Scholarship and Public Service: The Life and Work of Mary Parker Follett

Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Social Activist ◽  
The Social ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Training ◽  
Mary Parker Follett

Any consideration of the founding of public administration would be incomplete without the inclusion of Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933), one of the great figures in the history of the discipline. This article is not an essay in biography, however. Given the great range of Follett’s professional accomplishments, the author undertakes “a daunting task” of succinctly relaying those aspects of Follett’s life that relate to her development as a scholar and social activist: her education and training as a political scientist; the evolution of her views on science and scientific method; her leadership of the community centres movement; her theory of community; her work as a consultant and lecturer on organization, administration, and management; her place in the history of the social sciences; and her vision for a democratic society.

What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. W. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Policy Networks ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Human Sciences ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
The Social ◽  
Comparative Government

This chapter consists of a brief intellectual history setting the context for the following chapters. It describes the author’s journey from traditional public administration to policy networks to governance and the development of the author’s career as political scientist. Along the way there were various diversions and the author briefly describes his work on the ESRC’s Whitehall Programme, comparative government, and the study of the British executive. The chapter concludes that the discipline of public administration has survived and even thrived because some of its leading players mastered the ‘trick’ of linking policy to academic theory. We may specialize in central–local relationships, public service delivery, or other topics of the day, but we must link such topics to broader agendas in the social and human sciences. Otherwise we become either mere technicians or loyal servants of power or, of course, both.

Does Popper Explain Historical Explanation?

1995 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 225-240
Author(s):  
Kenneth Minogue
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Free Will ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Religious Belief ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
History Of Philosophy ◽  
Historical Explanation ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of

It is one of Karl Popper's great distinctions that he has an intense—some would say too intense—awareness of the history of philosophy within which he works. He knows not only its patterns, but also its comedies, and sometimes he plays rhetorically against their grain. He knows, for example, that the drive to consistency tends to turn philosophy into compositions of related doctrines, each seeming to involve the others. Religious belief, for example, tends to go with idealism and free will, religious scepticism with materialism and determinism. Popper does not believe in a religion, was for long some kind of a socialist, and takes his bearings from the philosophy of science. Aha! it seems we have located him. Here is a positivist, a materialist, probably a determinist. But of course he denies he is any of these things. Again, like many modern thinkers, he wants to extend scientific method not only to the social sciences but also to history. So far so familiar, until we discover that he regards nature as no less ‘cloudy’ than human societies.

scholarly journals Commission 46: The Teaching of Astronomy

1997 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-43
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
School Context ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Training

Education is important to astronomers because it affects the recruitment and training of future astronomers, and because it affects the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of astronomy by taxpayers and politicians.There are many other reasons why astronomy should be part of education and culture. Astronomy is deeply rooted in the history of almost every society, as a result of its practical applications and its philosophical implications. It still has everyday applications to calendars and timekeeping, navigation, seasons and climate. It has longer-term applications to climate change and biological extinctions. Astronomy advances the other sciences, and is a dynamic science in its own right. It deals with our place in time and space, our cosmic roots, and our kinship with other peoples and species on earth. It reveals a universe which is vast, varied, and beautiful, and it promotes curiosity, imagination, and a sense of shared exploration and discovery. It provides an enjoyable hobby for millions of people. In a school context, it provides an alternative approach to the scientific method - the observational (as opposed to experimental) approach. It can attract young people to study science and technology. It can promote rational thinking, and it can increase public interest in science and technology. These benefits are important in all countries, both developed and developing.

Politicised Public Service and Corruption in Lesotho

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamello Rakolobe
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
Administrative Reforms ◽  
High Magnitude ◽  
The Social ◽  
Parliamentary Committee ◽  
The Government

Countries across the world are faced with high levels of corruption. In an effort to combat the threat, governments have declared war on corruption and have consequently put in place some anti-corruption institutions. The causes of corruption are numerous and the consequences are devastating for the social, political and economic development of nations. The perpetrators of corruption are in most cases the public servants as they are charged with the day-to-day administration of the government. This means that the caliber of public servants; which is determined by their recruitment inter alia will influence their practices and conduct. Lesotho has adopted a Westminster model of public administration in which recruitment to the public service is supposed to be merit-based. However, the recruitment of top officers such as Principal Secretaries is politically motivated and this has consequently resulted into a highly politicised public service; literature points that there is a relationship between politicisation of the public service and corruption. In this paper, I scrutinize and explain the effect of a politicised public service on the high magnitude of corruption in Lesotho. This study is based on secondary data such as official government reports, newspapers and research reports. I argue that the highly politicised public service in Lesotho contributes to the corruptionscourge that is besieging the country. I therefore recommend administrative reforms in view of depoliticizing the public service by removing the authority to appoint, promote and dismiss high-ranking public officers from the Prime Minister to a special Parliamentary committee that is inclusive of members from the ruling and opposition parties.

The Recording of World War II

1944 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-342 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
World War ◽  
The Public ◽  
Administrative Experience ◽  
Indispensable Tool

The nation at war, in mobilizing its total resources, has called increasingly upon political scientists to contribute their efforts in the public service. In most instances, the political scientist serving the federal government has not come in directly under the banner of his own profession, even though his training may be highly pertinent to his immediate responsibilities. Those who are associated with the historical records program, however, have been especially able to relate their previous preparation to their present work in the federal agencies.This expanding program reflects the growing appreciation of the need for a full understanding of the way in which the war is being conducted by both military and civilian agencies. Not only is there a widespread desire for more adequate records than we possess of previous wars, but there is also the conviction on the part of many officials that the immediate funding of our administrative experience is essential to successful formulation and execution of policy. While adequate records as an indispensable tool of good management serve current utility, at the same time they contribute to the longer-run task of creating a full and objective account of American participation in World War II. From the standpoint of future study of government and public administration, the work on war records which has been initiated in the federal government shows distinct promise.

scholarly journals Strategies of National States in the Face of Global Threats: New Assessment Criteria

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-70
Author(s):  
L.A. Kalinichenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Methodological Foundation ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transnational Actors ◽  
The Face ◽  
Modern Nation State

the article analyzes the main actors in the development and implementation of the strategy on the world stage in the face of globalization and global threats and risks. The methodological basis of the study is the paradigm of sociosynergetic approach to the essence of the modern nation state and transnational actors, world organizations. The author builds a set of consistent theoretical provisions of the main national schools in the sphere of public administration and embeds in the methodological foundation the author’s theory of social organization of public service. The author’s methodology is presented, allowing to investigate the social consequences of making national state decisions on the way out of global crises and countering global threats. The results of studies of strategies of national states to overcome crisis situations have been disclosed. It is concluded that the key condition of success in the fight against global threats – the social nature of the modern nation-state.

Public Administration in the Social Reform Movement

Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
M. Curtis Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Social Reform ◽  
Structural Reform ◽  
History Of Ideas ◽  
Reform Movement ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reform Tradition ◽  
Hearts And Minds

At the start of the 20th century, social reform competed with structural reform for the hearts and minds of urban reformers. Public administration scholarship has long recognized P A's roots in the structural reform tradition. In contrast, P A's rela­tionship to the social reform tradition has remained obscure. This exploration in the history of ideas shows that social reform rejected many principles upon which public adminis­tration now rests, and advanced many alternative concepts in their stead.

Start with the Problem: Establishing Research Relevance with Integrative Public Administration

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia L Carboni ◽  
Todd Dickey ◽  
Stephanie Moulton ◽  
Sean O’keefe ◽  
Rosemary O’leary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Widespread Implementation ◽  
Field Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Agendas

Abstract A key question of each Minnowbrook has been how public administration scholarship can be relevant to practice (Carboni and Nabatchi 2019; Nabatchi and Carboni 2019; O’Leary, Van Slyke, and Kim 2010). This question remains salient today, as public administration scholarship is increasingly distant from the challenges identified by practitioners. Academic research agendas are often disconnected from the social issues and challenges of public governance. Field norms incentivize and exacerbate this cleavage. As a result, past calls for more practice-oriented scholarship lack widespread implementation. In this essay, we propose modest shifts in how academic research is conducted to link it with problems, issues, and opportunities identified by the public service practitioners and professional communities. We refer to this shift as Integrative Public Administration. We also identify and make suggestions about how to change some field level conditions that hamper the shift to Integrative Public Administration.

scholarly journals COVID-19: A Catalyst for Digital Education and Onboarding in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1118-1125
Author(s):  
Kshama Prabhakar Shetty
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Digital Education ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Social ◽  
Education In India ◽  
History Of ◽  
E Learning ◽  
And Training

Abstract: The COVID-19 Pandemic has been the greatest challenge ever faced in the history of mankind leading to disruptions in almost every sector. The pandemic has taught us the importance of technology and that digital transformation is the key for resilience and academic continuity. The Education sector in India has undergone a paradigm shift from traditional to online learning with the help of government initiatives. With its own advantages and disadvantages, digital means of learning has been widely adopted and accepted by almost everyone. School going kids, students pursuing higher education, employees looking for upskilling and reskilling through certifications as well as employers onboarding and training their new joiners have become completely digital owing to the social distancing norms and with an intension to contain the spread of the pandemic. This research paper focuses on how the pandemic has acted as a catalyst for digital education and onboarding in our country. It also talks about the benefits, hurdles and challenges faced in its adoption. Keywords: COVID-19, Digital Education in India, E-Learning, Onboarding, Pandemic, Online Learning

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