Logics of legitimacy : three traditions of public administration praxis / Margaret Stout.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-285) and index.

The legitimacy question -- Why worry about role conceptualization? Professional socialization in public administration -- Using theoretical frameworks as interpretive lenses -- How the traditions framework was created -- The generic elements of each tradition -- The constitutional tradition: bureaucratic accountability of the constitutional order -- The discretionary tradition: entrepreneurial responsibility for desirable outcomes -- The collaborative tradition: stewardship responsiveness to the citizenry -- Mutual critiques among traditions -- Integrations, conciliations, and dialectical syntheses -- Assessing contextual fit of the traditions : a mental experiment -- Appendix : foundations course outline.

"The discipline of public administration draws predominantly from political and organizational theory, but also from other social and behavioral sciences, philosophy, and even theology. This diversity results in conflicting prescriptions for the 'proper' administrative role. So, how are those new to public administration to know which ideas are 'legitimate'? Rather than accepting conventional arguments for administrative legitimacy through delegated constitutional authority or expertise, [this book] does not assume that any one approach to professionalism is accepted by all scholars, practitioners, citizens, or elected representatives. Instead, it offers a framework for public administration theory and practice that fully includes the citizen as a political actor alongside elected representatives and administrators. This framework considers both direct and representative forms of democracy; examines concepts from both political and organizational theory, addressing many of the key questions in public administration; examines past and present approaches to administration; presents a conceptual lens for understanding public administration theory and explaining different administrative roles and practices. The framework for public administration theory and practice is presented in three traditions of main prescriptions for practice: Constitutional (the bureaucrat), Discretionary (the entrepreneur), and Collaborative (the steward)"--Publisher description.