COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 213 FOR THE 2018/2019 ACADEMIC YEAR

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST FOR POLI 213: INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINSTRATION

University of Ghana

Department of Political Science

First Semester, 2018/2019 Academic Year

Office Location and Hours

Political Science Department, Room 12

Thursdays 10 am – 1 pm or by appointment

Email:

rfoli@ug.edu.gh

Course Title	Introduction to Public Administration
Course Code	POLI 213
Course Credits	3
Lecture Periods and Venues	Main Campus: •      Group A: Thursdays 7:20 am – 9:20am,    JQB 23 •      Group B: Tuesdays   9:30 am – 11:20 am, JQB 22 •      Group C: Mondays   13:30 – 15:20,            JQB 22 Accra City Campus: •      Group A: Fridays      10 am – 12 noon,        Basement •      Group B: Fridays      12:10 pm – 2:10pm,   New Lecture Hall
Purpose and Objectives	Public administration is concerned with policy making, public management and the political – administrative relations. It is a crucial aspect of governance.  Public administrators implement government policies and programs, however, their roles are not limited to policy implementation, it covers other activities which will be discussed in class. In this introductory course we will discuss some of the basic concepts, practices and issues of public administration, such as: ·         The nature and scope of public administration; ·         Ecological factors that shape the practice of public administration; ·         Bureaucracy; ·         Theoretical perspectives undergirding policymaking; ·         The policy cycle and the factors that influence the effectiveness and transparency of public policy programs; ·         The institutional characteristics of public administration in developing countries ·         Ethics in public administration Course objective ·         By the end of the course, students should acquire knowledge of the basic concepts of public administration regarding the policy cycle, public management and public organizations. ·           ·         Learning outcomes ·         The knowledge gained in this course will enable students to: •      Identify and examine the impact of some ecological factors that shape public administration in developing countries. •      Critically analyse key administrative issues and challenges in Ghana and other developing countries using the main theoretical perspectives and concepts underpinning Public Administration. •      Compare public policymaking theories •      Identify and discuss some ethical issues of public administration.
Course Requirements	Students are expected to do the assigned weekly readings and participate in class discussion and group assignments, which are critical to this course. Assessment and Grading As part of the course, there will be interim assessment (IA) and a final exam. The IA comprises group work and presentation, a reflective essay on the presentations and an article review. At the end of the semester there will be a final exam based on the entire course material. The breakdown of marks for the course is as follows: ·         Interim Assessment – 30% o   Group work and presentation 10% o   Reflective essay on all the presentations 5% o   Article review 15% ·         Final Examination: 70% o   Covers the entire course material.       ·         Total Mark/Grade: 100% Article review All students are required to submit a two-page review of this article: Wilson, W. (1887, June). The Study of Administration. Political Science Quarterly, 2(2), 197-222. ·         The review should be double space. ·         Font: Times New Roman size 12   ·         Clearly indicate your index number on each of the pages of the review. Group Work and Presentation Students will be assigned groups from mid-September. The groups are required to prepare a presentation on an administrative issue, which will be presented in class. Further details will be discussed in class. Note The course material builds over time, and mastery of early topics is critical to understanding later content. The exams are intended to encourage students to keep up with readings and course content. The comprehensive exams will encompass all lectures, readings group presentations and class discussions. Please note to be successful in this course: ·         Read materials in advance of class and participate in class discussion. ·         Review materials regularly ·         Contribute to group discussions and ·         Attend tutorials
Plagiarism /Academic dishonesty	Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the University of Ghana’s policies on academic honesty. It must be noted that academic dishonesty in whatever form (cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts, etc) will not be tolerated in this class.  (See University Handbook for penalties)
General Course Policies	Ø  Respect o   You are required to be courteous to your fellow students, instructor, teaching assistants and guest lecturers; o   Be punctual to class.; o   Desist from chatting and or texting in class; o   Cell phones must always be turned off during lectures. Ø  Communicating with your Instructor o   Student concerns may be communicated to the instructor through email. o   If meeting during the posted office hours is not possible, email the instructor to set up appointment. o   All emails sent to me should include POLI 213 in the subject line. Ø  Class Attendance and Participation o   Students are expected to regularly and relevantly contribute to class discussions by raising questions and making salient comments. o   Class participation is compulsory. o   Importantly, be aware that students who attend class regularly tend to perform substantially better than students who skip regularly. Ø  Students with Disabilities o   Any student with an officially recognized disability should make fitting arrangements with the UG office for students with disability, not the instructor. Ø  Student Feedback o   Students are encouraged to provide the instructor with constructive feedback on their learning experience throughout the semester
Disclaimer	The lecture schedule, policies, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating conditions, by mutual consent, and/or to ensure better student learning. Thank you.
Week/Date	Lecture Topic	Readings
1.        20-08-18	Course Overview and Introduction to Public Administration as a sub-field in Political Science
2.        27-08-18	The nature and scope of public administration; public and private administration; politics and public administration	•      Ott, J. S., & Russell, E. W. (2001) Chapter 1 •      Nigro, F. A., & Nigro, L. G. (1970) Chapter 1 •      Wilson, W. (1887, June). The Study of Administration
3.        03-09-18	The ecology of public administration; the main task or purpose of public administration	•      Gaus, J. M. (1996) Chapter 3 ( In Stillman, 1996) •      Nnoli, O. (2000). Public Administration. (Chapter 3 in Mukandala)
4.        10-09-18	Administrative organization: theory and practice I We will discuss some classical, humanist and contemporary organizational theories in this section. Examples are: ·         Weber’s Bureaucracy ·         Scientific management ·         Fayol’s principles of management…etc	·         Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 2 ·         Chowdhury, M. (1984). “Weber's Ideal Type of Bureaucracy”
5.        17-09-18	Administrative organization: theory and practice II	·         Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 2 ·         Chowdhury, M. (1984). “Weber's Ideal Type of Bureaucracy” **Students on Accra City Campus Pls Note: Friday 21/09/2018 – Public Holiday
6.        24-09-18	Civil service; role/functions and problems; administrative reform	·      S. N. Woode (1986), “What is wrong with Public Administration in Ghana”
7.        01-10-18	Public policy-making: theoretical and practical perspectives I Some models to be discussed: · Rational model · Incrementalism/Satisficing/bounded rationality · Garbage can model · Participatory model	·                 Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 4 Article Review due on 5th October 2018.
8.        08-10-18	Public policy-making: theoretical and practical perspectives II	·         Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 4
9.        15-10-18	Group presentations	Group presentations may be continued in the next two lectures.
10.    22-10-18	Administrative Law	·         Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 11
11.    29-10-18	Ethics in Public Administration	· Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 11 · Code of conduct of the Civil Service
12.    05-11-18	The future of public administration – public-private partnerships, e-governance (e-administration), etc	·         Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011) Chapter 14
13.    12-11-18	Revision
14.    19-11-18	Revision: 19th – 23rd November 2018
	First Semester Exams: 24th Nov. – 16th December 2018

REQUIRED/ RECOMMENDED READINGS

Ayee, J. R. (1999). Ghana. In L. Adamolekun, Public administration in Africa: Main issues and selected country studies (pp. 250 - 257). Oxford: Westview press.

Chowdhury, M. (1984). Weber's Ideal Type of Bureaucracy. The Indian Journal of Public Administration, January - March(1), 177 - 183.

Dwivedi, O. P. (1994). Development Administration: From Underdevelopment to Sustainable Development. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Gaus, J. M. (1996). The General Environment: The Concept of Ecology. In R. J. Stillman, Public Administration: Cases and Concepts (pp. 84-91). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Holzer, M., & Schwester., R. W. (2011). Public administration : an introduction. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Hope, K. R. (2000). Corruption and Development in Africa. In K. Hope, & B. Chikulo, Corruption and Development in Africa: Lessons from Country Case Studies (pp. 17 - 39). Palgrave Macmillan.

Mukandala, R. S. (2000). To Be or Not to Be: The Paradoxes of African Bureaucracies in the 1990s . In R. S. Mukandala, African Public Administration: A Reader (pp. 403 - 425). AAPS Books.

Nigro, F. A., & Nigro, L. G. (1970). Modern public administration. New York: Harper & Row Publishers .

Nnoli, O. (2000). Public Administration. In R. S. Mukandala, African public administration: a reader (pp. 44 - 61). AAPS Books.

Office of the Head of the Civil Service. (1999). Code of Conduct for the Ghana Civil Service. Accra: Office of the Head of the Civil Service.

Okafor, E. E. (2005). Public Bureaucracy and Development in Nigeria: A Critical Overview of Impediments to Public Service Delivery. CODESRIA Bulletin, pp. 6 - 9.

Ott, J. S., & Russell, E. W. (2001). Introduction to Public Administration: A Book of Readings. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc.

Stillman, R. J. (1996). Public Administration: Cases and Concepts. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Wilson, W. (1887, June). The Study of Administration. Political Science Quarterly, 2(2), 197-222.

Woode, S. N. (1986). What is wrong with Public Administration in Ghana. Journal of Management Studies, 3(3).

Disclaimer

The lecture schedule, policies, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating conditions, by mutual consent, and/or to ensure better student learning. Thanks.