NVCC
COLLEGE-WIDE COURSE CONTENT SUMMARY
PBS 100 - INTRODUCTION
TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (3 CR.)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Focuses on principles
underlying public administration in federal, state, and local government.
Examines the role of government, administrative and policy processes, organizational
structure, basic problems of management, administrative responsibility,
and the future of public administration. Lecture 3 hours per week.
GENERAL COURSE PURPOSE
PBS 100 introduces
the functions, structures, and context of public administration.
ENTRY LEVEL COMPETENCIES
No prerequisites or
co-requisites. Students should be able to read and comprehend college level
instructional materials.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of
this course, the student should be able to:
A. To understand
public administration as both a discipline and profession.
B. To understand
the structure and organization of governments and the relationship of local,
state, and federal governments.
C. To understand
how public policies originate, the role of public administrators in policymaking.
D. To understand
the cooperative relationship between government and private sector organizations.
E. To understand
organizational theories and behaviors, including decision making and leadership.
F. To understand
the legal and political factors influencing human resources management.
G. To understand
the legal and political factors influencing budgeting, finance, and the
budgeting processes.
H. To understand
the policymaking process and accountability.
I. To understand
the challenges of public administration.
MAJOR TOPICS TO BE
INCLUDED
A. The Nature
and Context of Public Administration
1. Definition of
Public Administration
a. Structures of
local, state, and federal governments
b. Principles of the
Constitution
c. Similarities and
differences of public and private administration
2. The Political
System and Values
a. Political values
b. Administrative
values
c. "Reinventing government"
d. Social change
3. Bureaucratic Policies
and Power
a. Government organizations
and organizational design
b. Bureaucratic power
and accountability
c. Bureaucracy and
democracy
d. Federalism and
intergovernmental relations
B. Organizational
Theory and Behavior
1. Organizational
theory
a. Evolution of organizational
models
b. Centralization
vs. decentralization
2. Decision
Making
a. Administrative
decision-making
b. Methods of decision
making
c. Political environment
of decision-making
3. Leadership
a. Context of bureaucratic
leadership
b. Models of leadership
or style
c. Challenges of public
leadership
C. Core Functions
of Public Management
1. Public Personnel
Administration
a. Structure of personnel
systems
b. Recruitment, selection,
and placement of employees
c. Evaluation, promotion,
and training of employees
d. Compensation
e. Public employee
organizations
f. Public employee
rights and responsibilities
2. Government Budgeting
a. Government budgets
and fiscal policy
b. Budget approaches
or models
c. Decision making
for budgets
d. Politics of the
budget process
e. Managing government’s
debts
3.
Public Policy and Management
a.
Policy making process: planning, analysis, implementation, and evaluation
b. Standards for evaluations
c. Quality improvement
and "customer service"
d. Administrative
accountability
4. Government regulation
and Administrative Law
a. Rise and nature
of government regulation
b. Structures and
procedures of regulatory bodies
c. Politics of regulation
d. Administrative
law and rule making
D. Public
Administration and the Future
1. Public Administration
and Government
a. Democracy and
public administration
b. Structures of intergovernmental
organizations
c. Citizen participation
in administrative decisions
2. Change in Public
Administration
a. Social and governmental
change
b. Citizen participation
in administrative decisions
c. Future prospects
for administrative capacity
Revised 11/01
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