Top Classic Scholars of Public Administration
Public administration refers to the officials, institutions and processes involved with implementing the laws, rules and policies passed by legislatures, executives and courts. Originally a branch of political science, public administration developed into a field of study of its own during the 20th century, thanks in part to groundbreaking writings by early scholars in the field. These classic works laid the foundation for a new discipline that combines academic study with professional training for people interested in government careers.
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Early Scholars: Woodrow Wilson and Frederick Taylor
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Early classic works in the field of public administration appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In an 1886 essay, "The Study of Administration," available on the Teaching American History website, political scientist and future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson advocated separating issues of administration from those of politics, arguing that administrative issues are not political in nature. In 1912, Frederick Taylor added to the field of public administration by arguing for a scientific approach to the study of management.
Max Weber on Bureaucracy
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For many people, the word "bureaucracy" carries connotations of complex, inflexible procedures and rules overseen by officials of questionable competence. The German sociologist Max Weber pointed out in the 1920s, however, that bureaucracy was a consequence of an increasingly complex society. For Weber, a functioning bureaucracy requires specialization, hierarchy, a framework of rules and procedures and officials who were professionals rather than elected or appointed as political allies. Weber's work contributed to public administration through his model of bureaucracy as a rational form of organization.
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Budgetary Theory
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The growth of government programs and expenditures during the 1930s, in response to the Great Depression, focused more attention on the importance of government budgeting. However, limited research existed on how governments allocate limited resources among various needs. Political scientist V.O. Key pointed this out in 1940, writing about the importance of the budget as a tool of policy and the lack of an overall theory of public budgeting. This essay, along with the continued growth of government programs that continued into World War II and the years to follow, laid a foundation for budgeting and public finance as key sub-fields of public administration.
Organizational Theorists
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After Taylor's "Scientific Management" essay of 1912, management established itself as a field of study in business and government. Later organizational theorists offered new theories of organizational management that further shaped the field of public administration. In 1937, Luther Gulick published "Notes on the Theory of Organization, " considered the classic statement on the principles of organizational management. Principles articulated by Gulick included a hierarchy with a single individual at the top of the structure, and a division of labor based on specialization. Another theorist, Mary Parker Follett, argued for a less hierarchical approach to agency management, contending that superior-subordinate relationships often inhibit organizational effectiveness.
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