Public Administration Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Public Administration distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/public-administration/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Bureaucracy

A formal organizational structure characterized by hierarchical authority, specialized roles, written rules, and impersonal relationships. Max Weber identified bureaucracy as the most rational and efficient form of organization for carrying out complex administrative tasks.

New Public Management (NPM)

A reform movement that emerged in the 1980s advocating the application of private-sector management techniques to government, including performance measurement, competition, customer orientation, and decentralization of authority.

Public Policy Cycle

A conceptual framework describing the stages through which public policies move: agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation, and potential termination or revision. Each stage involves distinct actors, processes, and challenges.

Administrative Discretion

The authority and freedom that public administrators exercise when interpreting and applying laws, regulations, and policies. Discretion is inevitable because legislation cannot anticipate every situation, but it raises concerns about consistency and accountability.

Public Accountability

The obligation of government officials and agencies to answer for their actions, decisions, and use of public resources. Accountability mechanisms include legislative oversight, judicial review, audits, freedom of information laws, and citizen participation.

Intergovernmental Relations

The interactions and relationships among different levels of government (federal, state, local) in designing, funding, and implementing public programs. These relationships shape how authority and resources are shared across governmental tiers.

Public Budgeting

The process by which governments allocate financial resources among competing priorities. Public budgeting involves revenue estimation, expenditure planning, legislative appropriation, execution, and audit, and reflects a society's values and policy choices.

E-Government

The use of information and communication technologies to deliver government services, facilitate citizen engagement, and improve internal administrative processes. E-government aims to make public services more accessible, efficient, and transparent.

Public Value

A framework developed by Mark Moore proposing that public managers should create value for citizens analogous to how private managers create shareholder value. Public value encompasses service quality, outcomes, trust, legitimacy, and democratic processes.

Merit System

A personnel system in which government employees are hired, promoted, and retained based on qualifications, competence, and performance rather than political connections or patronage. The merit system is fundamental to professional public administration.

Key Terms at a Glance

Bureaucracy:A formal organizational structure with hierarchical authority, specialized roles, written rules, and impersonal relationships designed to ensure rational, efficient, and consistent administration.

Civil Service:The body of government employees who are hired and promoted based on merit and qualifications rather than political appointment, forming the permanent professional workforce of government.

Administrative Discretion:The authority of public administrators to use judgment in interpreting and applying laws, regulations, and policies to specific circumstances.

Public Policy:A course of action or inaction adopted by government in response to a public problem, encompassing laws, regulations, executive orders, and administrative decisions.

Accountability:The obligation of government officials and agencies to answer for their decisions, actions, and use of public resources to democratic institutions and citizens.

Federalism:A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces), each with defined areas of jurisdiction.

Governance:The broader process of collective decision-making and management involving government, private sector, and civil society actors working through formal and informal institutions.

Merit System:A public employment system based on hiring and promoting individuals according to their qualifications, skills, and performance rather than political affiliation or patronage.

Spoils System:A practice of awarding government positions to political supporters and party loyalists rather than based on merit or qualifications.

Red Tape:Excessive, unnecessary, or burdensome rules, procedures, and paperwork in government organizations that impede efficiency without serving a meaningful purpose.

Rulemaking:The process by which government agencies create detailed regulations that implement and interpret the broad mandates of legislation, typically involving public notice and comment periods.

Fiscal Policy:Government decisions about taxation and spending used to influence economic conditions, manage public debt, and allocate resources among public priorities.

Transparency:The principle that government operations, decisions, and data should be open and accessible to citizens, enabling informed public participation and oversight.

Privatization:The transfer of government functions, services, or assets to private-sector entities, based on the assumption that market competition can improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Contracting Out:The practice of hiring private firms or nonprofit organizations to deliver public services on behalf of the government while the government retains responsibility for funding and oversight.

Get study tips in your inbox

We'll send you evidence-based study strategies and new cheat sheets as they're published.

We'll notify you about updates. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.