Dichotomy Theory Of Public Administration

The development of administrative theories

The lack of a core theory in the field of public administration had effect for both the practice and study of Public administration. It has led to a gathering of theories about how public practitioners should administrate and how scholars should study Public administration in theory building or testing.

Political-administration dichotomy theory

One of the most important theoretical concept in public administration is the politics- administration dichotomy. The politics- administration clash has been one of the notorious issues in the field of public administration. Tahmasebi and Musavi (2011:131) explains that ‘the politics- administration dichotomy was not a theoretical construct until the late

Vigoda (2003:9) notes that questions of budgeting and financing the public sector as well as bringing more economic rationality to decision making process usually conflict with political considerations. ‘Checks and balance’ to the system are mostly monitored and controlled by politicians, political parties rather than professionals and practitioners of administration’. Wilson believed that if Public administration could be separated from practical politics and influences of spoilt system it must develop on scientific lines on its own (Naidu,

Rosenbloom (1998:13) suggested that “public administrator’s involvement in the public policy cycle makes politics far more noticeable in the public sector than in private enterprise”. Public administrators are necessarily required to build and maintain political support no matter what for the policies and implementation of those policies.

‘’The theoretical contribution of politics science to the study of public administration is therefore multi-faceted”. Public administration has grown into the discipline of science by having political and administration dichotomy theory at the center of any theoretical idea within the field of public administration.

The rational scientific theory of administration presented by Wilson was later strengthened by Taylor’s scientific Management theory. It also became one of the basic doctrines of the classical approach to the study of Public Administration. “Wilson’s political-administration dichotomy doctrine provided the basis for much of the managerial approach that was developed in the 1920s and 1930s by such administrative thinkers Henri Fayol, Gulick and Urwick” (Naidu, 1996:53)