Administrative History of the United States

Abstract

Although certainly not mainstream to the study of public administration, administrative history in the United States has quite a tradition. In this article, the development of the study of the history of American government is traced in five phases and discussed against the background of political and social change in society. The various studies are evaluated in terms of the themes, the nature, and the approach. Combining the “history as history” and the “history as advocacy” approaches would clarify why administrative history ought to be a standard element in our research and teaching.

Weber, Wilson, and Hegel: Theories of Modern Bureaucracy

“…Having considered Weber's writings, we now turn to Wilson's. He was an early exponent of the Progressive reform movement, which was introduced shortly before the turn of the nineteenth century (Hofstadter 1974, 131–73; Raadschelders 2000, 499–510; Walker 1989, 509–25). According to Larry Walker, “Progressivism was a rebellion against limited government and the individualism of nineteenth‐century liberalism.…”

From Economic Security to Equality: Frieda Miller, Esther Peterson, and the Revival of the Alternative View of Public Administration, 1945-1964

“…Thus, this article demonstrates, as does a growing body of work, that public administration in the United States did, and does not, exist in an ahistorical vacuum but instead is part of a historical context that includes its evolution as a “[gendered] discourse” (Raadschelders, 2000, p. 518; see also Burnier, 2008, p. 518; Schachter, 2011; Shields & Rangarajan, 2011; Stillman, 2002, 2005; Stivers, 2000, 2002).…”

The politics of decision making in developing countries

“…It has, in short, at least for neoliberals, become a euphemism or code word for reforming and limiting the State. This is quite opposite to what prevailed in development circles prior to the early 1980s, when international policy favoured strong state planning and ownership in national development (Raadschelders 2000;Parker and Kirkpatrick 2005). The spread of privatization has, therefore, not been limited to developed countries, and has occurred in developing ones as well.…”