Public value (administrative value) is the value that administration pursues, and it corresponds to ‘what’ when discussing ‘what is administration for?’. Narrowly, it means common good, public interests, etc. In order to properly solve the complex problems that modern administration faces, administration should not only execute the law, but also recognize the value of administration and actively realize it. Public value is what public officials should always keep in mind and use as a guideline when performing their duties.
There are various ways to classify public values, but one of them is to divide them into essential values and instrumental values. Essential values are the ultimate values that administration wants to achieve through administration, such as public interest, justice, equity, freedom, equality, etc. Instrumental values are the values that make it possible to realize essential values, such as rationality, efficiency, effectiveness, democracy, legality, etc. (non-essential).
Among the essential public values, this essay will focus on four values: public interest, justice, equity, and freedom.
- Public interest
Public interest is the establishment purpose and goal of public organizations, and the highest value or administrative ideology of public officials. The meaning is diverse and the concept is ambiguous. Generally, it refers to ‘the interest of the majority in a social community’, ‘the interest of a social community’, or ‘the interest agreed upon by the members of society’, which is distinguished from the concept of individual or private interest. Therefore, public interest pursuit behavior means not for the benefit of individuals or groups including public officials, but for the benefit of society or most residents from their perspective.
Public interest is often regarded as a normative concept that guides public policy making and implementation. However, there are many difficulties in defining and measuring public interest objectively and universally. Therefore, public interest can be understood as a relative concept that changes according to time, space, situation, and perspective. In this sense, public interest can be seen as a process of continuous negotiation and compromise among various stakeholders rather than a fixed outcome.
- Justice
Justice is an old value concept with a long history. It is defined in various ways. For example,
- Plato: ‘righteousness’
- Aristotle: “Justice is when equal people get equal shares”
- Rawls: interpreted as ‘fairness’
- Etymology: ‘just’ (correct + fair)
Rawls’s ‘principle of justice’ is one of the most influential theories of justice in modern times. He proposed two principles of justice:
- The first principle of justice (the principle of equal basic freedom): Individuals are granted maximum basic freedom and equal rights.
- The second principle of justice (the principle of differential adjustment): It is divided into two principles.
- The principle of difference: Maximizing the benefits for the most disadvantaged people.
- The principle of equal opportunity: Social and economic inequalities must exist under the condition (premise) of fair equal opportunity for all jobs or positions.
- Rawls argued that when these principles conflict, the first principle takes precedence over the second principle, and among the second principles, the principle of equal opportunity takes precedence over the principle of difference.
Justice is closely related to public policy because public policy affects the distribution of rights and obligations among members of society. Therefore, public policy should be based on the principle of justice and aim to achieve social justice.
- Equity
Equity means treating people who are subject to the same principle equally or who are in different situations differently. It implies the concept of ‘just inequality’. Equity is similar in meaning to fairness or social justice.
Social equity emerged as a background to the fact that in the 1960s American society, the ‘vicious cycle’ of unemployment, poverty, and ignorance was due to indifference to minority groups who were politically and economically alienated. Administrators argued that they should actively realize social equity.
The realization of equity in administration means that social values are redistributed through government policies. Public policies do not distribute benefits and costs equally to all members, but distribute them unequally according to certain criteria.
- Freedom
Freedom means a state without restraint or interference. There are two types of freedom: negative freedom and positive freedom.
- Negative freedom: A state without interference or restraint.
- Positive freedom: The freedom to do something.
The political and administrative implications of guaranteeing freedom are as follows:
- Negative freedom: Interested in establishing ‘legal and institutional mechanisms’ to exclude unfair oppression and coercion by political power against individuals.
- Positive freedom: Requires active government activities and interference.
Freedom is one of the fundamental human rights and values that democracy pursues. However, freedom is not absolute or unlimited. Freedom can be restricted by law for public welfare or social order. Therefore, finding a balance between freedom and order is an important task for administration.
In conclusion, public value (administrative value) is an important concept that guides the direction and purpose of administration. Public officials should be aware of the public values that they should pursue and reflect them in their administrative actions. Among the various public values, this essay discussed four essential values: public interest, justice, equity, and freedom. These values are not fixed or absolute, but changeable and relative depending on various factors. Therefore, public officials should constantly communicate and cooperate with various stakeholders to find the optimal public value for each situation.
