Entry
Entries A-Z
Public Administration Theory
Both an inter disciplinary and an applied field. As such, no single theory can completely account for its complexities. Instead, public administration theory comprises elements of several fields, which in conjunction can inform a fuller understanding of public administration. The fields from which public administration theory borrows include organizational theory, social psychology, political theory, political science, and history. Public administrators have developed theories of public administration in the areas of political control of the bureaucracy, bureaucracy and democracy, and public management. Examples of other theories are post modern theory, decision theory, rational choice theory, and theories of governance.
Bureaucracy and control of the bureaucracy are central to the politics-administration dichotomy, which dates back to the founding documents in American history. The belief that there should be ...