All people need to make decisions from time to time. Given limited time in formulating policies and addressing public problems, public administrators must enjoy a certain degree of discretion in planning, revising and implementing public policies. In other words, they must engage in decision-making (Gianakis, 2004). Over the years, many scholars tried to devise decision-making models to account for the policy making process with the following considerations:
1. Rationality
Since the development of public administration, scholars have assumed that people make decisions rationally. By rationality, Herbert A. Simon (1976) means “a style of behavior that is appropriate to the achievement of given goals, within the limits imposed by given conditions and constraints.” Rationality requires that the person making the decision should be aware of the alternative courses of action that can be used to achieve the objectives.
2. Facts
According to Gortner (2001), facts are the information and knowledge that the public administrators possess in formulating policies. Facts are important in deciding the appropriate means to take to achieve higher ends. They may not be readily known by administrators but need to be acquired through extensive research and analysis. Rationality is defined in terms of appropriateness for the accomplishment of specific goals.
