Starting from the idea that public administration is a complex phenomenon, in order to be understood, it is necessary to use an interdisciplinary approach.
Due to the complexity of this phenomenon, the science of administration has relations with several branches of science and with many scientific disciplines, among which an important role manifest: administrative law, management (in this sense emerging public management), economics (in the form of public economics), sociology (outlining a sociology of administration), psychology, theory of decision, logic (being able to discuss about a logic of the administration’s action, a logic of the administrative norms) demographics, informatics etc.
Logical analysis, in the concept of Gheorghe Enescu, “represents the analysis of the logical structure of a given process of thought (expressed in a text or discourse), for the purpose of verifying the correctness of the logic. Logical analysis presupposes the following steps” :
1) analysis of language clarity and accuracy (manner in which the terms are defined and the sentences are formed);
2) analysis of the manner in which classifications and/or divisions are performed (if any);
3) analysis of arguments and, in general, of the logical coherence of thought;
4) analysis of consistence of thought (of non-contradiction).
“The main condition of a process of thought is argumentation (reasoning); where there is no reasoning, there is no thought, in the exact sense of the word, but mere expression of opinion or known information. An important place in the logical analysis is played by “logical formalization”.
The work paper is structured on two chapters and conclusions and aims to analyze the level of applicability of the science of logic, in general, and of the logic of norms and actions (as branches thereof) in the sciences of administration, as well as the contributions brought through the science of logic to the analysis of the public decisions and of the administrative phenomenon.
In the first chapter of the paper there were presented aspects of theoretical order connected to the logic of action, modal logic, logic of norms, decision, public decision and the method of the decisional trees.
In the second chapter there are emphasized by example: the advantages of using the method of decisional trees in the analysis of and of using the three indexes referring to the power of an actor to decide through vote.
Table of Contents
Preface – Arguments for a logic of administrative action
Introduction
Research objectives, hypotheses and methodology
Chapter I - Public administratio and logical approach
I.1. General aspects regarding the types and forms of analysis of public administration
I.2. Logic of the action and logic of the norms and their applicability to the administrative sciences
I.3. - Decision – element of the managerial activity
I.4. - Public decision
Chapter II - Relevant aspects regarding the application of logic in public administration
II.1. Fundaments of the decisional logic
II.1.1. Cooperation logic in decision-making
II.1.2. The decisional trees, logical – mathematical approach
II.2. The logical analysis of public decisions – Case study
Objectives and Topics
This work aims to establish a theoretical and methodological foundation for an "administrative logic" by integrating logical analysis into the administrative sciences. It focuses on the formalization of public decisions, the role of norms, and the rationalization of decisional processes to improve public management efficiency.
- Application of deontic logic and action logic to administrative norms.
- Methodological rationalization of public decision-making using decisional trees.
- Analysis of cooperation logic and voting power in collective decision-making bodies.
- Interdisciplinary modeling of the public administration system.
Excerpt from the Book
The decisional trees method
A series of decisional processes presuppose the adoption of successions of interdependent decisions influenced by successions of states of nature. In these situations the decisional trees can prove very useful.
The decisional tree technique is part of a wider category of techniques and methods for the rationalization of the decisional process – it is a matter of specialized decisional methods and techniques – with applicability for the complex decisional situations, in which are implied random events occurring successively. “Its increasingly frequent use in the private sector, as well as in the public sector, can be explained through the fundamental answers offered in the approach of the strategic decisional process, by means of the increased analysis possibilities regarding the parameters that condition a certain decisional situation which must be solved, most often, by a collective decision-maker.”
“A decisional tree consists in the chronological representation of the decisional process through a tree-type network graph which uses two types of nodes: decision-type nodes, from which start the decisional variants available at a certain given moment and event-type nodes, from which start the states of nature associated by the decision-maker to each decisional variant. The initial node of the tree corresponds to the current moment in time, and the other nodes will refer to future moments in time, in relation to the initial node. For each road connecting the initial node to a final node of the tree there must be estimated the result conditioned by the states of nature on that road. The decision that derives from the analysis of the decisional tree is not a fixed decision, but it is rather a strategy.”
Summary of Chapters
Chapter I - Public administratio and logical approach: This chapter provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of public administration, focusing on its theoretical foundations and the need for a specific logic of administrative action.
Chapter II - Relevant aspects regarding the application of logic in public administration: This chapter explores the application of decisional logic, cooperation theory, and mathematical tools like decisional trees to analyze and improve complex public decision-making processes.
Keywords
Administrative Logic, Public Decision, Deontic Logic, Decisional Trees, Voting Power, Banzhaf Index, Shapley-Shubik Index, Rational Choice, Public Management, Interdisciplinarity, Formalization, Administrative Norms, Action Logic, Cooperation Logic, Public Administration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores the intersection of logic and administrative sciences, aiming to build a coherent system of "administrative logic" to rationalize public decision-making.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The main themes include action logic, the structure of normative acts, the methodology of decisional trees, and the quantification of voting power within collective public bodies.
What is the ultimate objective of the study?
The objective is to provide a conceptual and methodological infrastructure that allows public administrators to make scientifically grounded decisions using logical formalization.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The study employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining formal sentence logic, deontic logic, game theory, and mathematical modeling (such as decisional trees and power indices) to analyze administrative phenomena.
What is the content of the main chapters?
The first chapter reviews theoretical approaches to public administration and the logic of norms, while the second chapter demonstrates practical applications, including case studies on voting power and the use of decisional trees to manage budgetary deficits.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include administrative logic, public decision, deontic logic, decisional trees, and voting power.
How is the "decisional tree" method used in this book?
It is used as a tool to map sequential decisions and their possible outcomes under conditions of uncertainty, allowing the decision-maker to identify the optimal strategy.
Why is the logic of cooperation relevant to this book?
Cooperation logic is critical for analyzing how collective bodies (like Local Councils) aggregate individual preferences and how political power influences the outcome of public decisions.
- Quote paper
- Ani Matei (Author), Andy Constantin Leoveanu (Author), 2014, Logic and public administration. Towards a logic of administrative action, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/267865
