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Journal of Public Administration (JOPA)

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ISSN : 2
Public Administration theory : justification for conceptualisation

Author: C. Thornhill G. Van Dijk

Affiliation: University of Pretoria

Source: Journal of Public Administration, 2022-05-02 17:33:25

Accreditation: Department of Higher Education and Training(DHET)



Abstract: Public Administration theory : justification for conceptualisation

Public Administration has reluctantly been accepted as a science by some of its sister disciplines in the Social Sciences. This may be ascribed to the eclectic nature of the Discipline and its reliance on related disciplines to explain, direct and inform study and practice. Public Administration studies human beings engaged in administrative and managerial duties in organs of state. Therefore, any study should consider the behaviour and actions of human beings in an organisational setting operating in a political environment. Sciences depend on theory to investigate, explain and predict the phenomena being studied. A science has to be founded on justifiable laws or acceptable theories to develop new knowledge and influence practice. Public Administration is in the unenviable position that it studies social phenomena subjected to continuous change due to societal values and political changes. Thus it has to be able to adopt theories p