Final answer:
Public administration is the implementation of public policy in government bureaucracies and the academic study that prepares civil servants. It involves managing bureaucratic organizations, dealing with red tape, and recognizing the spoils system and whistleblowers. The discipline emphasizes the scientific and efficient management of government activities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Public administration is the implementation of public policy in government bureaucracies and the academic study that prepares civil servants for work in those organizations. It encompasses the activities by which government provides public goods, enhances quality of life, and stimulates economic growth. Examples of public administration include taxation, homeland security, immigration, foreign affairs, and education.
Public administration involves managing bureaucratic organizations and dealing with red tape, which refers to the mechanisms, procedures, and rules that must be followed to get something done. It also includes understanding the spoils system, which rewards political loyalties with bureaucratic appointments, and recognizing the role of whistleblowers in publicizing misdeeds within bureaucracies.
The discipline of public administration emerged from the need to effectively run constitutional governments. It emphasizes the scientific and efficient management of government activities, separate from political manipulation. Public administrators play a crucial role in ensuring the functioning and delivery of government services to society.