Department of Political Science and Sociology

North South University, Bashundhara R/A

PAD201: Introduction to Public Administration (Summer, 2016)
Faculty: Tauhid S. Bin Kashem (TBK)
Offie: NAC 913
Office Hours: MW 1:30 2:30PM + R 12:001:00PM
Email: tbinkashem@gmail.com

Section: 2

Please Join the following Facebook group for our course, where Ill upload lecture slides:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1664517860475826/
Course Outline:
The present course will introduce students to the formal analysis of government operations and
acquaint them with the key concepts, theories, and practices of the discipline of Public
Administration. Our aim will be to develop a critical understanding of the issues facing the
implementation of policies in the public sector; how is the implementation of policies organized
and managed? We will see how the concept of public administration evolves over time; how the
principles of government reinvent themselves; how the public and private sectors interact; skills
required by the public managers in carrying out duties etc.At the end of the course, you will be
able to make sense of various challenges to the implementation of public policy in Bangladesh
and abroad. This class will give you the intellectual tools you need to think critically and
formulate well argued opinions about the contemporary state of governance in Bangladesh.
Composition of the Grade
Class attendance and participation
Mid-terms (two; 20% each)
Quizzes (best two of three; 10% each)
Final Examination

10%
40%
20%
30%

Weekly Layout
Week 2: Introduction
Session 1: Introduction to public administration and brief history of its main phases + Three
Paradigms of Public Administration; Classical Paradigm
Session 2: Weberian ideal type of bureaucracy; scientific management ala Frederick Taylor
Week 3:
Session 1: Classical Paradigm Part 2
Session 2: Neo-classical paradigm (Elton Mayo & the Hawthorne studies)
Week 4:
Session 1: NO CLASS (Shab-e-Barat)
Session 2: Quiz 1 (May 25th) + Forms of Accountability

Session 3: MAKE-UP Class Good Government versus Governance

Week 5:
Session 1: Decentralization
Session 2: Decentralization Part 2
Week 6:
Session 1: MID 1 (June 6)
Session 2: Public Policy Making
Week 7:
Session 1: Communication
Session 2: Leadership; Applicability or different types to different contexts
Week 8:
Session 1: Why Shouldn't we privatize the public sector? Market & Government Failures
Session 2: Quiz 2 (June 22nd) Traditional Public Administration versus. New Public
Management
Week 9:
Session 1: Reinventing the Government
Session 2: MID 2 (June 29th)
Week 10:
NO CLASS. EID vacation. Happy Holidays!
Week 11:
Session 1: Reinventing the Government, part 2
Session 2: E-governance
Week 12:
Session 1: Phases of e-governance
Session 2: Corruption versus bad policy
Week 13:
Session 1: Strategic Planning. Part 1
Session 2: Quiz 3 (July 27th) Organizational Change and Resistance to Change
Week 14:
Session 1: Organizational Change and Resistance to Change
Session 2: Role and Functions of important Public Organizations in BangladeshMoPA, PSC,
BPATC, CAG, NBR; reform in the Public Sector
Required Readings
Download and read the following article for the final exam:
Jahan, Ferdous, Public administration in Bangladesh, Background Paper for the State of
Governance in Bangladesh 2006, Center for Governance Studies, BRAC University.
http://www.bracresearch.org/workingpapers/jahan_public_administration.pdf
For background and further reading: Bhagawan, Vishnoo&VidyaBhushan, Public
Administration (New Delhi: S. Chand & Company, Revised Edition, 2010)
Student Responsibility

Participation (and not simply presence) is important. I will start each class meeting with a
summary of the weeks material. But thereafter it is your job to raise questions and debate their
answers. If you bring your own question about the topic to class that will gel the topic to your
personal experience and help you remember better.
More than two absences from the class without any acceptable reason(s) will have the potential
to lower the grade, and repeated lateness without acceptable reason(s) may also have negative
consequences on the grade. Both you and I are likely to enjoy the classes much more if we arrive
on time for class. Late entrance to class interrupts the class and disturbs your fellow students. If
youre more than 7 minutes late without excuse, you will be marked absent for that class.
NSU has a no tolerance policy for plagiarism. I respect you all as adults and understand that you
will follow the honor code of producing your own written work and referencing (in writing)
book and article titles as sources where suitable.
Wishing you a great semester!