Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The approaching bicentennial of the Constitution is provoking renewed interest in the political thought of the founding period. In this connection, this essay makes the case for drawing on the political reasoning of founders such as Hamilton to illuminate the place of the federal administration in our system of separated and divided powers. Particularly highlighted is the reliance placed by Hamilton and Madison on a sound administration to promote competence in government. The essay ends by illustrating how a proper understanding of the founders' reasoning could improve the way in which practitioners and theorists approach the role of the bureaucracy in the constitutional system.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

ADAMS, J. Q. (1839) The Jubilee of the Constitution: A Discourse. New York: Samuel Colman.

BISH, R. L. and V. OSTROM (1973) Understanding Urban Government. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute.

CORWIN, E. (1957) The President: Office and Powers. New York: New York Univ. Press.

ELDEN, J. M. (1971) "Radical politics and the future of public administration in the postindustrial era" pp. 19-42 in D. Waldo (ed.) Crisis in Public Administration. Scranton, PA: Chandler Publishing Co.

FARRAND, M. [ed.] (1966) The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. New York: Yale Univ. Press.

FREDERICKSON, H. G. (1971) "Toward a new public administration," pp. 309-331 in F. Marini (ed.) Toward a New Public Administration. Scranton, PA: Chandler Publishing Co.

HAMILTON, A. , J. MADISON , and J. JAY (1961) The Federalist Papers. New York: The New American Library.

LAMBRIGHT, W. H. (1971) "The Minnowbrook perspective and the future of public affairs: public administration is public-policy making," pp. 332-345 in F. Marini (ed.) Toward a New Public Administration. Scranton, PA: Chandler Publishing Co.

LODGE, H. C. [ed.] (1903) The Works of Alexander Hamilton (12 vols). New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.

10.

MOSHER, F. et al. (1974) Watergate: Implications for Responsible Government. New York: Basic Books.

11.

NADER, R. (1972) "An anatomy of whistle blowing," pp. 3-11 in Ralph Nader et al. (eds.) Whistle Blowing. New York: Grossman Publishers.

12.

OSTROM, V. (1971) The Political Theory of a Compound Republic. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

13.

OSTROM, V. (1974) The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration. University Station, AL: University of Alabama Press.

14.

ROHR, J. A. (1983) "The administrative state and constitutional principle." Presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois.

15.

ROSENBLOOM, D. (1971) Federal Service and the Constitution. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

16.

SAVAGE, P. (1971) "Contemporary public administration: the changing environment and agenda," pp. 43-58 in D. Waldo (ed.) Crisis in Public Administration. Scranton, PA: Chandler Publishing Co.

17.

SYRETT, H. C. [ed.] (1968-1978) The Papers of Alexander Hamilton (26 volumes). New York: Columbia Univ. Press.

18.

TOWNSEND, R. (1972) "The whistle blower as entrepreneur," pp. 20-24 in R. Nader et al. (eds.) Whistle Blowing. New York: Grossman Publishers.

19.

U.S. Congress . The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, First Congress (1834). Washington, DC: Gales and Seaton.

The Federal Bureaucracy and Separation of Powers

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References