Challenge to the administrative state

Abstract

Ever since the French Revolution the administrative state has been seen as an instrument for advancing the public interest. More and more activities have been heaped on it as societal problems have been politicized and the solutions bureaucratized. Statism has become the norm. But in recent years big government is no longer seen as inevitable or necessarily beneficial. It seems to be feeding upon itself, apparently beyond political control. It may even be contributing to social problems instead of helping to solve them. The public do not know whether any of the new proposals made to harness big government - zero - growth, retrenchment, depoliticization, national planning, repoliticization,

restoration of the constitutional balance of power, decentralization, increased public participation, corporatization, institutional rivalry, public watchdog agencies - will work. They do sense that things are not as they should be and may be getting worse. They know what evil big government can do and they know how it can mistreat individuals. The challenge to public administration is to restore public faith in the administrative state.