Comparative Public Administration (CPA)

Comparative Public Administration is the theory of public administration applied to diverse culture and national settings and the body of factual data, by which it can be examined and tested. Comparative Administrative Group (CAG) was created in 1960 with the objectives of increasing the volume of research, improving teaching materials and stimulating the formulation and implementation of effective public policies.

It stresses the comparative analysis of system of public administration. Similarly, it also emphasizes on comparison as a method of study to better describe and evaluate the different administrative system of various nations with diverse ecological settings.

Factors of Comparative Public Administration (CPA) 

• Revisionist movement in comparative politics 
• The emergence of newly independent nations
• Extension of American foreign aid program to third world countries
• Exposure of the visiting American Administrative team to the diverse administrative system

Definitions of CPA 

• At macro level

Comparative Public Administration is concerned with public administration in all countries. 

• At micro level

Comparative Public Administration deals with comparing and contrasting different administrative agencies, jurisdiction, technique and administrators in a single nation. It may also take into consideration the description and analysis of societies widely in time from that under immediate consideration. 

According to Robert Jackson, "CPA can be defined as that facet of the study of Public Administration which is concerned with making rigorous cross-cultural comparisons of the structures and processes involved in activity of administering public affairs." 

According to Riggs, CPA is characterized by the following three trends.

• A shift from normative to empirical studies.
• A shift from Idiographic (concentrates on area studies and case studies) to nomothetic (seeks generalizations, laws, hypothesis that assert regularities of behavior, correlations between variables) studies
• A shift in the focus from non-ecological (administrative system as abstract entities to be examined apart from environmental influence) to ecological studies.

Purposes of CPA 

• to learn the distinctive features of a particular system of systems.
• to explain the factors responsible for the differences in bureaucratic behavior.
• to understand the strategies of administrative reform. 

Significance of CPA 

• Cross-cultural and cross-national
• It made to understand diverse administrative system in the world.
• It helps to explain differences in the behavior of bureaucracies in different countries and made easy to generalize.
• It is helpful to identify the various cultural, political and social factors that are involved in success or failure of administrative program in a country.
• It is empirical. Therefore, it is helpful to identify bottleneck and suggest solutions.
• It also identify whether the administrative practices in one country are applicable to other countries. 

Criticism of CPA 

• American bias
• Shifting own better values and norm by others
• Indigenous vs Exogenous alternatives
• Appointment of foreign consultants

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