Public administration as a branch of knowledge and practice (historical and evolutionary context)

Abstract

Public administration is considered as a certain type of activity of the State bodies, which consists in organizing (executive and administrative) influence on the totality of all spheres of public relations through the use of state power.
The main stages of formation of the modern science of public administration are identified and analyzed. The conceptual ideas from the theory of public administration by H. Lasswell, H. Simon, H. Wright, O. Mayer, O. Vien, F. Hayek, E. Tofler are clarified. The author emphasizes that studying the peculiarities of their political concepts can serve as a condition for elaborating a development strategy for Ukraine, modernizing the public administration system, developing its democratic institutions and civil society, and creating effective mechanisms of government accountability to society.
It is noted that the most important component of democratization of governance is its de-bureaucratization, which leads, on the one hand, to a reduction in the circulation of papers in the governance system and the number of administrative staff, and, on the other hand, to the transition to modern information and computer technologies and the implementation of management activities in the system of public services. It is predicted that management will become decentralized in the near future. It will use network organizational structures and develop partnerships with civil society through third sector organizations. The most responsible management decisions will increasingly depend on the dialogue between the state authorities and the population, and will involve multi-level coordination with public organizations, political parties, and intellectual elites. In this regard, the requirements for the categories of civil servants who will become managers-communicators and organizers of collective intelligence will change.