Date: February 3, 000
To: Dr. XXX
From:
Subject: An analysis of how Dr. Helene Gayle used John Gaus’ ecological factors to help her succeed in developing policy to combat AIDS.
The Analysis
As director of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Dr. Helene Gayle succeeded in the development of public policy to combat AIDS. Dr. Gayle employed John Gaus’ concept of administrative ecology by using several ecological factors, such as people, place, and personality, to create an environment receptive to her cause. This analysis defines John Gaus’ administrative ecology and uses Dr. Gayle’s success as an example of how the ecological factors affecting a policy can and should be used to further its development.
Administrative Ecology: John Gaus defines ecology as that which, “ deals with all the interrelationships of living organisms and their environment” Based on his definition of ecology, Gaus posits that, “An ecological approach to public administration builds, then, quite literally from the ground up”, and is made up of the elements of a place, its people, and the relationships that exist between them. To Gaus, understanding a society’s ecology provides public administrators with the tools to, “better understand what they are doing and how they are doing it”. Gaus’ concept of administrative ecology describes how “public administration, its development, and its activities were influenced by its setting, or its ecology.”
Ecological Factors:
Within the concept of administrative ecology, Gaus identifies several ecological factors that help explain, “The ebb and flow of the functions of government”. These ecological factors are: People, Place, Physical and Social Technology, Wishes and Dreams, Personality, and Catastrophe
Dr. Helene Gayle’s Story:
Dr. Helene Gayle acknowledged the ecological factors impacting
