Public Administration: The Enigma of Definition

Concern exists among the students and practitioners of public administration that the field is fragmenting and the focus is blurring. The hypothesis of this article is that public administration is a variety of subsystems distinct from but encompassing organizational activity. These administrative processes are public because they are concerned with identification and satisfaction of needs shared by a political community. The study of public administration must center on those processes that identify, inhibit, prevent, or satisfy such needs, and upon the problems surrounding accountability and legitimacy attending those emerging processes.