Modern theorists traced the beginning of traditional public administration from the publication of Woodrow Wilson’s “The Study of Administration” in 1887, although his essay did not achieve “classic” status until the mid of the twentieth century. This profound essay set the foundations of the American state to move toward a managerially base ideology of separating politics from administration. Wilson’s politics-administration dichotomy provides a historical foundation to understand a predominant relationship in the field. Evidently, The dichotomy articulated by Wilson is a long standing, never ending international debate.
In contrast to Wilson, who created a theory based on his understanding of the field and the differences between public …show more content…
In short, elected officials define policy and delegate the tasks to top-level administrators. Administrators work within a hierarchy to organize the work. And it is authority within the hierarchy that ensures the exercise of administrative discretion to be consistent with policymakers’ goals. Wilson noted something very important that helped to shape his arguments: every day the functions of government are becoming more complex and difficult, and at the same time they are vastly multiplying in number. On this base he explains why “there should be a science of administration which shall seek to straighten the paths of government, to make its business less unbusiness like, to strengthen and purify its organization, and to crown its duties with …show more content…
Following this distinction a proper balance between democratic responsiveness and administrative competence could be achieved. Thus, Wilson has defined the central battle of modern public administration, namely the separation of administration from politics. His strong arguments were based on the examination of the systems of other nations. He firmly believed that the American system could learn from others how to administer it more effectively and in order to make the American public administration stronger and more effective he suggested borrowing the best practices from administrators around the
In contrast to Wilson, who created a theory based on his understanding of the field and the differences between public …show more content…
In short, elected officials define policy and delegate the tasks to top-level administrators. Administrators work within a hierarchy to organize the work. And it is authority within the hierarchy that ensures the exercise of administrative discretion to be consistent with policymakers’ goals. Wilson noted something very important that helped to shape his arguments: every day the functions of government are becoming more complex and difficult, and at the same time they are vastly multiplying in number. On this base he explains why “there should be a science of administration which shall seek to straighten the paths of government, to make its business less unbusiness like, to strengthen and purify its organization, and to crown its duties with …show more content…
Following this distinction a proper balance between democratic responsiveness and administrative competence could be achieved. Thus, Wilson has defined the central battle of modern public administration, namely the separation of administration from politics. His strong arguments were based on the examination of the systems of other nations. He firmly believed that the American system could learn from others how to administer it more effectively and in order to make the American public administration stronger and more effective he suggested borrowing the best practices from administrators around the