Politics-Administration Dichotomy essentially has a two part meaning; there are two functions of government for this idea, as the name implies politics, and administration. The argument about the dichotomy between politics and public administration has been around for several years with no overall consensus on why they should be distinct from one another. Looking critically at both sides of the idea, there are ways to demonstrate an accurate presentation of the administrative agencies working and there are also ways they have proved to be inaccurate. There are just as many downfalls to a politicized bureaucracy. There will be more benefits to the politics-administration dichotomy view with the concept put in place by Woodrow Wilson. He simply promotes a clear distinction between politics and administration and supports the idea that they are interdependent of one another, and they require one another for the appropriate balance between democracy and efficiency. The idea of Wilson’s concept will allow agencies to gain the most efficiency through interdependence of politics-administration.
Dichotomy, meaning the difference between the two ideas, holds a very important role in public administration. Essentially it should ensure the professionalism of the worker by separating political ideologies as part of his/her role as a public servant/administrator. Dichotomy can allow a public worker to have their choices to believe what they want to believe as their own political view. The freedom of choice can be obtained either by the administrator or by the public itself. It is apparent that the public has the freedom to speak and voice their opinion or even seek help from the government when in need. An example of this help would be a sin...
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...ot function properly. Politics and administration should be seen as very interconnected. It is worth reiterating just as the structure of governments has changed over the years, the structure and role of public administration have also changes dramatically. Furthermore, it is important to state that public administration has grown from its traditional role of merely implementing policies adopted by the “political” branches of government to playing very significant role in the formation of public policies. This is definitely more evident in regards to professional expertise bureaucratic officials provide during problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, and evaluation that shape the content of public policy today. Overall, the idea that Wilson has proposed gives an accurate idea of what the relationship should be between politics and administration.
In the field of Public Administration there is a highly-defined structure of constitutional, legal, and procedural requirements that are in place to keep those in power in check. That being said, no matter how stringent the oversight, or how well-meaning the intentions of those who serve, Public Service is a complicated field with many landmines to navigate. As the Iran-Contra Affair illustrates, duties, orders, and responsibilities and can easily conflict with each other because there are so many areas of
The old idea of the separation of branches has proven to be able to solve modern day issues. However, recent issues have also proven to disregard the system, in which selfish needs over power and manipulate its uses. One example of this would be the over-empowerment of a singular branch within the government. A recent IRS scandal brought up the question as to whether or not the Presidential (executive) branch used the IRS to intimidate the opposite party, in which skepticism arose towards the “equality” of the separated branches. Another example of questionable equality of the balance of branches would be the passing of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (Obamacare) within 2008-10, which was a law passed without the consent of the other branches besides the executive. These are clear examples of how modern day issues can twist and ruin this ‘flawless’ system. These examples, however, show the greater need for the separation of powers in today’s government. As society has grown and evolved, the government’s people, their job being the voice of the people of the country, has turned into a way to achieve selfish wants for our representatives, creating an even more significant need for the separation of powers.
Modern Bureaucracy in the United States serves to administer, gather information, conduct investigations, regulate, and license. Once set up, a bureaucracy is inherently conservative. The reason the bureaucracy was initiated may not continue to exist as a need in the future. The need or reason may change with a change in the times and the culture needs. A bureaucracy tends to make decisions that protect it and further it’s own existence, possibly apart from the wishes of the populace. It may not consistently reflect what might be optimal in terms of the needs and wants of the people. Local governments employ most of the United States civil servants. The 14 cabinet departments in the U.S. are run day-to-day by career civil servants, which have a great deal of discretionary authority.
Wilson, James Q., and John J. DiIulio, Jr. American Government. Ninth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.
Public Administration involves the development, implementation and management of policies for the attainment of set goals and objectives that will be to the benefit of the general public. Since Public Administration involves taking decisions that affect the use of public resources there is often the question of how to utilize public resources for maximum public good. The National Association of Public Administration has identified four pillars of public administration: economy, efficiency, effectiveness and social equity. These pillars are equally important in the practice of public administration and to its success. This paper seeks to explain the role of each of the pillars in the practice of public administration.
As, Goodnow has iterated the functions of politics communicate and addresses the state’s will however, he articulates that there is no boundaries or limitations to one or more authorities when managing politics, thus eluding to no appointed organization who handles political matters and the interest of the people. Perhaps, a contributing factor to complexities in the political and government systems and the functional roles of politics and administration. Woodrow Wilson essay “The Study of Administration,” he stresses that government systems and methods are in need of great improvement. (Woodrow. 1887) However, Wilson believes politics should be separated from administration, for administration should be a “field of business.” (Woodrow. 1887) Possibly speaking, if administration was separated would politics become more organized and an authority given to
Post (2006) states that if democracy requires that citizens experience their government as their own, as representing them, they must experience the state is some way responsive to their values and ideas (p.27). Moreover, I believe that the democratic governance is the foundation of bureaucratic ethics. Bureaucracy addresses public systems, provides structure, and efficient to establish rules and for the way we operate. However, Goodsell (2004) argues that the diversion of bureaucracy is positive although there is a lot of untrusted amongst the administration. In agreement with Goodsell, (2004) he states that the opposed arguments indicate that the bureaucracy has a poor performance are excessive power, and oppression of the individuals. Lastly, ( article) ) proclaims that the government blocks all forms of communication outside of the
Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes.
Has the dichotomy changed? Yes, I believe it has, certainly a lot more is to be done. There is a significant importance in putting policy and administration together; Waldo (1987) wrote: “Nothing is more central in thinking about public administration than the nature and interrelations of politics and administration. Nor are the nature and interrelations of politics and administration matter only for academics theorizing. What is more important in the day-to-day, year-to-year, decade-to-decade operation of government than the ways in which politics and administration are conceptualized, rationalized, and related one to the other.”
Since its emergence as a field of study, there have been some important contributions to public administration. Its goal has always been to improve productivity which then improves workplace performance. All of the contributions have been aimed at completing the work with the highest level of efficiency and at the lowest cost.
Public Administration, as a field, had always captivated me right from my undergraduate days. I believe my curiosity for this field comes from my family. Both my father and my uncle were politicians. During my early days, I used to go to my father’s office where I had a great chance to observe different kinds of people with various jobs and interests. This was the first time I learned how mutual interests bring people together. When I understood how public relations work naturally, it forced me strongly to study and comprehend the complex theory of politics. After finishing high school, I made up my mind to pursue a career in Political Science. For this reason, I was enrolled to Istanbul Bilgi University’s Political Science program. After having completed my Bachelor’s Degree, I decided to excel in this field by completing a Master’s degree.
‘The doctrine of dichotomy implied that the politicians and their direct appointees have the right to make policy decisions for the polity but it is the duty of the bureaucrats to carry those policies in good faith’ (Pfiffner, 2004, p. 2).
According to Sapru R.K. (2008) p370-371 the traditional ideal of public administration which inclined to be firm and bureaucratic was based on processes instead of outcomes and on setting procedures to follow instead of focusing on results. This paradigm can be regarded as an administration under formal control of the political control, constructed on a firmly ranked model of bureaucracy, run by permanent and neutral public servants, driven only by public concern. In emerging nations the administration was true bureaucracy meaning government by officers. In this perspective Smith (1996) p235-6 perceived that“the bureaucracy controls and manages the means of production through the government. It increases chances for bureaucratic careers by the creation of public figures,demanding public managers, marketing boards.
Woodrow Wilson’s purpose in writing “The Study of Administration” is to bring awareness that the government systems in place need to be re-evaluated and improved. Wilson encourages we need to examine the history of administration set forth by others in determining certain needs to be accomplished in effective ways and methods. Wilson’s desirable outcomes for research within the public administration field are for government systems to become more productive and organized.
Since the Regan era more and more people have taken the idealistic political stance that governments should act more like a business with President as both CEO and Commander in Chief and voters as costumers and shareholders. There are three main reasons that adopting this ideology and borrowing the principles and practices of business undermines the essence and core values of Public Administration. The first reason is the most obvious to the casual observer, businesses are based on profits and governments are based on people. Success in the business world means profit, therefore asking government to run more like a business is asking the government to start maki...