The public interest in public administration: an investigation of the communicative foundations of the public interest standard

Abstract

The public interest is the highest standard for bureaucratic action in American\ngovernment. While the importance of this standard ebbs and flows in the literature, the\neminence of it remains unquestioned as the North Star for the American ship of state.\nAs the highest standard in American politics and policy, this standard must be formed\ndemocratically. In this dissertation, I examine the formation of the public interest\nstandard through the lens of citizen-bureaucratic communication, using the theory of\ncommunicative action advanced by the contemporary German social and political\nphilosopher, Jürgen Habermas. I support the use of such a theoretical framework in\nAmerica by examining the importance of communication for the American pragmatist\nphilosopher, John Dewey. I examine the ramifications of communication in the\nAmerican democratic state as foundational for the formation and continued expression of\nthe public interest throughout the institution of the American executive branch.

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