The State of the American Public Administration Field

Abstract

This paper describes and traces the modern thought and the state of public administration throughout the history of American Public Administration. The paper argues that logical positivism and instrumental rationality, which are the underpinnings of modern thought, have captivated public administration. The paper demonstrates the fact that public administration is a human science, set within a given social context, and, therefore, is imbued with human values. This attitude was ignored by positivism and tried to be treated by the new logic of inquiry of Postmodernism.