ABSTRACT

When discussing political culture, we are concerned with the specific orientations of individuals in a society toward politics as one type of social action and collective decision making.52 Public administration is a component of government and, therefore, may be analysed most effectively from the more politicized perspective, rather than being examined as simply another form of managerial activity. Some academics and practitioners have argued that public management is much the same as private management, but we will be arguing that there are, in fact, a number of significant differences.53 Public administration is perceived as a managerial activity within public organizations themselves,54 but is perceived more often by citizens as another component of government, albeit generally the least respected component of government. For citizens, public administration matters primarily because of the services it delivers rather than as an arena where managerial skills can be exercised.