Woodrow Wilson
The Father of American Public
Administration
Who’s Woodrow Wilson?
n He’s the father of American Public Administration
n He was a classic Progressive
n He was an academic, THEN a politician
n He was a strong believer in the
Politics/Administration Dichotomy
n He’s what would have happened if Gore had carried
Florida…
Not Exactly a Log Cabin
Woodrow Wilson’s Idea of Humor
n It is perfectly agreeable with me…
n What I did on my summer vacation…
Surprisingly Lifelike…
n
Born 1856
n
Died 1924
n
President of Princeton
n
28th President of the
US from 1913-1921
n
Father of the League of Nations
n
And more…
A Brief Historical Interlude
The Pendleton Act in Two Acts
The Death of President Garfield
n
1880 Republican convention
n
Stalwarts vs. Half-breeds
n
32 ballots without 2/3’s necessary
to nominate
n
Compromise candidate was Garfield
- a very likeable Half-breed; VP was Chet Arthur - the poster boy of Patronage
n
Office Seeker Charles Guiteau
wanted France
n
Shot Garfield with a gun that
would “look good in a museum”
n
Garfield died over the space of
weeks
The Pendleton Act
n The First Civil Service Reform Act
n Passed in 1883 in response to the assassination of
James A. Garfield; pushed through by Chester Arthur
n Office seekers looking for patronage
appointments had become a major problem
n The Act reformed the spoils system of Andrew Jackson
to create the first Merit Based US civil service system
And Now, Back to the Show
“The Study of Administration”
n First essay on Public Administration written in the US
n Written in 1887
¡ “Just” (4 years) after the reforms of the Pendleton
Act of 1883
n Wilson was teaching political science at Bryn Mawr
n Written as part of the celebration of the US
constitution’s centennial
“The Study of Administration”
n Essay Structure:
¡ History
¡ Current situation/ definition of PA
¡ Best methods and most clarifying conceptions
His Goal:
n “To
reconcile the constitutional requirements of popular control and participation
with current theories of efficient, systematic, professional administration.”
¡ (This
rhetoric is very reflective of the values of the Progressive Movement)
n He
was looking back to the Constitution and forward to the impact of the Merit
System of the Pendleton Act
Why PA?
n
We must “Americanize the foreign
(European) science.”
n
It is “time to develop
administration in accordance with the constitution we have won ourselves.”
n
“Unless we know these things, we
shall set out without chart or compass”
What is PA?
n “Administration
is government in action”
n “PA
is the detailed and systematic execution of public laws” (6)
n “Politics
is the special sphere of the statesman, administration of the technical
official” (10)
n “Administration
is a field of business” (10)
¡ Managerial,
methodical, efficient, practical
¡ But
no profit orientation, no sales and marketing
Politics and Administration
n
Two Spheres:
¡
Politics: WHAT government should
do; decided by a majority of elected officials
¡
Administration: How it will be
done; carrying out political dictates free from “political meddling”
n
We call this the
Politics/Administration Dichotomy
Politics and Administration
n “Administration lies outside the proper sphere of
politics. Administrative questions are NOT political questions.”
n “Although politics sets the tasks for administration,
it should not be suffered to manipulate its offices.”
A few more interesting quotes:
n Political
Science Chairs (13)
n Preparing
for the Civil Service Exam
n The
ideal civil servant
n And
my personal favorite:
¡ “All
sovereigns are suspicious of their servants and the sovereign people are no
exception.” (12)