POLI 3250 Midterm

AU Jan Hume

Woodrow Wilson

founder of Public Admin

What prompted his essay?

Sparked by the assassination of Garfield, corruption, spoil system

7 points of his essay

Organizing the people in government is important, what is the role of government, how should the government accomplish its job, definition of administration, how to administer law “with enlightenment, with equity, with speed, and without friction, harder to run a constitution than to frame one, and government has become complex rather than simple.

Wilson’s definition of public admin

Separate administration from politics, more scientific point of view. At all levels of govt, there is corruption

Foundational Dichototmy

Politics and public admin need to be separate

Difference between Wilson v Kettl’s perspective of public admin

Wilson: Politics and public admin need to be completely separate

Kettl: Politics and public admin cannot be separated

Wilson’s definition of politics (not directly stated)

My own interpretation: Politics in the U.S government are an entity separate from public administration, which ensures that actions within government are organized, and completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

administrative reform

a reaction to the tension between politics and administration. 

1. crisis or scandal

2. “good government” promoters (expand or strengthen)

3. cut taxes/slash government

has the size of the federal government grown in terms of people?

state government?

local government and special-purpose districts?

Downsizing

Is affected by tax limitation and public sentiment about government. Tools for downsizing include privatization, aka looking to other places to replace government tasks.

Reengineering

Looking at issues and thinking, “is there a better way to do this?” Can start from scratch, focusing on citizens as customers, and motivation. Tensions come from overpromising and underdelivering.

Motivation

quality and engaging employees

Deivery framework

Cross-sector collaborations (public, private, nonprofit); these sectors are coming together to solve problems. Intergovernmental relations.

Impact of administrative reforms on federal government size?

States in federal administrative reforms (public)

Private sector role in administrative reforms

basic services provided by public admin are complex

garbage/waste disposal, water, etc.

policy context