1. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
In a dynamic and turbulent environment where social, economic and political
problems mount and the demands of society increase faster than the capacity of
available resources to provide for, government, especially the administrative organization
for carrying out policies and implement projects and programs, is called upon to adopt
appropriate mechanisms to cope with this concerns. The bureaucracy is faced with
crucial issues and challenges. Should public administration be ethnocentric or universal?
Should public administration be guided primarily by theories and principles, for whatever
these are worth, or should it adapt itself to environmental pressures and consequently
seek new approaches for responding to the challenges of the environment?
Principles of administration are universal but their applicability and relevance may
yet be conditioned by the physical and social environment. Technology aims at making
life more convenient and improving the quality of life by introducing new methods and
approaches to service delivery. The management of the economy, for example, may
require new perspectives especially with the advent of the debt problem, borrowing and
repayment schemes. A development-oriented public administration has to consider as
major concerns, productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, budgetary deficits
and unstable economy, among others. It must address the problems of poverty, ecology,
social justice, inequality, and disproportionate distribution of the goods of society.

2. A) As more goods are produced for more people = 1. GOODS AND SERVICES
2. DEMANDS AND EXPECTATIONS
Several Problems;
•Energy Crisis (lack of foresight and failure)
•Depletion of Forest Resources (maintaining the ecological balance and instilling
environmental consciousness)
• Unregulated Population Growth (lack of appreciation for quality life more than a religious
inspired and ethical social phenomenon)
• Moral, Mental and Environmental Pollution (enforce ethical standards for social and
ecosystems maintenance)
•Cleaning and Greening (exemplified by the City of Manila and hoped that this will have a
spillover effect throughout Metro Manila and the rest of the country)
•Peace and Order Situation (lack of individual and social discipline)

3. Administration in Developing Countries is characterized by the following; {by:
FERREL HEADY}
•It has an imitative rather than a indigenous pattern characterized by some version of
modern western bureaucratic administration.
• It is deficient in skilled manpower necessary for developmental programs; there is shortage
of trained administrators with management capability, development skills and technical
competence.
• There is emphasis on orientation other than production-directed and program oriented
goals. It uses the public service as substitute for a social security program and a means to
help solve the unemployment problem.
•There is wide discrepancy between format and reality as demonstrated by the urge to make
things seem more than what they actually are, resulting in a gap between expectations and
realities.
•It has a generous measure of operational autonomy as several groups converge in the
bureaucracy. There are technical experts, professional experts or technocrats and the
military, each desirous to formulate and implement policy decisions on their own respective
turfs.

4. There are two basic issues of Public Administration today;
•Policy issues which involve the core role public administrators
•Organization issues which are instrumental aspects of management or factors involved in
internal administration.
POLICY ISSUES
The range of policy issues the public administrator has to deal with includes the following:
•Welfare Policy - like regulation and control of urban sprawl, slum clearance, public housing, control of
crimes, transport, education, revenue sourcing, social insurance, health policy and public assistance.
•Economic Issues – like tax sources, credit control, stock market operation and regulation, antitrust
enforcement, encouragement of small business, debt burden and loan repayment.
•Labor Policy – which includes regulation of industrial dispute workers right to organize and stage strike;
government encouragement to the formulation of labor movements, and the impact of labor group
pressure upon policy and administration.
•Resource Policy – which have to do with such concerns like shrinking farm population, price control of
agricultural products, form of agricultural assistance and subsidies, cooperative movements, land use
planning, natural resource conservation, energy supply, providing balance between population and
resources.

5. ORGANIZATION ISSUES
•Planning of Policies and Programs – with the use of plans, the consciousness of those responsible for
making decisions may be modified and necessary changes identified and implemented.
•Centralization Argues
•Lateral and Horizontal Allocation of Responsibilities and programs
•Lack of Coordination
•Decision Making and Program Management , (controlling and evaluating performance) – policies,
developing strategies, assigning roles, elicit participation, and cooperation)
•Confronting public management is how to deal with negative bureaucratic behavior, abuse of discretion
and over indulgence, red tape, graft and corruption.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
Proactive management must look into the future. One prognosis is that in the years to come there will be
more professionals in the work force. This could mean added expertise inputs to government service.
•Influence upon political and administrative decision making is significantly powerful.
•More public interest groups will pursue collective and community oriented goals demanding environmental conservation,
clean air, eradication of poverty, equitable allocation of goods and services and this groups completed by citizen awareness
of the responsibilities of government and will be more critical of government policies.
•The environment of society is fast changing; the challenges are continuous; there are no permanent solutions.