Approaches to Decision Making in Public Administration

Few issues have occupied such a central place in the literature of public administration or have generated so much debate as the question of how to make decisions. Arguments have raged over issues such as the importance of goal setting, the capacities of decision makers to use information objectively, the scope of data that they use, and the consequences of employing different approaches to decision making.

Models that are applicable to administrative organizations have been derived from a variety of disciplines, notably economics, philosophy, and political science. Some have stressed statistical techniques, utilizing quantitative data and value-free criteria for decision alternatives. Others, recommend the use of more informal measures of decision choices.

New controversies and directions have recently emerged, especially in government, that are reshaping many long-standing assumptions about how decisions should (and can) be made. These include efforts supporting empowerment of citizens, better service to government’s customers, and devolving decision-making power to nongovernmental entities. Other issues (such as the cumulative impacts of past decisions on a current choice) also affect decision making and further complicate matters. The complexity and importance of the subject make it imperative that students of public administration understand the nature of the controversies surrounding decision making, as well as key aspects of the process itself.

The rational approach is drawn from economic models of decision making. According to this classical outlook, decision makers are consciously rational. That is, they order their behavior so that it is “reasonably directed toward the achievement of conscious goals.” Such an individual would normally try to separate ends (goals) clearly from means (methods) while concentrating on one or a few primary goals. Pursuing too many goals simultaneously would frustrate efforts to attain them and to measure the efficiency and rationality of the process.

Also, the rational decision maker would seek to gather all possible data pertaining to the range of alternatives and objectively weigh alternative solutions before selecting the best possible one (maximizing). The analysis and methodology must be comprehensive, with precise evaluation procedures, quantification of measures and relative values, and appropriate use of statistics.