Moral Leadership and Administrative Statesmanship: Safeguards of Democracy in a Constitutional Republic

Abstract

The pursuit of the common good must be understood from the reality that governing is ugly. The ability to grapple with situations that are ambiguous requires administrators to be cognizant of action that might be suspect but necessary to accomplish the public interest. This often requires them to become active players. John Rohr postulates that the U.S. Supreme Court's standards of strict scrutiny is one approach that could be used to justify such action. Building on this line of thinking, the strict scrutiny test can be used as a guide to shape the constitutive character of administrative statesmanship while simultaneously restraining it. The ability to balance formative action and restraint provides a different dimension to an understanding of administrative statesmanship. Even though this process is not easy, it helps administrators refrain from going beyond the mark and enables them to act like statesmen in seemingly unresolvable situations.

Metis

“…As a result, "the man of prudence, the man of metis, can assume ten different identities at once" (Detienne & Vernant, 1991, p. 307). This integration can be achieved by bridging together different forms of knowledge to address complex problems (Henry, Goodsell, Lynn, Stivers, & Wamsley, 2009;Hoffman, 2002;Klein, 1996;McSwite, 2001;Newswander & Newswander, 2012). The ability to combine knowledge from an interdisciplinary perspective rests on the fact that metis cannot be reduced to just tacit knowledge.…”

“…In order to prepare to make decisions in uncertain situations, administrators must develop a level of cognitive flexibility, or the ability to adapt one's thinking to pull from various epistemological and ethical viewpoints in concrete situations (Klein, 1996;Newswander & Newswander, 2012). Decisions become judicious and practical by integrating different perspectives (Henry et al, 2009;Svara, 2007;Wamsley, 1996).…”

“…These guerrillas pursue a path of action that can range from the self-interested to the noble (Newswander, 2012). Even though it is important to note that one does not have to be an administrative guerrilla to employ metis, O'Leary's assessment implicitly highlights the fact that there is a tendency for these civil servants to be not only sly but also political.…”

The Balance Wheel Reconsidered: Addressing Constitutional Principle Disputes in Practice

“…The resolution of such administrative dilemmas often rests on the ability of administrators to embrace an ethical standpoint that takes the form of legal, philosophical, political, or constitutional perspectives in order to guide their actions (Denhardt, 1988;Donagan, 1977;Newswander, 2012Newswander, , 2015Rosenbloom, 2000). In embracing one approach, John Rohr (1998) takes the route of a constitutional orientation.…”

Statesmanship Beyond the Modern State

“…49. E.g., Barth 1991Dannhauser 1980;Green 1998;Haraway and Haraway 2004;Lawler, Schaefer, and Schaefer 1998;Moore 1980;Newswander 2012. 50.…”