Public Administrators, Their Roles and Leadership - Research Paper Example

Public Administration Leadership Introduction Public administration involves public programs management. Public administration is executed by public administrators. They work at all levels of the government and they manage associations, interest groups and nonprofit organizations. Also important to note is the fact that their work is not limited. This means that they can work both abroad and at home. They are involved in almost all the fields; national security and defense, public and government affairs, social welfare, environmental quality, design and construction of roads, financial administration, taxation and human resource management. Public administration varies from one place to another but the key thing in all these places is public service (Denhardt and Denhardt 1). Public Administrators, Their Roles and Leadership Public administrators work at all levels in the government such as the federal, local government, associations, nonprofit organizations and state (Denhardt 36). The federal government has 4 important levels; (a) the Executive Office of the President, (b) cabinet level executive departments, (c) public corporations, regulatory commissions, and independent agencies, and (d) administrative agencies that offer support to the judiciary and legislature (Denhardt 38). The Executive Office of the President In the American public administration, the president plays the role of the head of the federal bureaucracy and the chief executive officer. There are several public administrators in the office of the president who assist the president in the formulation and implementation of national policy. For example, the Office of Management and Budget helps the president to prepare the budget, submit to the Congress and administer it. OMB is also involved in the reviewing of agencies management and offer suggestions to the changes in procedure and structure. The National Security Council is charged with the integration of domestic, foreign and military policy. The National Security Council consists of the president, vice president, and secretaries of state and defense. It is directed by national security adviser. The Council of Economic Advisers develops proposals that are aimed at maintaining production, employment and purchasing power. The council consists of three economists. The public administrators in the office of the president are used differently by the presidents. Their use is dependent on the certain issues pressing at that moment and the personality of the president (Denhardt 39). Cabinet Level Executive Departments These are the largest in the federal executive agencies. The number of departments in the cabinet level executive departments is 15. The cabinet level executive departments are headed by the secretary and other top level staff people who are appointed by the president. These appointments have to receive the Senate’s approval. The departments are further divided into smaller units such as services, offices, sections, branches and administrations. The cabinet-level secretaries constitute the president’s cabinet along with others such as the United Nations ambassador and the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Their use also varies from one president to the other. They have been used either extensively for advice and help or sparingly in formal matters only (Denhardt 39). Independent Agencies, Regulatory Commissions, and Public Corporations Independent agencies are formed intentionally outside normal cabinet organization. They are involved in staff functions that support other agencies. The independent agencies are rarely run by people who have been appointed by the president. Regulatory commissions are created to regulate a certain area of the economy. Their structure is quite different from the rest. They are headed by directors, governors or commissioners. These people are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. Public corporations are often used where the agency is involved with commercial activities such as is the case with the Tennessee Valley Authority. The amount of work in these agencies is quite large. The agencies get their funding (not much) from the marketplace (Denhardt 40). The State Level The organization of the state governments varies from one state to the other; this is due to the state’s political development and the policy interests. Governors are charged with the responsibility of heading state governments. The governors exercise a lot of executive and political influence. The influence enables them to play a key role in the state government‘s operations. Such powers have had a significant influence on national policy making. Governors set the political agenda and bring in the attention of other key administrative and political figures. They have exerted their influence in the budget making process and they have influenced the allocation of state resources and mediation of policy disputes among the executive agencies. All the state governors have the power to sanction legislation. The ability to sanction legislations has given the power to shape legislation according to the governor’s desires (Denhardt 42). Application of the Key Concepts Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts The governor of Massachusetts has key agendas or priorities for the governance of Massachusetts. The key agendas include: jobs, schools and civic engagement. He uses his legislative abilities and political influence to make sure that the key issues are solved and delivered. The governor has promised to deliver world class education through system wide reforms. The reforms will shape the education sector in Massachusetts. Economic growth and job creation is a priority for the governor. The governor focus is not only finding jobs but good jobs. The governor will achieve these things through employment assistance that is aimed at creating and sustaining jobs in Massachusetts. Economic growth is vital for the sustenance of the people of Massachusetts. There are several recovery plans and economic investment plans such as emergency recovery plan, life science investment and other recovery plans. All these legislative and political plans are meant to boost the economy of Massachusetts. The governor wants to engage fully in the civic and community matters. He believes by doing so he will be able to keep the community safe and foster new creative ways for the people to get involved in the government matters (Mass.gov 1). The governor of Massachusetts uses his public administration roles to run the state. He uses the powers he has to formulate policies and plans that will assist the people of Massachusetts. President Barrack Obama President Obama has demonstrated a number of leadership roles in his public administrative work. He has worked with other public administrators such as the vice president and the White House Chief of Staff. He has personally worked with the executive office of the president people such as the appointed cabinet, White Office Staff, specialized team of economic advisers and the National Security Council (Coggins 3). He has called in experienced policy planners and administrators to assist him in the development of new programs (Coggins 6). The president’s character plays a big role in the way he conducts his duty. His charismatic mode of leadership has given him popularity among the people of America and in other parts of the world (Coggins 4). The charismatic trait has given him the ability to exert his political and executive influence. These characteristics have given him the ability to exercise his role as the chief executive officer and head of the federal bureaucracy. Conclusion Public administration leadership is crowded with a lot of activities meant to deliver public services. The roles of public administrators are not the same and they tend to vary from one form of governance to the other. The roles played are mostly determined by the character of the administrator and the issues at hand. It is imperative to note that the bottom line of public administration is public service delivery. The public administrator formulates policy that will bring in a new concept, correct an existing concept or totally do away with a defective concept. Works Cited Coggins, Eric. Five Leadership Theories Applied In Barrack Obama’s First 100 Days as President. Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Print. Denhardt, J. V. & Denhardt, R. B. Public Administration: An Action Orientation. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Mass.gov. Key Priorities. Governor Deval Patrick. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. Read More