Philadelphia conference (1967), failed to provide a definition of Public Administration. It nonetheless made significant contribution to build consensus on substantive aspects of discipline. Explain.
Category: Optional,
Test Date: 23 Jul 2024
Model Answer
Approach:
- Briefly mention the agenda of the conference and major themes.
- Elaborate on the substantive aspects on which consensus was reached.
In 1967, American Academy of political and social science organized a conference at Philadelphia under the chairmanship of James C. Charlesworth. The conference aimed to discussing the scope, objectives and methods of public administration and how far it was practical instrument of government. The conference did not reach an agreement either on the definition or on its scope. But there emerged a broad consensus on the following points.
- It is just as difficult to delineate the scope of public administration, as it is to define it.
- The policy-administration dichotomy is erroneous.
- Bureaucracy should be studied structurally and functionally.
- Public administration and business administration training should not be combined.
- Public administration has not been able to deal with societal problems, and as a discipline. It should remain separate from discipline of political science.
- Policy and political considerations are replacing management concern, future administrators should be trained in professional schools, and superior subordinates all should be commodore as co-ordinates.
- Public administration course should emphasis on interdisciplinary approach.
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