Public Administration in a Time of Revolutions

Author(s): Dwight Waldo

Source: Public Administration Review, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Jul. - Aug., 1968), pp. 362-368
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the American Society for Public Administration
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362

Stream:
FromtheProfessional
CURRENTS and SOUNDINGS

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION fortunately-"objective evidence"enough.

The questionofwhether we are in a timeof
IN A TIME revolutions has both a semanticand an em-
piricalside. As to the semantic, a friendof
OF REVOLUTIONS minethinksit leads to confusion to use the
word "revolution"in any loose and meta-
phoricalway,evenif the changesreferred to
DWIGHT WALDO
are highlysignificant.Now I hope I am not
Editor-in-Chief talkingaboutrevolution in the strictsenseof
overthrow of government by force.However,
givencertaindevelopments, givena dialectic
I WANT TO ADDRESS MYSELF TO SUBJECTS of violenceand evermorerapidchange,who
such as these: Are we in a timeof revolu- knowswhatthefuture holds?Thatoursystem
tion? Assumingwe are-as I shall argue- of government, alwaysbeingchangedby "nat-
howis publicadministration
responding?
Ought uralselection,"maybe changedby "mutation"
publicadministrationto respondmorethanit as well,I entertain
as morethanan idlespecu-
is? How shouldpublicadministration
respond? lation.Thatis, theforcesin motionandforces
Whatcoursedoes an intelligentand judicious thatmaybe putinmotion maywellcauserapid
blendof self-interest of realistic
and altruism, and significant changesin the governmental
appraisaland idealisticcommitment,indicate system, whatever nameis putto them.
thatwe follow?I shallbe askingmoreques-
tionsthanI answer,evenin a summary way.
I won'teven claim to be entirelyconsistent Addressdeliveredto Capital DistrictChapterof
in whatI say. the AmericanSocietyforPublic Administration,
Albany,New York,April2, 1968.

Contemporary
"Revolutions"
First,to thesubjectof whetherwe are in a
timeof revolutions.Let me concedeto begin
withthatthereis ampleopportunityforillusion
and self-delusion.There is a tendency, of
course,foreverygeneration to regardits own
troublesas uniqueand unmanageable. One of
the nice witticisms
of recentyearshas Adam
sayingto Eve: "My dear,youmustappreciate
thatwe livein a timeofunprecedented change
andupheaval."Butto sustainthepositionthat
one is talkingaboutan unstableand threaten-
ing worldand not merelyreflecting his own
disturbed psychetherewouldseemto be-un-
Let me speakbriefly to the empiricalside.
Let me pass brieflyin reviewsome of the
phenomena,events,and currentswhichare
oftenreferred to as revolutions,or as revolu-
tionary in theirimplications.This willbe but
a briefcataloguing,a "reminding," so to speak.
Item:A revolution inscienceandtechnology.
Accordingto data withwhichyou may be
familiar-indeed,fatigued-thereis an ex-
ponential increasein thescientific-technological
enterprise. Ninetypercentofthescientists who
everlivedare nowliving;and thetimelag be-
tweenbasic scientific discoveryand techno-
logicaland industrial applicationis constantly

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CURRENTS AND SOUNDINGS 363

narrowing.Changesin the condition of man is supposedto offer all itscitizens;

buttheyare
at leastequal to thosecausedby theIndustrial associatedalso withopposition to foreign pol-
Revolutionare implied,and indeedif those icy,one "movement" oftenblendinginto the
whostudysuchmatters are correct, theimpli- other. Thereis oftena sense of urgencyor
cationsarereallymuchgreater.Thereareseers desperation thatmakeslawbreaking seemthe
and prophets, so to speak,whothinkthatsci- "only answer." Paradoxically,a revulsion
enceand technology arenowin thesaddleand againstviolenceand a commitment to violence
ridingus hard;thattheyare nowuncontrolled, oftenoccurin thesamepersonor movement;
ifnotindeeduncontrollable. thatis, I am againstthatviolencebutI am for
Item: A growing reaction againstscienceand this violence. There are some veryviolent,
technology. I referto a mounting feelingthat nonviolent peoplearound.Incidentally-if you
scienceand technology createa cold,artificial, thinkI oversimplify, I confessI do; butI am
impersonal, dehumanized, and evenmonstrous also preparedto arguethata greatdeal of
world.On one levelit is a revolution against nonviolence is violentin motiveand result.
the machineand everything machine-like and Item:A crisisin race relations.This is, of
machine-made. But it is muchmore,and at course,closelyrelatedto the precedingitem
another levelis a revolution againsta "system" though ithas otherdimensions. Whatever reso-
thatsustainsand promotesa machinetech- lutiontheremaybe oftheforcesthathavebeen
nology. The revolutionagainstscience and buildingup, the resultwill be revolutionary:
technology is seenpositively as a revolutionon assumethe best resolution you can imagine
behalf of the individualand individualism, fromyourpointof view and call it "evolu-
againstthe invasionof privacyand forindi- tionary" ifyoulike,stillfromanother pointof
vidualrights.The IBM cardis oftena symbol viewthisresolution willbe "revolutionary."
of the enemy,and beardsand bare feetare Item:A severegenerational gap,ortherevolt
seen as the symbolsof emancipationand of the young.This is a themeas old as the
rebellion. pyramids, of course,butI thinkthereis abun-
Item:A revolutionary increasein themeans dantevidenceto substantiate thepointofview
of violenceand a counterrevolutionary-or thatwe nowhavean acuteattackof a chronic
whatever it maybe called-revolution against disease. In thisconnection, and as a relevant
the use of violence. The past two or three "aside"-I quotea magazineeditor:
generations, and especially thepastgeneration,
It's even worse than you imagine. The fifteen-year-
have seen quantumjumpsin the increaseof olds don't understandthe twenty-year-olds. The
man's abilityto inflict violenceand deathon twenty-year-olds have a world separate from the
otherhumanbeings. No need to spell this twenty-five-year-olds.And the twenty-five-year-olds
out. The resultis something of a counter- won'tbe caughtdead at thirty.The onlythingthese
revolution againsttheuse offorceandviolence young people have in commonis theirunanimous
whichtakesmanyforms.It maybe "Ban the nonunderstanding of human life beyond thirty-five.
Bomb." It maybe completepacifism.It may The revoltof youthtakesmanyforms,some
be "I'll pick myown war-the hell withthe corrosiveas to established institutions,some
government." In somemoodsandexpressions, deleterious as to personalwell-being. Optimists
thereactionagainstviolencemaybe also reac- tell us of "pay-offs," presentand potential.
tion againstpatriotism, civicloyalty,and na- But eventhesecan be disturbing.
tionalidentity.Indeed,thattheyoftenand Item:The urbanrevolution. The citiesgrow
perhapsincreasingly are is botha revolutionary in size andin number.Theybothpileup and
symptom and potential. spreadout. Theygrowwheretheyshouldnot
Item:A reactionagainstgradualism and a and decaywheretheyshouldgrow.The larger
growingcommitment to violence. The phe- onesincreasingly are referred to as "ungovern-
nomenaI refer tohereareespecially associated, able."
of course,withthe civil rightsstruggle, and Item: Upward,and stillupward,rates of
withthe effort on behalfof or by minority crimeand violence.At one end of thisspec-
groupsto gettheirfairshareof whatAmerica trumareincreases in individual crimesthatare

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364 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW

crimesby themoralcodes of anycivilization. PublicAdministration's

Responsibility
At the otherend of the spectrum-which in- For ContemporaryRevolutions
cludes middle-classcrimesof a respectable
white-collar variety,and organizedcrime-is Let me ask now: Whatis publicadministra-
groupviolence(oftenbeginning as and per- tion'sresponsibilityforcontemporary revolu-
haps stillassertedto be "nonviolence")justi- tions?Thisquestionhas twoaspects,at least:
fiedin the name of a "highergood." The (1) didpublicadministration helpcausethem?
appealto a "higher good"as againsttheestab- (2) oughtpublicadministration do something
lishedorder,whether fromLeftorRight,is one aboutthem?I'll postponeconsideration ofthe
of the surestsignsand accompaniments of a secondquestion.Let me focuson thefirst.
revolutionary period. Did we help cause them? Of coursewe
Item:Revolutions in moralsandvalues.This did-both bywhatwe diddo, andbywhatwe
is verycomplexand thisis not the timeto didnotdo.
exploreit. Suffice it to say,it's relatedto the Ours is a nationor societywhich,in the
itemsalreadymentioned,and thosefollowing. perspectiveofhistory,is richbeyondthedreams
One could of courseextendthe listthatI of avarice. Withouttrying to factorout our
have just constructed. One could talk about own distinctive contribution, I suppose you
revolutions in theartsandliterature. He could would agreewithme that we have made a
talk about such thingsas the revolutionary contribution to thisresultby providing both
potentialof changingperceptions inducedby stimulusand stability.If you agreeto that,
exposureduringformative yearsto new com- thenyouagreethatpublicadministration bears
munications media-"the mediumis themes- someof theresponsibility fortherevolutions:
sage." One couldtalkof thepervasive mood: thisbecausetherevolutions can'tbe disassoci-
it is one of disaffection, alienation, frustration, atedfromthecauses,consequences, andnature
nastiness, anger,and violence. in generalofourspectacular affluence.
The listcouldbe a longerone. I makeno Shouldour civilization fail and fall,there
brief,incidentally, forthewayI have cut and are paradoxesand ironiesenoughto engage
dividedthe world. You can use your own wholegenerations of future historians.
classificationsystem andyourownterminology; The verycauses of thisaffluence-atleast
butI wouldbe surprised ifyourlistwereshort- in part-suchas thebigand efficient organiza-
er or yourgeneralperspective muchdifferent tionsand thenewand improved technologies,
frommine. havewithin themthesourceoftheirownoppo-
I am not forrevolutions, you understand. sitionifnottheseedsoftheirowndestruction.
The pointis thatI thinkthatifyoufaceone or A greatdealin contemporary culture is an anti-
are in one,you'dbetterbe intelligent aboutit. organizational,antitechnological revolt.Since
The potentialforrevolutionary eventsstrikes is so deeplyorganizational
ourcivilization and
me as clear and indisputable. The "items"I technological,the revolt often seems and in a
listedare there.In manycases one flowsinto, is
sense against civilizationitself.
colors,and reinforces another.The various Ours is one of the fewsocietiesin history
revolutions are capable,I think,of reacting in wealthyenoughto havepeace and war at the
a highlysynergistic way one withthe other. sametime. But our pasthas notpreparedus
Eventssuch as severemilitary setback,wide- forthissituation ofmoralcomplexity. We have
spreadrioting,or an international monetary historicallygivensets of values,expectations,
collapsearecapableoftriggering thesynergism. and procedures forwar and peace singly;but
Repeat: I am not predicting a revolution by thesevalues,expectations, and procedures are
forceresulting in a complete changeofgovern- if not outrightopposites. Small won-
different
ment.I do predict continuing andrevolutionary bad con-
der thatthereis doubt,hesitation,
change. And undercertaincircumstances the anger,bitterchargesof
science,frustration,
cumulative effectcouldbe disturbances of es- hypocrisy.
tablished institutional arrangements farbeyond Ours is a societyso richthatit seemsto
anyin ourrecenthistory. manyof our citizensabsurdand immoralfor

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CURRENTS AND SOUNDINGS 365

thereto be povertyin ourmidst.Thispoverty, where.In stillothercases,revolutionary pro-

coupledwithdiscrimination-particularly ra-cess or effectsare an intimatepart of the
cial discrimination-seemsto be a hypocriticalmachinery and processesof administration.
denial of what we have claimedto be our Let me suggestsome of theseinteractions.
nationaltradition.Raised in the midstof WhatI saywillbe familiar to you. Whatmay
affluence,our childrencan affordaltruism inbe unfamiliar is thethought thatfamiliar things
a waythatwecouldn't-orthought we couldn't.are deeplyinvolvedin revolutions.
Bitterirony:the "Square World"that they Item: Domestic "technicalassistance"in
rejectis whatmadeitpossibleforthemto reject agriculture goesbackwellovera century, and
the"SquareWorld." it wouldbe hardto finda function of govern-
Perhapswe in publicadministration helped mentmoretraditional.At the same timeit
to createthepresentsituation by our failures wouldbe hardto findone thathas beenmore
as wellas by oursuccesses.Perhapswe ought revolutionary in its consequences.Whenone
to have takenthe initiative
in movingsooner tracesout its effects in such thingsas urban
on a numberof problems thatare nowin the migration and foreignpolicy,he findsthat
centerof thestage. So muchadmitted, let me Americanagriculture (whichis in largemea-
say thatin myopinionthereis nothing to be sure what it is because of government pol-
gainedby takingthe timeto ask and tryto icies) is one of thegreatrevolutionary forces
answerthequestions:Wheredidwe go wrong? ofthetwentieth century.
Whatshouldwe havedone? Item: State departments of motorvehicles
Instead,beforepassingalong, I'll under- and of highwaysare seldomthoughtof as
scorethe positiveparadox: success,affluence agentsfor revolution, but plainlythey are
createtheirownproblems.If we haveso much deeplyinvolvedin revolutionary activities.In
wealth,and if we have so muchknow-how- all ofhistoryit wouldbe hardto finda revolu-
andwe braga lot aboutboth,youknow-why tionarydevice more revolutionary than the
can'twe createa livableenvironment, shackle internalcombustion enginemountedon four
violence,abolishpoverty,and generally secure wheels.It is deeplyimplicated in at leasthalf
equal treatmentandjustice?To a newgenera- of the"revolutions" notedat theoutset.
tion-and to a lotoftheoldergeneration who Item:Changing thefocusto look at revolu-
have neverhad to workat it-it all seemsso tionarytechnologies in publicadministration,
simple. whatbetterexamplethanthecomputer?The
impulses andmechanisms thatled to thedevel-
How Is PublicAdministration Involved opmentofthecomputer werecentrally govern-
Withthe Contemporary Revolutions? mental, administrative.In lessthanonehuman
generation we havehad threecomputer gener-
Anotherquestion:How is publicadminis- ations,and we are told thatthisis onlythe
trationinvolvedwiththecontemporary revolu- beginning.The computeris now deeplyin-
tions? WhenI firstmade an outlineof my volvedin a widerangeof governmental activi-
remarks, I wordedthis:How is publicadmin- tiesat everylevelofgovernment activity.
istrationbeingaffected by the contemporary Item:Sometypesofgovernment agenciesare
revolutions?But it is a verycomplexpattern in a fairly obvioussensereacting to or against
thatone finds-andhence,to speak of "in- one or morerevolutionary developments, such
volvedwith"seemedmore accurateor less as the scientific-technological, or the urban
vulnerablethan "affected by." The pointis revolution. I havein mindherethosegovern-
thatoverall,thereis a verycomplexpattern mentagenciesengagedin campaignsagainst
of actionand interaction,cause and effect.In waterand airpollution, or forthepreservation
somecasespublicadministration is obviouslya of open space and otheramenities;or those
revolutionaryagent,though it maybe so either attempting, one way or another,to deal with
in ignoranceor simplythrough enforcementof theurgent problemsof thecentralcity.
thelaw. In othercasesit is helpingsocietyto Item: Sometimesgovernment agenciesare
respondor adjustto revolutions caused else- chargedwiththedual or simultaneous process

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366 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW

of respondingto revolutions
and creating one. "Whatthey're shorton is imagination. Official-
I have in mindhere the agenciescreatedto dom can nevercope withsomething really
respond to thepressureforracialequality,
and catastrophic.""In the verymidstof catas-
to helpcreatethatequality;and the agencies tropheoffices couldgo on functioning serenely
createdto respondto thedemandof thepoor and takeinitiatives of no immediate relevance,
fora shareof thegoodlife,and to helpcreate and oftenunknownto the highestauthority,
theconditions underwhichthiscan be true. purelyand simplybecause they had been
Item:Sometimes therevolutions of our day createdoriginally forthispurpose."
invadeoraffect publicadministration
inanother The central historicinterest ofthesociologist
way. I have in mindherethe twoforcesof in bureaucracy in a "genuine"revolution has
professionalization
and unionization.Increased something in commonwiththisliterary view.
specialization
and professionalization
are facts The questionthathas intrigued thesociologist
of Americanlife. Increasingly they"invade" is whether a bureaucracy in a timeof revolu-
thepublicservice.Likewiseunionization. It tionis a machineto be drivenin anydirection
is no news to you thatunionization in the by anypersonor partythatcan get intothe
publicserviceis a hotissue,presenting
extreme- driver's seat. The questions are: Willa bureau-
ly difficult
issuesposedby employee militancy, cracygo in anydirection in whichit is driven?
thestrike,and all that.How thesedualforces How muchofit has to be changedin orderto
of unionizationand professionalization are makeit go in a different direction?How can
goingto interact in publicadministration
is a it be changedto make it go in a different
momentous question.Willtheyconflict? Will direction?
theycoalesce? Will one becomedominant at Now our view of ourselves,in turn,has
the expenseof the other?Whateverthe an- something in commonwithboth the literary
swers,traditional personneladministration
(for andthesociological perspectives. WhatI mean
otherreasonsas well) is becoming increasingly is: traditionally, so to speak,we have had as
irrelevantor obsolete. From recruitment to theoryor rationaleforthebureaucracy-that
retirementit mustbe rethought and reshaped. is, thepublicservice-thatit has no business
makingpolicyor engagingin politics.One
OughtPublicAdministrationTo Respond expression of thisis the idea of civilservice
to theRevolutions
Consciously oftheDay? neutrality: a civilservantshouldbe officially
nonpartisan, a civilserviceoughtto mindits
Let me now advance the discussion-I own professional-governmental businessand
hope-by posingthesequestions.Whatis the faithfully serve the in
party power-assuming
necessaryor properresponseof the bureau- always,of course,thatthepartyis legitimate
cracyto, or in a timeof,revolutions? Ought and has made the law accordingto constitu-
a bureaucracy to respondat theself-conscious tionalprocedures. The dutyofthecivilservant
level to revolutions-assuming that it can is precisely to do hisduty,andthatis to follow
do so? instructions and (or) to carryoutthelaw.
Let me suggestsome of theclassicstances Nowthistheory or ideology is farfromsilly.
or answers.One is a stereotype thatis both It can be arguedcogently thatby and largeit
popularandliterary. stated
It is veryeffectively has servedus well,thatit stillis fullofvitality,
in the novel The Plague by AlbertCamus. and thatto abandonit is to open thegateto
This, you may recall,is a sortof fablefor graveevils. On the otherhand,all sortsof
modern man: theplaguestrikes Oran,Algeria, questionscan properly be askedaboutit: Has
and the storyturnson, and the moralsare it beenmorea usefulmyththandescription of
pointedby,howpeopleindividually andcollec- reality?Assumingthatit has been a useful
tivelyrespondto catastrophe. In thissituation myth, is it nowa usefulmyth?Didn'twe,as a
thebureaucrat, or government is pic-
official, profession or discipline,decidesometimeago
turedas impersonal, rigid,unattractive, irrele- administration is perforceintimately involved
vant. Insteadof acting,he "sendsforinstruc- in thepoliticalprocess?Thatis, thatwe have
tions." As the protagonist Tarrou remarks, andshouldhavesomerolein makinglawsand

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CURRENTS AND SOUNDINGS 367

decidingupon policies,as well as simplyin and process-myownresponsewouldbe: No.

carrying themout in a mechanicalfashion? My assignment of PUBLIC
as Editor-in-Chief
Thatto conceiveofourselves as mereautomata ADMINISTRATION REVIEW offersme a good
is demeaning and, undersomecircumstances, vantagepointfromwhichto lookaround.The
evenirresponsible or immoral?If thisis true,
manuscripts thatI receiveare on the whole
ifthisis whatwebelieve,whataretheimplica- continuallybetter-sharper, deeper,moreim-
tionsforourbehaviorin a timeofrevolutions? aginative.Still,thelevelof responseto whatI
I'm goingto takethepositionthatwe ought thinkare genuinecrisissituations is notvery
to respondmoreconsciously, high.
moreself-con-
sciously,to therevolutions of theday. But letNot to writeus downtoo much,let me say
me acknowledge thatthecase is farfrombeing thatin somewaysI do thinkwe do verywell.
completely onesided.The idea-fiction,ideol-In the last generation, forexample,we have
ogy, call it what you will-of civil service come a long way in makingbureaucracies
neutrality has servedits purposes,and real rewarding and fulfilling places forthe people
dangersare createdby abandoning who workin them. Certainly
it. It can we have been
be arguedwithsome persuasiveness aware of the problemof adjustingorganiza-
thatthe
properrole of a bureaucracy tionsto thepeoplein them,and haveworked
is to act as a
stabilizing forcein the midstof vertiginous towardsolutions.We havetriednotsimplyto
change,and thatthisis whatit is doingwhen squeezethemostout of people,but to make
it seemstobe unresponsive and stupid.In this
publicorganization internally theobjec-
fulfill
viewithas a balance-wheel or gyroscopic func-
tivesof a democratic society.We hopedand
tion. In an idiomof theday-or whatI think presumed thetwoobjectivesof efficiency and
maystillbe an idiomof theday-in theheat humanity werecongruent.
of revolutions,thebureaucracy oughtto keep However,in myopinion,we have advanced
its cool. Indeed,by actingin its routinized,verylittlein makingpublicbureaucracies ac-
mechanical, ponderous wayit helpssocietytoceptableand efficient in working withmanyof
keepitscool. theclienteles.I willreturn tothispointin a bit.
Havingadmitted thatthispointof viewhas In someways,I thinkPPBS illustrates both
some forceand validity, let me say thatonour strengthsand ourweaknesses-ourdilem-
balanceI rejectit. For reasonsI havealready ma. It has beenthegreatest technical or pro-
partlysuggested, I thinkit's unrealistic and
fessionaladvance of this decade. It has re-
wrong,at leastbeyonda certainpoint. Any a
ceived great deal of attentionand caused
institution thatdoesn'tadjust to the rapidlymuchexcitement. It's thecenterof muchac-
changingmilieuof the contemporary revolu-
tivity.I won'targueits strengths and advan-
tionswill notbe effectivein termsof its pur-
tages. I will simplyadmit that it has them.
pose or assignment. Long range,it will not
But I thinkit's a seriousquestionwhether it
evensurvive.The publicservice, by intelligent
doesn'tcausesystematic blindnesses andinhibit
and imaginative responseto the revolutionary
creativeresponses to environmental changeand
realities,may serve not only its own "im- challenge.Does it (despite sinceredenial)
mediate"interests, buthelpsocietychangeand attempt to solvepoliticaland ethicalproblems
adjustin waysthatmaximize thepotentials for
by turningtheminto technicalproblems-
"goods"andminimize thepotentials therebycreatingbiggerpoliticaland ethical
for"bads."
problems?Does it,in itsattempt to reachfirm
Problems,Opportunities,and Strategies conclusionson hard data, cause an undue
ofvision,leadto overnarrow
restriction param-
Let me firstask the question:Is public etersand oversimplification of premises?Are
administrationresponding at a highlevel of someof our difficulties in thecentralcityand
consciousnessandself-consciousness
to thefact in Vietnamthusrelated?I don't knowthe
thatwe are in a timeof revolutions? Despite answer-I am notmakingaccusations-butI
all I said above about our beingdeeplyin- thinkthequestions areworthseriousreflection.
volvedone way or another-as cause, effect, It is possiblethathistorians of thefuturewill

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368 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW

puzzle over our fascination withour "tech- behindtheshieldofprofessional neutrality, and

nology"whilealarmbells wereringing in all concentrate moreand moreon techniques?
directions. Let it be repeated,on theotherhand,that
Thereis one aspectof the current revolu- thereare unknownsand imponderables, as
tionaryscenethatI thinkwe shouldbe well well as clear dangers,in abandoning historic
awareof as we tryto findourwaythrough.I ideologiesand stancesof public administra-
referto thedevelopment of theso-calledNew tion. Whilethereis a verygood case thatwe
Left.The significance ofthisforus, as I see it, should become more involvedwith policy
is thattheNew Leftseemssignificantly anti- makingthanwe are, and even becomemore
governmental, antiorganiza- politicalthanwe havebeenin recentdecades,
antiadministrative,
tion-indeed,in some respects,nihilistic, an- thereare seriousrisks. And one mustmake
archistic.Now,generally duringthe
speaking, distinctions. Thereare "politics"of different
past two or threegenerations most of the kinds. There seemsto be generalagreement
politicalspectrumin the UnitedStatesany- thatpoliticsin a strictly partisansense,and
whereleftofcenterwaspro-government action, politics in the sense of business-as-usual-
pro-administrative solution,pro-organizational through-the-old-political-establishment is part
approach. (Attention:I am not sayingthat of the "problem"in the antipoverty program.
Big Government was simplya productof Anyhow, pursuing theroadofpoliticalinvolve-
pressuresfromthe Left-it's a much more ment,we eventually reachproblems of overall
complicated business-andinfactthepressures politicalstructure and constitutional arrange-
oftencamefromCenteror evenRight.) There mentswhichare beyondpublicadministration
was a beliefthatwhatwereperceivedas ills in anyordinary sense.
weresusceptible of governmental amelioration * * *. *. *

or solution. To a veryimportantdegree that Yet,I amcertain theproperresponse to new

is notnowtrue.Amongtheironiesoftheday and baffling problemsis not simplyto say:
is thefactthatNewLeftoftenjoinsOld Right traditional organizations, traditional procedures,
in opposition to solutionto problemsthrough traditional theories, can'tandwon'tbe changed.
governmental means,in a praiseof local solu- I thinkthatexperimentation in new organiza-
tionsthrough personalaction. We are simply tionalstylesis in order.Someoftheneworga-
purblind if we are notawareof thisfact,and nizationsand procedures won'tfitany of the
ardentin trying to findout whatit meansin approvedpatterns and traditional textbooks.
terms oftheactionswe needtotake. Or refrain Thisis "radical"speculation, youmaythink.
fromtaking. But it is also "conservative," in thismixed-up
Let me go further and say thatmuchof the era. Yesterday I received a copyofa speechby
quantityand quality,the tone and character, the executivevice president of the FirstNa-
ofpublicadministration duringthepasttwoor tionalCityBank,callingfortheinvention and
threegenerations has beengivenby the"pres- utilizationof "self-liquidating bureaucracies"
sures,"so to speak,frombothLeftand Right. in solvingurbanproblems.To a bureaucrat,
By "Right"I meanin thiscontext thepressure youcan'tgetanymoreradicalthanthat!
forefficiency and economy.This continues at To conclude:I wishI had answersto some
the presenttime and is accentuated.With oftheproblems I haveposed.I haven't.Maybe,
widespread disillusionment withgovernment as even,I haven'tbeenaddressing myself to reali-
an instrument of social changeand progress, ty. Maybethedangersand problems I see are
do we thenlose counterbalancing forcefrom figments of a faultyand over-heated imagina-
theLiberalLeft? Do we riskin thiscontext tion.
an undue concentration upon the "efficiency Maybe. But if you thinkso, I suggestthe
andeconomy" aspectsofouroperation because possibility of another"maybe." I'll put it in
thisis thecourseofleastresistance? If and as theformofthatwonderful parodyof Kipling's
thepublic"field"in whichwe haveourprofes- "If" poem: "If youcan keepyourhead when
sionalbeingbecomesevenmoredisturbed by all about you are losingtheirs-maybeyou
multiplevectors offorce,willwe tendto retreat don'tknowwhatthescoreis."

JULY / AUGUST 1968

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