Public administration

Traps in Public administration

• Misunderstands features of civil service
  Civil service: permanence, neutrality, anonymity, impartiality, recruitment on merit.
• Confuses separation of powers and checks and balances
  Separation of powers (Montesquieu): legislature makes, executive implements, judiciary interprets laws. Checks and balances: each organ limits the others (veto, impeachment, judicial review).
• Confuses electoral systems and bodies
  Franchise = right to vote. First-past-the-post: highest votes wins a constituency. Proportional representation: seats in proportion to votes.
• Misunderstands foreign policy concepts
  Non-alignment: not joining Cold War blocs (NAM, 1961). Africa as centrepiece: Nigeria's priority to African issues. Diplomacy: conduct of relations through negotiation by envoys.
• Uses the everyday meaning of a term
  Recall the textbook definition of the term before matching options.
• Misunderstands judicial independence
  Independence is secured by security of tenure, salaries charged on the consolidated fund, appointment through a judicial service commission, and immunity for judicial acts.
• Confuses legislative structures
  Unicameral = one chamber (Ghana); bicameral = two (Nigeria: Senate + House of Reps). Speaker presides; whips enforce party discipline; quorum is the minimum number to transact business.
• Confuses executive roles
  Collective responsibility: the cabinet stands or falls together. Individual responsibility: a minister answers for their department. Ceremonial head of state vs executive head of government.
• Reverses the principle or its effect
  Ask what problem the principle is meant to solve; the right answer serves that purpose, the reversal defeats it.
• Picks a closely related concept
  Learn related terms as contrasting pairs with one-line definitions, then identify which one the stem describes.
• Assigns the function to the wrong body
  Make a table: body → main function → membership. Match the function in the stem to the body, not the topic area.
• Confuses pre-colonial political systems
  Hausa-Fulani: centralised emirates under the Emir with Sharia. Old Oyo: Alaafin checked by Oyomesi, Ogboni. Igbo: acephalous/segmentary, council of elders, age grades. Ashanti: Asantehene with the Golden Stool, confederacy.
• Misunderstands public corporations
  Public corporations are set up by statute, owned by government, run by boards with some autonomy, to provide essential services (power, water, rail); they are controlled by ministers, the legislature (budget, audit) and the courts.
• Over-generalises a feature
  Political systems vary; options with all/always/never are usually wrong unless the definition itself is absolute.
• Military rule misconceptions
  Military regimes suspend the constitution and rule by decrees/edicts; the ruling council (e.g. Supreme Military Council) combines executive and legislative powers.