Papers on the Transatlantic Transfer of Administrative Ideas in the 20th Century − What American Scholars of Public Administration Learned from the Germans

Christian Rosser’s cumulative dissertation consists of four papers, three of which have already been published in Public Administration and Public Administration Review respectively. The four papers present theoretical and empirical research on the transfer of administrative ideas between Germany and the U.S. and, in particular, the reception of Hegelian and Weberian ideas among American scholars of Pubic Administration. The dissertation, which has been supervised by Prof. Fritz Sager, has been supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF).

Point of Departure

The 20th century transatlantic transfer of administrative ideas has not been analyzed in a systematic manner. In general, comparative Public Administration concentrates on differences rather than similarities which are the result of mutual inspirations among Continental European and US-American scholars. Accordingly, the research traditions in America and Germany have usually been interpreted as separated paths. Rosser’s doctoral research contributes to showing that these paths have had significant road junctions.

Research Question

How did the two eminent authors Georg W. F. Hegel and Max Weber influence the US-American administrative sciences of the 20th century?

Method

• Qualitative Text Analysis (Hermeneutics)
• Quantitative Bibliometric Analysis

Results

Besides satisfying a historical interest, the research presented here has direct relevance for current administrative science. From a theoretical perspective, the transfer of ideas approach – the analytical framework presented in the first paper – may help to complement comparative Public Administration. If comparative scholars conceptualize administrative paths as isolated and autonomous, they must comprehend ideational change by referring to ‘critical junctures’ as periods of significant change, or, alternatively, they will have to continue merely describing incremental change. The transfer of ideas approach also takes ‘critical junctures’ into account, but it additionally conceptualizes ‘change’ as a result of mutual inspiration and fertilization. Metaphorically speaking, it thus sets rather static national traditions in motion.
From an empirical perspective, Rosser’s doctoral research sheds more light on terminological and conceptual differences between American and German ways of thinking about the field. For instance, Wilson’s somewhat unclear stance towards the politics-administration dichotomy is clarified by showing that Wilson followed German proponents of organic state theory and saw a political role of administration. To add another example, the typical American (mis)interpretation of Weber as a promoter of administrative efficiency may not have been that big a mistake after all. In fact, many American authors may have had a more adequate understanding of Weber than often is assumed. In a nutshell, the four papers provide thorough basic knowledge about essential administrative concepts. They may thus contribute to the education of future Public Administration scholars and practitioners.

This dissertation was written by Christian Rosser under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Fritz Sager.