Paradigm 2: Principles of Public Administration, 1927-1937
In 1927, W.F. Willoughby’s book principles of Public Administration appeared as second fully-fledged text in the field. Although Willoughby’s Principles was as entirely American Progressive in tone as White’s Introduction, its title alone indicate the new thrust of public administration -- that public administrators would be effective if they learned and applied scientific principles of administration.
A Reputational Zenith
The status of public administration soared during the principles–of-administration period.
Money and Power. Its rising stature can be attributed, at least in part, to the Rockefeller family, whose interest in the field remained undiminished following its success with the New York Bureau of Municipal Research. Rockefeller philanthropies poured millions of dollars into the profession, leaving “no important part of the public administration community … untouched.”
“A person could not have spoken about the field of public administration in 1925 and confidence that the audience knew what was quite different … Professional associations for government employees had grown with ‘unexampled rapidity’… and governments were calling on the public administration community to provide advice on administrative problems more and more frequently.”