¶ … Theorists of Public Administration Influencers of Public Administration

From the theories of public administration birthed in the past five to six decades, the field has taken the best principles and conceptual frameworks yet avoided a theoretical hegemony. There is richness to the literature and theoretical foundation of public administration that is a good fit to a field which is at once both interdisciplinary and applied. The interdisciplinary foundations of public administration are evident in the mix of disciplines represented in this discussion of four theorists who have informed the field and inspired scholars, students, bureaucrats, and citizens, alike.

Max Weber

Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who had substantive influence on social theory. Weber was not a positivist -- he believed that sociology could not be studied empirically. Instead, he argued that social research must ethnographic in nature based on interpretations of the meaning people associate with their actions. Weber's philosophical approach to sociology contributed to the development of critical theory. The foundations of his theories were rationalization and secularization -- and a sort of diffuse disenchantment that he associated with modern society and capitalism.

Weber developed theories in economic sociology and studied the cultural influences that were embedded in religions of the world. His work in these areas was strongly associated with the development of his work in critical theory. Weber studied social authority and defined three distinct forms: Charismatic, traditional, and national-legal. Bureaucracies were a social form that received considerable attention from Weber. His theoretical arguments in this area were founded on his conceptualization of the rational-legal authority.

Mary Parker Follett

Follett was an American social worker and management consultant who was also prominent in the field of organizational behavior. Follett's understanding of psychology and group process contributed to her condemnation of over-managing employees. She consulted to President Roosevelt on the...

Follett's work on the conceptualization of lateral processes that exist in hierarchical organizations led to the development of matrix-style organizations. DuPont was an example of this organizational style as early as the 1920s. Follett outlined the functioning and importance of informal processes in organizations, and theorized authority of expertise. She was known for her humanistic principles of power with instead of power over as a basis for non-coercive power-sharing. Her work presaged the humanistic efforts of Abraham Maslow, Chris Argyris, and others in the fields of human resources and organization development who helped to revolutionize the American workplace. Although Follett was the first woman invited to speak to The London School of Economics, she was denied a doctorate at Harvard despite graduating from Radcliffe College.
Dwight Waldo

Dwight Waldo was an American political scientist who was one of the most well-known public administration theorists. He did not view public administration as an empirically-based objective social science that could make government function in a more efficacious manner. To Waldo, public administration theory -- like political theory -- observes the error in the world and seeks to create new possibilities to correct the problems and improve circumstances overall. In this way, Waldo argued, public administration was critical and constructive, but not conclusive and objective. Prior to Waldo, a dichotomy existed that declared politics should not interfere with public administration and public administration should be separate from politics. Waldo argued that theories of public administration are also theories of politics -- this orientation may well have been influenced by Waldo's education in political theory at university. Herbert Simon challenged this dichotomy, with Simon arguing that he couldn't see how politics could be unpacked from public administration.

Charles Lindblom

Lindblom is perhaps best known for his development of the theory of incrementalism in policy making and decision…