The Public Administration Theory Primer

(Elliott) #1

Th e Diff erence Between Politics and Administration 19


represents the vast expanse of bureaucratic power in policymaking, or, put an-
other way, the absence of political control in bureaucracy. Th e lower portion of
the curved line indicates the incursion of politics into various limited matters of
administration, a form of control over bureaucracy particularly associated with the
delivery of a particular service, the letting of certain purchase or capital construc-
tion contracts, or the making of certain administrative appointments. Th e mixture
in policy model of council-manager government has a considerable empirical war-
rant and fairly represents the common pattern of bureaucratic control in the clas-
sic council-manager city setting (Frederickson, Johnson, and Wood 2004).
Figure 2.3c is described by Svara as the “mixture in administration” model
and illustrates essentially the opposite of the mixture in policy model shown in


FIGURE 2.3 Four models of the relationship between politics
and administration


3b.
Mixture in Policy

3a.
Policy-Administration
Dichotomy

BUREAUCRACY

3c. 3d.
Mixture in Administration Elected Official–Administrator
As Co-Equals in Policy

POLICY POLICY

BUREAUCRACY

BUREAUCRACY

BUREAUCRACY

POLICY

POLICY
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