Mastering Public Administration is a wonderful starting point for an in-depth and nuanced study of the leading theorists in the field. With each chapter focusing on one figure, Brian Fry and new coauthor Jos Raadschelders weave an insightful narrative that not only humanizes these luminaries but makes their scholarship less abstract and easier for students to understand and apply.
In addition to a new chapter on Charles Lindblom, the second edition includes a timeline that depicts a chronology of all of the figures’ lives and seminal works. A “Linkages to Contemporary Literature” chart maps their ideas and impact, and a new conclusion discusses the connections between their scholarship, explores their continuing influence, and delves into the nature of the public administration field of study.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Max Weber: The Processes of Rationalization
Life
Weber's Sociology
Weber's Methodology
The Role of Science
Processes of Rationalization
Domination Based on Constellations of Interests
Domination Based on Authority
Weber's Political Perspectives
Conclusion
2. Frederick W. Taylor: The Man, the Method, the Movement
Life
The Method
The Movement
Conclusion
3. Luther H. Gulick: The Integrated Executive
Life
The Role of Government in Society
The Role of Administration in Government
Science and Administration
Administrative Organization
From Principles to Particulars
Conclusion
4. Mary Parker Follett: The Group Process
Life
The Group Process
The State and Social Life
Group Processes and the Industrial Organization
Conclusion
5. Elton Mayo: The Human Relations Approach
Life
Mayo's Social, Political, and Philosophical Perspectives
Mayos' Empirical Studies
Mayo's Critics
Conclusion
6. Chester Barnard: Organizations as Systems of Exchange
Life
The Origins and Development of Organizations
Organizational Dynamics
Executive Functions
Conclusion
7. Herbert A. Simon: A Decision-Making Perspective
Life
A Science of Administration
Individual Decision Making
Decision Making in an Organizational Environment
Conclusion
8. Charles E. Lindblom: Probing the Policy Process
Life
Social and Organizational Control Structures
Policymaking as an Analytical and Interactive Process
Lindblom’s Worldview
The Lindblom Critique
Conclusion
9. Dwight Waldo: An Eclectic View of Public Administration
Life
Waldo on the Classical Approach to Public Administration
Contemporary Public Administration
Waldo's World of Public Administration
Conclusion
10. The Study of Public Administration: Origins, Development, Nature
Setting the Agenda
Legacy
The State of the Enterprise
Testimonials
“This is a highly valuable ‘must read’ for anyone interested in understanding the development of the field of public administration.”
- David H. Rosenbloom, American University“Unquestionably, this new edition of Mastering Public Administration offers the best introduction to American public administration theory and those key theorists who created it. There is nothing like it available for educating students new to the field as well as seasoned ‘old hands’ who want to learn about the seminal ideas and their sources that forged modern public administration.”
- Richard Stillman, University of Colorado Denver“I have used Mastering Public Administration for years, and I have always found it to be an extremely valuable supplementary text for introducing students to the major figures in the historical development of public administration. Students get not only a carefully selected sample of the person’s academic work, but they also learn something about that person and his or her contribution to the field. The addition of Professor Jos Raadschelders as a co-author can only increase this already excellent book’s value.”
- Gary L. Wamsley, Virginia Tech University
Bio(s)
Brian R. Fry, University of South Carolina
Brian R. Fry is a distinguished professor emeritus in the political science department at The University of South Carolina. He previously taught at Stanford University and was a fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace. He has served on the Executive Council of the National Association of Schools of Public Administration and on the editorial boards of a number of journals in public administration and public policy. In addition to his academic work, Fry has acted as a consultant to government agencies in South Carolina and California.
Jos C.N. Raadschelders, University of Oklahoma
Jos C.N. Raadschelders is professor and Henry Bellmon Chair of Public Administration in the department of political science at the University of Oklahoma. He is also the managing editor of the Public Administration Review.
