POLITICS & ADMINISTRATION

The Issues of Politics and Administration Dichotomy

The Issues of Politics and Administration Dichotomy

Politics and Administration Dichotomy

Dichotomy means a classification into two opposite parts of subclasses.

The politics and administration dichotomy is a significant but controversial theory in the field of public administration. Scholars are still debating it since the introduction of the field by Woodrow Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson published an essay about a century ago with the name of “The Study of Administration”. Wilson presented a thought concerning the separability and inseparability of administration from politics. The field of administration is a field of business. It is removed from the hurry and strife of politics (Wilson, 1887).

He had a belief that the administration is simply a science. He suggested the idea for a separate study for public administration. He pointed out a difference between administration and politics. He said that the administration has concern with the influence of political decisions (Naidu, 2005). He argued that field of administration is a field of business, and it should not be mixed with the politics. He also claimed that politics work is to make policies for the state or nation's betterment and administration's work is to implement those policies (Pestritto, 2005). In his theory, he explained that public administration is a totally new development in the field of political science. He defined that administration work is to implement the plans of government only. He argued administration is the operative and business side of the government and it has to do nothing with the politics. Some scholars claimed that Wilson's theory was an excellent work for the administration department in the government. Credit for executing the field of public administration goes to him because he gave a systematic approach to the administration. Dwight Waldo said that Wilson's theory is the most beneficial for the development ...