Kenneth J. Meier, distinguished professor of political science at Texas A&M University, would like to see political science find something it has lost: a tradition of research with the field of public administration. That is the message he will deliver in the 2006 Gaus Lecture titled “The Public Administration of Politics or What Political Science Could Learn from Public Administration,” being presented this evening (Sept. 1)at the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.

 Meier is delivering the lecture as the 2006 recipient of the APSA’s John Gaus Award in recognition of a “lifetime of exemplary scholarship in the joint tradition of political science and public administration.” For Meier, the irony is that this tradition has been lost. He notes that of the top 25 political science departments in the U.S., only three have a degree in public administration. Of the top 25 public administration programs in the U.S., none are in political science departments.

“If I were starting out today, it is unlikely I would be starting in a political science department,” Meier says. In his lecture, Meier will cite how key theoretical principles that govern public administration could help better explain several fields in political science.

“For example, I’m going to suggest that Congress is a managed institution and it has certain characteristics,” says Meier, who also holds the Charles A. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts. “It’s what we call a network rather than a hierarchy.”

According to the theory, a network has a fair amount of independence and can’t be coerced to do anything. That is similar to the way many social services work. They are a network of independent services that must be convinced to work together. But, Meier adds, networks work best when they are given hierarchical characteristics – more structure, more stability.

“You see that in some of the things the current Congress is doing,” he says. “Majority leaders use pressure to keep Congressional members of their party in line. The promotion of a set of common values leads to a rise in partisanship, but also gives more structure to the party.”

Meier will extend similar examples of public administration theories to European legislatures, the Presidency, and to the Courts.

“If you want to fully understand politics, you need to understand the public administration side of it,” says Meier. “Public administration could help political scientist because it leads them to consider the practical side of an issue or institution.”

Meier’s full lecture will be published in an upcoming issue of “PS: Political Science & Politics.”

Contact:
Kenneth J. Meier
979 845 2511
kenneth-j-meier@tamu.edu

Leanne South
979 845 6294
lsouth@tamu.edu.