4 1: Introduction: Th e Possibilities of Th eory
of public administration should be just that—art and science. Th e science and art
of policy administration is defi nable, describable, replicable, and cumulative.
A further purpose of this book is to describe in some detail several theories
and analytic approaches that contribute to what we know about public admin-
istration. We also aim to describe areas of public administration theorizing that
are underdeveloped. If we can accept that each approach to the subject of public
administration is guided, at least in some rudimentary way, by a theory or set
of theories, the questions are these: Which theories or approaches are the most
promising, the most infl uential? Which are the most important now and likely to
be the most important in the future? What phenomena in public administration
and governance are not yet adequately described or explained? One particular
area that is in need of greater study is the “shadow bureaucracy”—the extensive
network of private and nonprofi t enterprises that exist to carry out public pro-
grams. Th e purpose of this book is to set out a detailed description of the authors’
selection of key theories in contemporary public administration in the hope of
improving the reliability of our knowledge and our understanding of public
administration.
No claim is made here for only one theory of public administration. Because
the fi eld is both interdisciplinary and applied, a single theory derived from a
contributing discipline, such as the market model from economics, may be in-
formative and useful. But much of public administration cannot be described,
explained, or accounted for by using the market model. Each of the other theories
described in this book informs our understanding of public administration and
public policy. No theory standing alone is capable of accounting for the complex-
ity of the fi eld. Taken together, however, the theories signifi cantly contribute to
what we know and understand public administration to be.
Th e Uses of Th eory
Consider this policy arena: With the destructive power of hurricanes, tornados,
fl oods, tsunamis, and wildfi res, the critical nature of public administration is
self-evident. Is public administration in the form of the disaster prevention and
management system (Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency, Forest Service, Coast Guard) doing the best it can with a “wicked
problem” (Rittel and Webber 1973)? Will better public leadership and manage-
ment help (Kettl 2007)? How valuable and effi cient is planning when natural di-
sasters are so infrequent in any one location? How can better coordination with
nonprofi t and charitable organizations, such as the Red Cross, help? Will stricter
regulations about where and how people may build houses and businesses help?
How much responsibility do government agencies have for rescuing people who
have ignored orders to evacuate? Where is the balance between eff ectiveness of
government programs and their cost?