Graduate education in Canadian public administration: antecedents, present trends and portents

Abstract

Abstract. Education in Canadian public administration has undergone some significant changes in the past decade. One of these changes with profound educational implications is the relationship between political science and public administration. The authors examine the nature and extent of this relationship by first discussing the intellectual origins of modern Canadian public administration. This is done by reviewing important aspects of the American wing of the field, pointing out divergences from, as well as contributions to, the Canadian experience. Then Canadian public administration's potential in the political economy tradition is discussed, contrasting the field's early development with the malaise it experienced in the 1960s. Reasons for the field's revival are given, the new programs in Canadian public administration are analysed, and the conditions which have created institutional independence for public administration are critically discussed in light of the uneasiness created in political science by this institutionalization. The authors conclude by arguing that although separation has opened some wounds in field and discipline this institutionalization would, in the long run, leave the study of government and public affairs in both political science and public administration considerably strengthened.Sommaire. L'enseignement de l'administration publique canadienne a subi des modifications importantes au cours des dix dernières années. L'un de ces changements qui a des implications éducatives profondes est le rapport entre le science politique et l'administration publique. Les auteurs examinent la nature et la portée de ce rapport en considérant tout d'abord les origines intellectuelles de l'administration publique contemporaine au Canada. Ils le font en étudiant les aspects importants de l'école américaine de cette discipline et en dégagent ce qui la distingue de l'expérience canadienne ainsi que ce qu'elle a apportéà celle‐ci. Ils envisagent le potentiel de l'administration publique canadienne dans la perspective de l'économie politique traditionnelle en opposant ses premiers développements au malaise ressenti pendant les années 60. Ils donnent les raisons du renouveau qui se manifesto dans ce domaine, analysent les nouvelles causes de l'indépendance institutionnelle de l'administration publique à la lumière du malaise créé en science politique par cette institutionalisation. Les auteurs concluent en declarant que bien que la séparation ait été responsable de heurts à la fois théoriques et pratiques, elle renforcera considérablement, à la longue, l'étude du gouvemement et des affaires publiques en science politique comme en administration publique.

Parallel universes: Canadian and U.S. public administration study

“…In Canada, political science was dominant; even faculty members in schools of administration not directly affiliated with political science usually had their training in it. “It is this essential political element (rooting in the political environment) which makes the policy/management approach in Canada and the so‐called ‘public affairs’ programs in the United States somewhat similar” (Pross and Wilson 1976: 521).…”

“…Canadian interpreters of the development of Canadian public administration also recognized that in the post‐war years – when critique of traditional approaches as well as behavioural science findings gained prominence – it was embracing the fields of sociology, psychology and business administration. Those trying to bridge the gap between political science/policy and generic administration were presented with a dilemma: “This massive infusion of behaviouralism, while providing a host of insights and intellectual stimulation to students in public administration, left in its wake a number of contradictions and unexplainable aspects of reality” (Pross and Wilson 1976: 519).…”

“…Paul Pross and V. Seymour Wilson noted in 1976 that the rise of academic public administration in Canada was heavily influenced by the United States. They also acknowledged Anglo-Saxon influences on administrative thought but found American influences pervasive (Pross and Wilson 1976). Great general administration thinkers such as Max Weber and Luther Gulick and L. Urwick were equally influential.…”

In memoriam: Vincent Seymour Wilson, CPA Editor (1987‐1992)

“…One strand of his early research was part of a significant effort by him and others to develop a foundational Canadian literature on public policy, policy‐making, and key institutions (Doern et al, 1975; Wilson & Doern, 1974; Wilson, 1971; Wilson, 1979). Early on, he and Paul Pross chronicled the state of public administration graduate education across Canada (Pross & Wilson, 1976). Vince's other strand of work focused on personnel and human resource management in the public sector.…”