EVOLUTION AND

CHANGING CHARACTER
OF THE DISCIPLINE
Rise of the ‘subject’ public administration
Modern thinking on public administration began at the end of the
19th century
Rise of industrialization and colonialism
spread of rational thinking, scientific outlook, and democracy
induced the transition of society from traditional to modern.
emerge as an independent discipline out of the shadow of political
science
Woodrow Wilson – founder of public administration
1887 essay - “The study of Public Administration” in which he
addressed the problems and character of public administration in a
modern democratic society.
Phases first phase (1887-1926)
Woodrow Wilson
Frank Goodnow tried to separate the subject from political science. Book :
Politics and Administration: A Study in Government.
Intellectual father of the subject
emphasis was on efficient administration for the rational implementation of
goals
emphasized the need for a scientific approach to studying public
administration
Consequently, the subject received increasing recognition in American
academics.
1926 Leonard D. White published the first textbook on the subject,
‘Introduction to the Study of Public Administration.’
politics-administration dichotomy
said that while it is the responsibility of politicians to make
political decisions, but politicians do not have the experience
or excellence needed to implement this decision.
Therefore, to implement these policies (decisions)
successfully, qualified and trained employees are required.
The legislature decides in the discussion what the will is; the
judiciary resolves problems in the implementation of that
state will or policy; On the other hand, the administration
applies that reality with the help of statesmen.
Thus the division between public administration and politics
is drawn and this phase is marked as politics-administration
dichotomy.
second phase (1926-1937)
known for the quest for scientific principles of administration and to establish the subject as
an independent discipline.
This phase is basically called the golden age in the history of public
administration. Because the aspect of intellectual practice of public
administration peaked at this time.
Willoughby’s ‘Principles of Public Administration’, : most imp text
Mary Parker Follett’s Creative Experience,
Henri Fayol’s Industrial and General Management,
Mooney and Reiley’s Principles of Organisation are important works during this phase.
Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick in their ‘Papers on the Science of Administration’ stated
that Administration is a science.
argued for the discovery of objective principles of human organization, just like laws
governing the physical world, which can be discovered by the scientific inductive method
and have universal applicability.
Principles of Administration (1926-
1937)
there are a number of scientific principles in the discussion
of public administration that need to be disclosed.
Frederick Winslow Taylor’s book Principles of Scientific
Management (1911) speaks to the application of four numbers of
principles to enhance the efficiency of the organization.
1. The development of a true science of work.
2. The Scientific selection, training, and progressive
development of the workman.
3. The close coordination between the science of work and the
scientifically selected and trained men.
4. Equal division of work and responsibility
third phase (1938-1947) Era of
Challenges
posed a formidable challenge to the claim that objective, universally applicable
scientific principles of public administration can be discovered
Chester Bernard and Herbert Simon declared that scientific management thinking
was a myth on the ground that administration is comprised of humans and not
machines.
View of Robert Dahl
1. Opposed scientific claim stating that administration is value-laden while science is
value-free;
2. human personalities differ and so do the social frameworks within which
organizations inevitably operate and
3. there is a need to take into account normative considerations, human behavior, and
sociological and other factors while defining the parameters of public
administration.
 Two challenge:
1. First, a new generation of theorists thought that the
dividing line between politics and public
administration was never possible.
2. Second, the administrative theories that have been
published since 1940 criticize administrative
principles. The question arises as to whether there
is a universal and ultimate principle in the
administration.
3. Deny value neutral interpretation
fourth phase (1948-1970) Crisis of Identity
the discipline of public administration underwent a crisis of identity
Reason being challenge by behavioralists
The movement for autonomy of the subject received a severe setback.
Pfiffner and V.O. Key advocated the fusion of politics and administration.
D. Waldo called for the inclusion of policy issues and decision-making
processes in the subject matter.
Paul Appleby in his Policy and Administration (1949) suggested that
administration at a higher level is more generalized, political, and has a total
governmental significance. At lower levels, it is less political and more
particularistic. Therefore politics and administration is linked.
Political Science overshadowed the growth and development of Public
Administration as a separate discipline.
Administrative theorists of this time recognized the
relationship of public administration with politics.
As a result, public administration became dependent
on political science.
In this situation, there is confusion about what is the
discussion area of public administration.
To overcome from this identity crisis, public
administration came to be seen as an interdisciplinary
subject.
In this phase, several sub-topics emerge in the subject
matter of public administration such as comparative
public administration and developmental
administration
fifth phase (1971 onwards) Public Policy
Perspective
Public Administration acquired interdisciplinary character
Minnowbrook Conference (1968) and subsequent publication of its
proceedings by Frank Marini titled Towards a New Public Administration
formulated basic postulates of New Public Administration.
rejected the value-neutral position of administration and focused on morality,
ethics, and values.
emphasized moral and political philosophy for administrators
Advocated that administrators must be proactive and client-oriented rather
than being exclusively concerned with the virtues of economy and efficiency
in administration.
Another recent development of the administration
is the discussion of public policy perspective.
It gained popularity through pluralistic
interpretations, communication theories, and The
Science of Muddling through.
The aim of this theory is to establish which social,
political and economic or personal forces are
effective in policy making.
Robert A. Dahl, James Wilson, Charles E. Lindblom,
Yehezkel Dror, Vincent Ostrom, all point out the
mutual importance of different forces (social,
political and economic, environmental) in policy
making.
Features of the present stage
Advocates:
1. bureaucratic responsiveness,
2. citizen participation in decision-making,
3. social equity, and
4. administrative responsibility for program effectiveness
5. Promoting public service ethic.