Unit 1Brief History of Public Administration

1.1 The origins of Public Administration

HISTORICAL PERIODSEgyptian and Greek Roman EmpireRoman Catholic ChurchByzantine EmpireMedieval

1.2 The origins of modern ministerial structures

ROYAL COUNCILS Division of Labour Monarch Secretaries – permanent and worked closely with the monarch

– first civil servants Clerks who helped secretaries Nobels – non - permanent

Section II. The role of public administration today1.3 The functions of public administration

Public administration : the implementation of government policies. Planning, organising, coordinating, and controlling of government operations.

The body of public administrators is called the Civil Service. Public administration is carried out at central local, intermediate levels.

1.4 The characteristics of the Civil Service The military, the judiciary, and the police are public servants but not civil

servants. Local government, public corporations like the National Coal Board, and

Trusts like the National Health Service, are not considered part of the Civil Service.

Civil Servants permanent and neutral body of professionals directly employed in the administration of the state. Their role is not in any way political, ministerial or military.

Senior civil servants advise, warn, and assist the politicians who formulate the state policy and deliver to public.

structure of the Civil Services is hierarchical with clearly-defined duties.

Section III.Government and public administration in the UK1.5.1 Central government and the Civil Service

Departments: Ministerial departments and Non-Ministerial departments. Ministerial departments: headed by a Minister: political head.

The administrative head of a Ministerial department is a senior civil servant or “Permanent Secretary”: Non-political and permanent. Devise implementation of policies.

Civil servants ‘white-collar-workers’: practical implementation of policy. Non-ministerial departments are headed by a senior civil servant or

Permanent Secretary Agencies: funded by the government, staffed by civil servants.

Subordinate and accountable to a department. Some degree of autonomy. Head: Chief Executive.

Non-departmental public bodies (QUANGOs, quasi autonomous non-governmental organisations): not part of government departments, not staffed by civil servants but considered part of Civil Service. .Head: Accounting Officer.

UNIT 2SECTION II. A brief history of the Civil Service. Early developments: 1800-18702.2. Before the Northcote-Trevelyan reform

Before 18th century state offices were secretariats for the leaders with positions in court.

18th century, in response to the growth of the British Empire and economic changes Office of Works and the Navy Board developed. Staff were appointed by purchase or patronage

19th century the East India Company College near London created to train administrators. Not successful.

Before reform of 1870s selection by purchase and political patronage.

UNIT 22.3 The origins of the modern Civil Service:

The Northcote-Trevelyan Report 1854 four recommendations made : Recruitment should be entirely on the basis of merit by open,

competitive examinations. Entrants should have a good ‘generalist’ education and should be

recruited to a unified Civil Service and not a specific department, to allow for inter-departmental transfers.

Recruits should be placed into a hierarchical structure of classes and grades.

Promotion would be on the basis of merit not on the grounds of ‘preferment, patronage or purchase’.

1855 independent Civil Service Commissioners appointed. organised into different divisions and classes. Northcote-Trevelyan report foundation of a permanent, neutral non-

elected administrative body working for the elected government of the day.

SECTION III. Further developments: 1900s-1930s2.4 Reforms during Asquith’s Liberal government: 1900-1920

Civil Service primarily advisory or regulatory and did not deliver services to the public.

Asquith’s Liberal Government of 1908 made Civil Service more managerial than advisory.

increase of services provided to the citizen with the introduction of Old Age Pensions, the National Insurance

system and the opening of the Labour Exchange network

2.5 The Role of Women: 1920s – 1930s

Dame Evelyn Sharp first female executive head of a Civil Service department or Permanent Secretary

an administrative trainee in a Fast Stream grade, a programme consisting of intensive job training designed to prepare people

for managerial jobs Women in the Civil Service did not receive equal pay to men

until the 1950s

SECTION V. Restructuring of the Civil Service: 1970s to modern day times. 2.8 Mrs.Thatcher’s cuts: late 1970s - 1990

came to office in 1979, reduced the size of the Civil Service, cutting numbers from 732,000 to 594,000 during her first seven years in office.

Wanted management more than policy advice. 1968 abolished Civil Service Department, created Cabinet

Office. Emphasied importance of personal responsibility and

accountability. Smaller agencies with more commercial approach created. performance -related pay scheme introduced.

2.9 Mr. Major and the break-up of the unified Civil

Service: 1990s

Continued breaking up of Civil Service. After 1994 devolvement from departments to smaller agencies:

more accountable and like the private sector . Market testing of agencies to see if they were necessary. Contracting out to private firms. Citizen's Charter programme : to empower the service user,

by setting out standards to improve delivery of services 42 Charters by 1998. ‘Chartermark’ award given to local authotities that did a

good job.

2.10 Tony Blair and David Cameron: late 1990s- modern day times

Tony Blair Prime Minister in 1997 wanted a Civil Service that could adapt, deliver and innovate.

2004 urged for the modernisation of the Civil Service while maintaining the same core values.

He appointed 20 special advisers. John Major just 8. Large bonuses for Civil Servants to increase productivity. 2010 David Cameron cut large bonuses- and gave them only to

outstanding performers. Coalition committed to transparency and accountability Cuts in NDPBs (QUANGOs). Details of employees earning more than £150,000 a year

published to obtain transparency.

UNIT 3SECTION I. A BRIEF HISTORY

3.1 The Poor Laws Before the twentieth century welfare the responsibility of the local

communities, care often very poor. Poor Laws, first passed in 1598. Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601

provided for: a compulsory poor rate; the creation of 'overseers' of relief; provision for 'setting the poor on work; the poor rate: a tax on property taken from the parish (or village

centred around a church) collected by local magistrate or ‘Overseerers of the Poor’.

Indoor relief in almshouse (run by charities). Outdoor relief in paupers’ home. 18th century indoor relief in form of workhouses, especially in big

cities.Terrible conditions in workhouses and thought to give incentives to people to find work.

No standard form of assistance .

3.2 The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act

industrial revolution :development of large towns, rapid population growth, first experience of modern unemployment. Caused an increase in claims to poor rates.

The Poor Law Commission of 1834 proposed reform to tried to rectify this. Three main principles:

1. less eligibility: the position of the pauper must be 'less eligible' making fewer people claim poor relief.

2. the workhouse test: no relief outside the workhouse would be available.

3. Grouping of parishes to operate a workhouse less eligibility principle main concept : workhouses a deterrent to

stop people claiming relief, especially the fit because conditions so bad.

Poor laws hated and caused development of social services in 20th century and the ‘means test’

National Assistance Act 1948 abolished workhouses

3.2 The Welfare State in Britain: 1900s – 1948

1906 Asquith’s Liberal government created Old Age Pensions (1908) National Insurance (1911) and the Labour Exchange.

1912 introduction of partial sickness and unemployment insurance. Welfare rights started but not for everyone only ‘deserving sick’ and unemployed.

real impetus for welfare state December 1st 1942 during the wartime coalition with the Beveridge Report

The Beveridge Report aimed to provide a comprehensive system of social insurance 'from cradle to grave'

people paid a weekly contribution to the state. In return for this, benefits would be paid to the unemployed, the sick, the retired and the widowed. Allowed for minimum standard of living in Britain below which nobody fell.

a system of National Insurance, based on three 'assumptions': family allowances, a National Health Service, and full employment.

3.4 The Labour government 1945-1951

introduced three key Acts which were the beginning of the welfare state:

1946 National Insurance Act 1946 National Health Service Act 1948 National Assistance Act Did not have unifying nature of the Poor Law and a distinct

division was made between income maintenance, health and welfare services.

3.6 Recent developments in the welfare state

More delivery of services by private companies. Remaining agencies deliver services to the public 2010 David Cameron’s Reform Bill:

large cuts in welfare budget;

crackdown on benefit fraud;

simplifying of the system by replacing ‘means test’ with universisal credit;

cap on maximum amount of benefits.

Recent Proposed Changes

Cameron’s Government proposes : Under 25s: ‘earn or learn’: no jobseekers allowance if

they do not do an apprenticeship. Big firms (eg.Microsoft, National Grid, Airbus, Barclays)

encouraged to offer apprenticeships to train young people.

‘working for the dole’:people unemployed for more than a certain time and do not do an apprenticeship should:

Pick up litter,

Clean graffiti,

Deliver meals to the elderly