Future Trends in Public Administration

Future Trends in Public Administration

Public administration has been considered as a field of continuous innovation, evolution, and reinvention; however, it has remained concerned with invention of better ways of running the public affairs. The bone of contention surrounding it is based on how to accomplish this in a manner that sustain and satisfies the public or the citizens as per the constitution. To achieve this, there are future trends that try to bridge the gap between what is currently practiced and the probable changes and demands of the future.

Some of the expected future trends within the public administration over the coming decades include:

Extraordinary explosion of technological innovation and new knowledge are expected particularly based in genetics, information sciences, instrumentation, materials, space and automation.

As time passes we may be forced to acquaint ourselves and our institutions to dramatically different bodies of knowledge as well as technological innovations. The public will not only have to be forced on coping with and employing expanded knowledge and technological capacity, we will also be forced to learn on how to use this knowledge and technological capacity for our own advantage but not for societal destruction. The future technological world will even have greater temptations for the public to be captured by technology, to be victims of "technological imperative" as referred by Jacques Ellul, as well as to give opportunity for rational technical interests to override concerns and value of the human. Public service on the other trying to find ways embracing advanced technologies that can help them promote but not to restrict our capacity for creativity, leadership, and personal responsibility which might be of serious challenge.

Future trend will be in the form of changing patterns of the institutions that comes about due to post-industrial economies and structures of governance as derived from knowledge, information and services. Maybe people will have the knowledge as it becomes increasingly centralized and controlled as well as marketed through traditional economic and political processes. Or as it becomes widely distributed allover the society, leading to majority of people gaining the knowledge and in turn gain the power. This possibility may lead to "the twilight of hierarchy" as suggested by Harlan Cleveland and it is inevitable.

The public service will have to learn ways of organizing information in a manner that promotes the pursuit of important public purposes. Some may anticipate that it will be easy to organize information for the purpose of hierarchical control or for technical rational purposes, (Daniel Bell, 1976). However, the bigger challenge will be on ways of organizing information to promote the process of democratic decision-making regarding building of consensus, as well as of dialogue and deliberation. Definitely there will be capacity that will assist in organizing information for dramatic new public purposes that can restructure the existing structures of governance in a dramatic ways.

Trend of increasing integration and globalization of culture, politics and environmental concerns will definitely define the future. Though currently globalization seems to be obvious, in twenty years and more, the generation might be faced with trans-globalization trends or beyond, as a further extension takes place to the frontiers of space and ocean. As much as we tend to think more in global term, we still think in terms of traditional institutions that operate in a new global context. Among the common global age casualty may be the nation-state, which cannot be necessarily replaced by an interplanetary federation or a new global but perhaps by new forms of governance that may not be imagined for now.

It is important to note that while we will experience globalization, similarly we will experience further integration. This integration will be hierarchical as well as raise the specter of massive domination and control. Moreover, there will be new sectors of society who will interact in new and innovative ways, for instance via established policy networks made up of various groups (government, business among others) that will actively participate in the running of the society. While this integration takes place, business and government may be deemed less distinguished as the lines separating them shape and functions move forth and back between what was once referred to private and public sectors, (Davy & Thomas J., 1962). In case this is the way forward, the task of identifying exactly the main responsibilities of government is of importance and even ways of developing and maintaining new systems of democratic governance to perform these responsibilities.

Another trend is the demographic and socio-cultural shifts towards more and more diversity and probable conflicts. According to John Gargner, "the common good" can be described as preserve of a system in which each and everyone can (as per the law) pursue the vision they have of the common good and concurrently accomplishing the kinds of mutual accommodation that make social system workable and livable. Therefore the drama of a free society is the play of conflicting interests within a frame work of shared purposes. Difficulties have been experienced when governing a pluralist society as compared to manage homogeneous ones, yet it is the challenge that public servants will face in the future. Of course, the job of the entire public servants and administrators will continue to be more than managing or directing organizations.

The new public administration will be involved in constructing networks or groups of various interests that are able to do their job effectively to find the solution to public problems. Therefore, it will be the work of the public administration to enhance pluralism that can create opportunities for all in what is unique regarding different groups and individuals and to pave way for opportunity for different groups that can share in the establishment of future directions for the community. A substantial role will be played by the administrators such as in resolving disputes, teaching diversity and respect, diminishing coalitions, mediating and negotiating, while the work of the top public administration will definitely be to build community.