Introduction
The article “Repositioning American Public Administration? Citizen Estrangement, Administrative Reform, and the Disarticulated State” is written by Durant and Ali for the Public Administration Review. The authors introduce three main tendencies in public administration that can be observed in the United States. These are the progressive heritage, the associational heritage, and the polycentric heritage. All of them have certain similarities and differences. Regarding the peculiarities of these three tendencies, it is possible to understand that the development of administrative reforms, research agendas, and numerous practices may have a considerable impact on people’s understanding of political efficacy, the promotion of self-worth, and the improvement of substantive governance (Durant & Ali, 2012).
Knowledge Base Improvement
Nowadays, certain changes in the level of citizen’s estrangement are observed. Public managers fail to comprehend their main duty that is to become a “bridge-builder” between a citizenry and the government. This article helps to identify the reasons why such challenges occur and clarify the steps that can be taken to find a solution to the problem of estrangement. The powerful aspect of the article is the consideration of practical and theoretical issues. For example, there is a theory of “administration conjunction” that discusses the relationship between public servants and public interests in regards to a certain jurisdiction (Durant & Ali, 2012). Such an approach improves the existing knowledge base and makes the reader investigate past achievements to accept recent changes and use the most effective methods to solve problems.
The usefulness of the Article
One of the strongest points in the article is the authors’ intentions to describe the tendencies, but not to demonstrate their own opinions and attitudes to the approaches. It is not enough to say that progressive and associationist reforms are similar due to the existing power of science and technology and the necessity to eliminate waste, increase the efficacy of governmental activities, and underline the role of the government. It is also important to mention the peculiarities that differentiate the tendencies. In comparison to progressive public managers, association lists are not always ready to use power but have to worry about individuals and their interests. In their turn, polycentric managers introduce the required portion of control to create an effective bridge in the relations. This tendency combines association lists and progressivists.
Definitions
In the article, much attention is paid to the definitions. Three main tendencies have clear explanations. There is also a theory that serves as a basis for the development of tendencies. Besides, the role of public managers and the worth of public administration in the United States are clearly explained. The sources from different decades are used to develop the definitions. Such choice of sources proves that the challenges in public administration of the United States have a long history and several approaches for their discussions.
Conclusion
In general, the administrative reform movements and tendencies may vary considerably. In the article, the authors introduce their vision of each tendency and explain how they see public managers and the ways they complete their duties. Citizen estrangement is a public concern that cannot be neglected. Durant and Ali develop the article with the help of which the progressive, associational, and polycentric reform heritages provide new opportunities and new solutions for the discussion of old problems with the history of several decades.
Reference
Durant, R.F., & Ali, S.B. (2012). Repositioning American public administration? Citizen estrangement, administrative reform, and the disarticulated state. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 278-289.