Public administration is the management that is carried out in public organizations, institutions or entities, which receive from the political power the necessary resources to attend to the interests or affairs of citizens, their actions and their assets, generating common welfare, following a legal order.
Public administration includes elements of a technical nature (systems, procedures), political (government policies) and legal (legal norms).
It covers a set of areas of the public sector that are responsible for managing and executing human, financial, socio-economic activities and public works, as well as preparing budgets and programs that reach the goals of the State.
Some of the positions that can be held within the public administration are, for example, the administrative employees of the different public bodies, in the health service are doctors and nurses, in the educational area teachers and professors perform , in terms of civil protection are the fire departments, and in terms of public safety are the police agencies.
The word administration is derived from the Latin ad- which means to go or to, and minister what it means to serve.
Private administration
The private administration is responsible for managing the goods, resources and services of a particular company, organization or person, in order to obtain the greatest possible benefit according to their interests.
This administration has a profit, is guided by the private legal regime and the projects or programs proposed may or may not be carried out.
Centralized and decentralized public administration
The centralized public administration is the one that is made up of the Presidency of the Republic, the Secretary, the Executive Council and the Office of the Attorney General.
From this administration the processes of planning, organization, personnel administration, direction and control of the State are carried out, to achieve the common well-being of the citizens.
The decentralized public administration is one whose functions of the State are administered by various bodies or legal persons that have the capacity to carry out such work.
Through the decentralization tasks of the public administration are assigned to different entities or organisms of the State to lighten and make more efficient its administrative result.
State Public Administration
It is the administration that is carried out in companies, organizations or associations that cooperate with the purposes of the State, but are not part of the public administration.
These companies are created by law or decree to solve state problems that other organizations or entities cannot achieve. They are companies that have their own assets, their functions are of public interest and have a legal personality different from that of the State.
Municipal Public Administration
It is the administration of a political and social entity that corresponds to a part of the territorial, social and administrative organization of a state.
From this administration, economic, social and cultural development programs are developed in which people can work together and in an organized way for the good state and maintenance of the municipality.
Elements of public administration
The elements of public administration are the resources and steps that lead the State to generate the common welfare of people.
- Administrative body: the public administration is made up of organizations that are the means by which the personality of the State and the goals it wishes to achieve is manifested.
- Administrative activity: it is carried out when the administration fulfills the duty of providing public services to achieve its purpose.
- Purpose: The State aims to guarantee and provide the common welfare of citizens as part of their obligations and responsibilities to the population.
- The medium: is the public service used in public administration to achieve common welfare.
Characteristics of public administration
These are some of the most outstanding general characteristics of public administration.
- The public administration seeks to meet the needs of people through adequate goods and services.
- Legal regulations are the basis where the public administration is based.
- Its structure is complex since it can cover a large number of administrative addresses in public bodies.
- It has the power to allocate resources to carry out social, economic, political and cultural projects.
- It guarantees the rights of citizens.
- Decisions are made as a team and not by a single person.
- The attributes of the public administration are given by the State.
- Sometimes it can be a bureaucratic administration.
