Response
J.S. Thompson’s Response:
Idealism is one strictly following the dictates of their own philosophy; which is fine as long as ones ideals are sound. However, public administration is a machine which facilitates the policies of a public entity; hardly an environment for ideals that fall too far off the grid. Idealism is more attributable to an individual who has a wide spectrum of control such as a city manager, governor, Senator, etc.
One should make the distinction between public administration and one who is selected to lead the administration. For instance; how a city is managed is regulated by city charter, which is the foundation for city policy. The city charter dictates the form of government and the level of control the city leadership may take.
Idealism is one strictly following the dictates of their own philosophy; which is fine as long as ones ideals are sound. However, public administration is a machine which facilitates the policies of a public entity; hardly an environment for ideals that fall too far off the grid. Idealism is more attributable to an individual who has a wide spectrum of control such as a city manager, governor, Senator, etc.
One should make the distinction between public administration and one who is selected to lead the administration. For instance; how a city is managed is regulated by city charter, which is the foundation for city policy. The city charter dictates the form of government and the level of control the city leadership may take.