, PDF page 2 · Answer allocation: 20 marks

Original examination question

Theories of public administration provide intellectual base for formulating sound polices. In this context:- a. Enlist contemporary public administration theories. Explain two theories out of those for their application in Pakistan. b. How would you differentiate between Classical and New Public Administration approach? Relate it to Pakistan’s Public Sector.

Bullet outline

• List behavioural, systems, contingency, public choice, network and public-service approaches.
• Explain contingency and network governance in Pakistan.
• Classical: structure, hierarchy and efficiency.
• New Public Administration: relevance, social equity, participation and change.
• Distinguish NPA from NPM and integrate safeguards with equity.

Full exam-ready answer

Introduction

Public-administration theories provide different explanations of organisational behaviour and standards for improvement. Contemporary approaches include behavioural and decision theories, systems and contingency perspectives, public choice, New Public Administration, New Public Management, network governance and New Public Service. They do not form one uniform doctrine. For Pakistan, contingency theory and network governance offer particularly useful insights.

Contingency theory and its application

Contingency theory rejects a single best organisational design for every situation. Appropriate arrangements depend on task complexity, technology, uncertainty and the surrounding environment. A stable registration function may benefit from standard procedures, whereas disaster management requires flexible coordination and rapid information exchange.

Pakistan should therefore avoid applying identical structures and performance rules to all agencies. The relevant question is whether authority, skills and controls fit the task. Adaptation must still respect law and accountability; contextual flexibility is not permission for arbitrary action.

Network governance and its application

Network governance focuses on cooperation among interdependent public agencies, private organisations and civil society. Participants possess different resources and cannot always be coordinated through a single hierarchy.

Flood management, for example, requires cooperation among multiple levels of government, technical agencies, health services and communities. Clear shared objectives, information exchange and agreed responsibilities can improve collective action. However, networks also create risks of unequal influence and blurred accountability, so public authorities must preserve transparency and identify who answers for decisions.

Classical administration versus New Public Administration

Classical approaches emphasise hierarchy, specialisation, formal authority, managerial principles and efficient performance. They seek predictable coordination and often assume that administrative arrangements can be analysed largely through structure and function.

New Public Administration, associated with the late-1960s debates and Minnowbrook, challenged administration that appeared insufficiently responsive to social inequality. It emphasised relevance, social equity, change and attention to citizens affected by public action. Administrators should consider who benefits and who remains excluded, not only whether procedures are efficient.

This is distinct from New Public Management, which emphasises managerial performance, competition and market-inspired instruments. Confusing the two replaces an equity-centred argument with a different reform programme.

Relevance to Pakistan and conclusion

A classical approach may assess a welfare office through clear responsibilities and lawful processing. NPA adds the question of whether poor, rural or otherwise disadvantaged applicants can actually access the service. Equal formal procedures may require supplementary assistance to produce fair practical access.

Pakistan needs the strengths of both: legality, professional competence and organisational clarity, combined with participation and concern for distributive effects. Contemporary theories are useful when they expose different dimensions of a problem and guide context-sensitive reform, rather than become labels applied mechanically to every institution.

Study note: This is an original model answer, not an official FPSC marking scheme. The outline is for revision; the prose below it provides the complete answer. Marks guide relative depth rather than a prescribed word count.