THE POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION DICHOTOMY Flashcards
One of the most important theoretical constructs in public administration is the _____________
politics-administration dichotomy
Most scholars trace the politics-administration dichotomy to ________
Woodrow Wilson
_________ intended to shield administration from _______________
Wilson, political interference
Public administration is detailed and systematic execution of public
law…but the general laws…are obviously outside of and above
administration. The broad plans of governmental action are not
administrative; the detailed execution of such plans is administrative
Woodrow Wilson
____________ was concerned with both the corrupting and politicizing interference of party
organizations in administrative affairs
Wilson
He was critical of the way Congress handled core legislative functions. He stated that
Congress policy making was chaotic and its oversight was weak.
Woodrow Wilson
When ________ suggested the clearer differentiation of politics and administration, he was
seeking to strengthen and redirect the former while protecting the latter
Wilson
originally considered politics and administration as independent, but later
embraced version of the dichotomy, which assumed that politics and administration interact
to improve the organic state
Wilson
asserted that administrators would directly interpret and respond to public
opinion. Therefore, they should be involved in the policy process and elected officials should
be involved in the administrative process
Wilson
His ultimate concern was to promote democracy, for he believed that the function of
administration was to rescue democracy from its own excesses
Wilson
_____________ argued that certain aspects of administration were harmed by politics and should
have been shielded from it.
Goodnow
Two
basic functions of government according to Frank Goodnow
The expression of the popular will and the execution of that will.
______________ attacked to the executive, legislative, and
judicial functions as three basic functions of government. Instead, he argued, there were two
basic functions of government: the expression of the popular will and the execution of that will.
Goodnow
_________ argued that the function of politics was to express the state’s will and the function
of administration was to execute the state’s will.
Goodnow
He contended that it was logically possible to separate administration from politics, but
practically impossible toward the two functions to one branch of government
Goodnow
because of _____ and other scholars at this time were interested in strengthening the
relationship between administrators and elected officials rather than separating them.
Goodnow
it should be recognized that _____ and _______ aimed to eliminate the spoils
system by ______________ and ____________________.
Wilson and Goodnow, freeing administration from political intervention and establishing a merit based in its place.
They particularly opposed political appointments and patronage
Woodrow and Wilson
To ______ and ______ politics bore too strong an influence on public administration. Their
aim was to take politics out of administration
Wilson and Goodnow
In early twentieth century, _______ also arrived at a dichotomy between politics and
administration, but from the opposite direction of Wilson and Goodnow.
Weber
argued that politics are too weak to curb administrative power, and that is the danger
of Beamtenherrschaft (government by functionaries) that treat government. Therefore, he
insisted that it was essential that administration stay out of politics
Weber
In “Politikals Beruf” _______ draws a sharp line between administrators and politicians:
Weber
According to _______, in the political controversies public administrators should operate above
all impartially and remain politically neutral.
Weber
Overeem (2005: 317) contended that in its classical conceptualizations the dichotomy
between politics and administration implied a deep concern about the political neutrality of
administrators. Whether attempts were made to take politics out of administration, as in the
case of Wilson and Goodnow, or the other way around, as in the case of Weber, the aim was
always to render administration impartial, an outsider to political controversy.
True, Weber
Demir and Nyhan (2008: 83) note that the politics-administration dichotomy sought to
minimize politics in public administration by prescribing _______ , ___________ , and ________.
Expertise, neutrality, and hierarchy
In Gulick’s view, the politics and administration were differentiated not in terms of principle,
but in terms of ___________ and the __________.
Specialization and division of labor
We can see the most criticism in ___________. In “Policy and Administration” (1949),
__________ identified politics as everything having to do with the government and everything the
government does. Thus, he concluded, administration could indeed not be no part of it.
Paul H. Appleby
____________ noted that in the perspective of an outside observer or the public administration
theorist, policy and administration are treated together at every level (1949: 22). Thus,
whether an issue is policy or administration becomes completely relative; policy and
administration are only two sides of the same coin, and there is no use in speaking about
them as two distinct governmental functions.
Appleby
_________ concluded that public administration is not autonomous, exclusive, or isolated but is
policy making nonetheless (1949: 170). He also did draw a horizontal line between partisan
politics and other forms of politics:
Appleby
Everything having to do with the government
and everything the government does is
political, for politics is the art and science of
government. But in terms of mass, only a small
part of politics is partisan (1949: 153).
Paul H. Appleby
In the 1960s the role of administrators in policy-making process emphasized because of
governments was increasingly troubled by complex social, economic, and security problems
such as civil rights and poverty.
True, Appleby
Because of the political nature of administration was highlighted, and the dichotomy
denounced as false, many believed that administrators should actively apply their personal
values and judgments to policymaking
True, Appleby
One of reasons for rejecting separation of politics-administration was due to ethical
considerations that were evident in the New Public Administration (NPA).
Appleby
Some of authors believe that in the 1980s observe a return to the dichotomy with emphasis
on __________, ______________, and ________.
Privatization, decentralization and productivity
The __________________________ of politics and administration is
based on the premise that elected officials and administrators join together in the common
pursuit of sound governance.
Complementarity Model
_____________ help to shape policy, and they give it specific content and meaning in the
process of implementation.
Administrators
______________ oversee implementation, probe specific complaints about poor performance,
and attempt to correct problems with performance through fine-tuning
Elected Officials
Three schools of thought, which are called
Separation, political, and interaction schools
This school of thought in that a group of scholars
advance an agenda for separating politics from administration to the extent possible for both
normative and practical reasons.
The Separation School
The separation scholars tend to view the governmental realm as divided into two zones, that
is, ___________ and __________.
Politics and Administration
The ability to do the work of government
expertly, and to do it according to explicit, objective standards rather than to personal or party
or other obligations and loyalties”
Neutrality
The separation school proponents rest their conclusions on the premise that public
administrators are in possession of special knowledge and skills, and elected officials are
eager to incorporate administrative knowledge and skills into policy process
Expertise
The proponents of the separation school express support for a clear structural division of
authority between elected and administrative officials to eliminate or minimize undue political
influences on public administration as well as potential conflicts.
Hierarchy
___________ on public administrators are leading to corruption, that is, making of
administrative decisions based on partisan political considerations.
The school draws attention to the potential negative consequences of free interaction between
politics and administration
Political influence
The separation school defines clear roles for elected and administrative officials. Public
administrators are linked to elected officials in _______________. That is, administrators
look up to elected officials for ____________, while making expert contributions to policy
process by engaging in how to do questions.
Subordinate position, policy direction
So, competent, accountable, and responsive public administration constitutes the goal of the
separation school.
TRUE
The ______________ proponents consider public administration as an attached part of the
political process
Political school
The ________________ represents a group of public administration scholars that emphasize and
support a broad policy role for public administration.
Political school
The political approach to public administration rejects the subordinate, instrumental role of
public administration in relating to elected officials.
TRUE, political school
Public administrators are not just policy makers but should also be actively involved in policy
making.
TRUE, political school
The ___________ is represented by a group of public administration scholars that
emphasize a high degree of collaboration between elected and administrative officials
while maintaining each one’s traditional roles and unique perspectives.
Interaction school
the __________ seeks a middle ground between the separation and political
schools.
Interaction school
The _______________ acknowledges the differences between politics and administration in a
few ways such as logical and psychological differences between politics and administration,
or dissimilarities in the perspectives, values, and formal positions of elected and administrative
officials
Interaction school
The political school advocates that public administrators should not
confine their domain to mere implementation of policies but expand
their role to include policy advocacy and formulation.
Normative Standpoint
In their view, political power in the U.S. governmental structure is
widely diffused, and this fact makes it essential for public
administrators to engage in politics, and build and maintain coalitions
Pragmatic/practical Standpoint
The argument for political public administration is advanced on both ____________ and
_______________.
Normative and Pragmatic/Practical Grounds
