Public Administration as independent Subject of a social science has a recent origin. Traditionally Public Administration was considered as a part of political science. But in Modern age the nature of state-under went change and it became from police stale to social service state. As a consequence, the Public Administration, irrespective of the nature of the political system, has become the dominant factor of life. The modern political system is essentially ‘bureaucratic’ and characterized by the rule of officials. Hence modern democracy has been described as ‘executive democracy’ or ‘bureaucratic democracy’. The administrative branch, described as civil service or bureaucracy is the most significant component of governmental machinery of the state.
Public Administration refers to the study of the activities of the State, but these activities may relate to the executive or the legislature or the judiciary. Many thinkers restrict it to the executive. But some scholars would have broadened the definition of the term and extended it to all the three branches. Public Administration refers to the organization and management of activities financed from the tax-payer’s money.
Woodrow Wilson is considered the father of public administration. As a discipline, public administration is a post-1947 growth in Pakistan. Despite being very young discipline in a family of social science, it has shot into prominence; and today it is a very popular subject.
Public Administration has become the machinery for formulating plans and programs and carrying them out. All this reveals that Public Administration is imperative for all societies -developed or developing, dictatorial or democratic.