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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page review of the discretionist view of public administration first elucidated on by Carl Friedrich in 1940. This paper contrast that view to that of instrumentalist view presented by Herman Finer in 1941. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AM2_PPpublicAdmin.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
formatted around various theories and approaches. One such approach is the so-called Friedrich Argument, an argument presented by theorist Carl Friedrich in 1940 that envisions public administration as an
independent vehicle for the advancement of government actions promoting the public interest. This, of course, is a discretionist approach to public administration, an approach that encourages public administrators to
rely on their own insight in deciding on what actions they will take. The discretionist view runs counter to yet another
prominent view in public administration. That view is the instrumentalist view presented by Herman Finer in 1941. The instrumentalist view places the impetus for action on community will
rather than on individual leaders. While under the instrumentalist view public leaders serve as a voice for political will, it is the people themselves that are responsible for deciding
courses of action. Friedrich justified his view that public administrators must operate in part on their own discretion by pointing out that the
environment in which public administrators serve guarantees that situations will arise which will require such discretionary ability. Friedrich (1940, 3), in fact, contended that:
"even under the best arrangements a considerable margin of irresponsible conduct of administrative activities is inevitable".
An environment that does not insure accountability, that does not guarantee that administrators will have to account for their
actions insures that this will be the case. On a more positive note, however, Friedrich contended that public administrators are capable, more capable in fact, than popularly elected officials,
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