Woodrow Wilson's 1887 Essay on Administration and the Challenges Before 21st Century Scholars
Abstract
Woodrow Wilson in his epoch making essay, “The Study of Administration” in 1887 said: “it is getting to be harder to ran a constitution (government) than to frame one” (politics). Wilson’s argument on the job of government being harder than politics has remained as relevant in today’s world as at when it was first propounded. Regrettably, the variables that continue to make the task of running the government harder are yet to be clearly identified and articulated with solutions provided. This article x-rayed contemporary factors that makes the task of running the government (public administration) difficult and provides an impetus for a deliberate, intentional, constructive and systematic approach to solve the problems. Using the historical and qualitative research approach, the paper offered useful findings and conclusions and recommended that the time for scholars in the field to arise to the present challenge and come up with new empirical solutions to the problems encountered in running the government is NOW. The challenges should be clearly articulated and pragmatic solutions offered just as the father of the discipline, Wilson did in 1887.
Author
- Williams Ikhenoba
Department of Public Administration
Akwa Ibom State University
Email: williamsikhenoba@aol.com