Darwin and American public administration

Abstract

This research note addresses a gap in the public administration literature by arguing that a political Darwinism was present in the intellectual origins of American administrative theory. By examining the arguments of Woodrow Wilson, this article demonstrates that Darwinism complemented the German political thought that contributed to the establishment of America’s administrative state. The application of Darwinian evolutionary biology to politics was a vital element of Wilson’s reconceptualization of the state as a living organism. Darwinism was a key rhetorical tool employed by Wilson in his argument against the Constitution’s separation of powers. This note finds that Darwinism was present in the early stages of public administration theory in Wilson’s argumentation and persists today in the public administration literature. It concludes by sketching out an agenda for further research on Darwinism’s influence on public administration.

Social Equity, Intellectual History, Black Movement Leaders, and Marcus Garvey

“…While administrative historians know Paul Van Riper's history of the U.S. civil service (Van Riper, 1976;Van Riper, 1997), only a few discussed the African American federal civil servants who experienced Woodrow Wilson's segregation (e.g., DePew, 2016;Greenridge, 2021;Jacobs & Milkis, 2017;Krislov, 1967;Murphy, 2018;Rung, 2016;Slomski, 2021;Yellin, 2013). To rewrite early disciplinary history, we must consider and incorporate Black thought leaders, movement activists, and organizers.…”

Influence of Wilson's understanding of dichotomy on the development of modern public administration

“…This can also be multiply extended through the relationship with natural sciences. Some theoreticians think that the theory of administration and "dichotomy" should also be observed from the standpoint of Darwinist theory of evolution and its application in political life, so that any research into the origin of modern administration must take this starting point into account (Slomski, 2022).…”

“…Напомена аутора: политичара. и са становишта дарвинистичке теорије еволуције и њене примене на политички живот, те да било које проучавање порекла модерне администрације мора рачунати са овом полазном тачком (Slomski, 2022).…”