Administrative theory as political theory

AdministrativeTheory
AsPoliticalTheory
DwightWaldo’sTheAdministrativeState(1948)
Theories of Bureaucratic Politics

Hi, there …
Dwight Waldo (1913 –
October 27, 2000) was an
American political
scientist and is perhaps
the defining figure in
modern public
administration.
Waldo's career was often directed
against a scientific/technical
portrayal of bureaucracy and
government that suggests the
term public management as
opposed to public administration.

In his book,
The Administrative State (1948) …
Waldo challenged
mainstreamscholars' viewof
public administration atthat
time

First ….

That public administration must be a
value-free, non-partisan social
science that promised to make
government more efficient and
effective.

Second, and (probably) the most
important ….
Waldo argued that
administrativescholarship
wasitselfdrivenbya
particularphilosophyof
politics
am I shrinking ??

Five keys issues in political
philosophy are:
Yes, I am!!. Damn…

1. The nature of the “Good Life”
Please bring me back
to normal size..
Or a vision of what the
“good society” should
look like

2. The criteria of Action
…….
Or the procedures for
determining how
collective decision should
be made

3. The question of
Who Should Rule
…….

4. The question of
How the powers of the state should be
divided and apportioned
…….

5. The question of
centralization vs. decentralization
…….
Or the relative merits of a
unitary state versus
federal system

Mr. Waldo, what is your
opinion about
administration in modern
democratic government?

Administration is frequently claimed to be at
the coreofmoderndemocratic government,
and that this claim helps justify the entire
disciplineofpublicadministration
Tell me more
about it Sir…

If this claim has merit, it implies that
democratictheory mustdealwith
administration, and that administrative
theorymustdealwithdemocraticpolitics.
Let me digest
it slowly…

The political philosophy inherent in public
administration scholarship not as an
attempt to usurp democracy, but as
a necessary corrective to save it.
Hmm…

At a minimum, I argued, the concept of
democracy and all its messy implications
had to be brought back into
administrative theory
@#$%.....
??!

Administrative scholars had to recognize that
their central principle -efficiency- was not
value neutral, and that its uneasy relationship
with democratic principles hadtobe
recognized.
(Waldo 1952, 90)
It’s hard for
a frog like
me..

VS
in an essay in American Political Science
Review, Waldo singled out Herbert Simon’s
argument of administration

It’s about the possibility of
ascienceofadministration.

It was conceivable if it
(administration) limited its attention
to decisions centered on facts as
opposed to values.

Decisions of fact were central to the
administrative realm, and could be
scientifically guided towards the
overall goal efficiency.
Idonotagreewith
that..

Why?
Youjustsimplyrecasting the problem by
substituting alogical division ofpolitics
andadministration foraninstitutional
division, …

Andwasdoing sotopreservethe
central principle oforthodox
administrative theory, namely,
efficiency.
What’s wrong with
efficiency then?

Efficiency couldnotremainthediscipline’s
talisman against politics, because
administration ispolitical.
Efficiencyitselfis a political claim.
Give me an
example…

Iwillgiveyouanexample… by
giving youaquestion.
Shout it out!

How does one assestheefficiency of,say,a
library,orthe Department ofDefense?
??????

Ifefficiency isdefined asaninput-output
ratio,onehasachoice ofinputs andoutputs
toassesefficiency inboth instances,…
…..

although none isthe unassailably objective
“factual” option.
…..

Aschoosing among these options
unavoidably involve value decisions, notjust
facts,efficiency can hardly be
value-neutral. (Stone 2002,65)
Hi,pleasereadtherest
ofthisdebateyourself,I
wentontheoffensive.
Thiscanbealong
conversation!

Thecentral problem ofdemocratic
administrative theory, asofalldemocratic
theory,
ishowtoreconciledemocracy...
I’mouttahere…
Don’tforgettostudy!!

Irepeat,is
howtoreconciledemocracy...
withthedemandsofauthority.
Mr.Simon,whereare
you?…
Don’tleaveme!

Ithink it’s timetogo.
Seeyouguys!!!!. AsMr.Simonsaid,don’t
forgettostudy.
NoPAINNoGAIN!!

NoONELeftBEHIND!!

This is my finalstatement,
(actually it’s written in the book :p ), …
Waldo bestowed this grand
andsweeping question upon
thediscipline rather than
provide itsanswer,but…

The question is surely enough to
justifythe needtomeld
administrativetheorywith
politicaltheory,
to motivatethesearch for
a theoryofbureaucratic
politics.

GroupOne
-VeronikaHannaNaibaho(006)
- EdhieWibowo(007)
- AgustinaRatriHendrowati(009)
- MirnaSaraswati(022)
Thank You!!
For your
attention!

Administrative theory as political theory

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