Public Administration at the Millennium: The State of the Field

Abstract

In 1993, the author analyzed the state of public administration for the American Political Science Association's book, Political Science: The State of the Field. This article reviews the state of public administration at the start of the new millennium: the field's big theoretical questions, enduring theoretical ideas, and its unanswered theoretical puzzles. In the middle of the twentieth century, public administration found itself under attack by both academics and practitioners for theory that provided only weak guidance. New approaches developed in the last third of the century—notably formal theory, network theory, and the “new public management”—have helped bridge the gap. In the end, however, the field's enduring problems are rooted deeply in historic conflicts in the American political tradition. These conflicts make it unlikely that the field will ever be able to escape the struggles that have long bedeviled it. But an understanding of the ways political tradition shapes administrative theory—and of the ways that administrative theory bring political traditions to life—helps provide keen insight into the theoretical issues that matter most.

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