This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Snider, K. F. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Rethinking Public Administration’s Roots in Pragmatism

The Case of Charles A. Beard

Naval Postgraduate School

This article portrays the pragmatism of Charles S. Peirce, William James, and John Dewey as an insignificant influence during the early years of American public administration. The mainstream thinking during that time was exemplified by the ideas of Charles A. Beard, an influential figure in the early era of the field. Beard’s writings illustrate the way public administration ignored important aspects of pragmatism in favor of practical attitudes and focus on apolitical efficiency. As a result, administrative orthodoxy developed in opposition to pragmatism, which explains the abandonment and misinterpretation of Mary Parker Follett’s ideas. Equipped with the recognition that public administration has never really given pragmatism a chance, scholars and practitioners may be led to consider its possibilities in a contemporary administrative context.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?