Public Administration is a subdiscipline of Political Science. It focuses on ‘government in action’ i.e., implementation of government decisions, policies, and programmes in fields of social security and welfare, law and order, transport and communication, health and sanitation, etc.
The executive branch of government consists of the Political Executive (council of ministers) and Permanent /Non-political Executive or Bureaucracy.
Public Administration as a subject studies the activity and process of the government. According to Waldo, ‘Public Administration is the art and science of management as applied to the affairs of the state’.
Public Administration broadly includes the following:
Activities of all three branches of government, especially that of the executive branch.
Non-political public bureaucracy operating in a political system.
Management of public affairs and policy execution.
Concerned with public welfare and hence provides service and regulatory functions to the people to attain a good life.