journal of public affairs education - NASPAA *The Global Standard ...

Enhancing Professional Socialization Through the Metaphor of TraditionInstitutions and Processes of Political EconomyIn regard to political, legal, economic, and social institutions and processes,the three traditions have fundamentally different interpretations ofappropriateness. In foundations courses, it is common to cover the legal andpolitical aspect of the field, and how public administration fits into the largerpolitical economy—including civil society. Through these topics, typicaldiscussions focus on political philosophy, political economy, and constitutionalstructures and processes. However, what one professor described as “putting alot of balls into the air” can be transformed from juggling lists of discretephilosophical perspectives, theories, and institutional structures into coherentsets of related ideas about these institutions and practices.The Constitutional tradition assumes a representative political state that isguided by a conservative version of classical liberalism. It envisions a mixedeconomy, where capitalism is constrained by government in order to achieve thecommon good. Governance occurs through government agencies, which arecontrolled through hierarchical authority, procedures, and a functionaldifferentiation in which administrators serve the representative political system.The citizen is conceived of as an abstraction called “taxpayer” or “voter.”Interactions are based on political mandates, plus rules and procedures thatrequire equal treatment of all recipients of government services. Civil society isconsidered the domain of the citizens, who influence government only throughformal processes that are constitutionally allowed.The Discretionary tradition assumes an administrative state that is guided bymodern liberalism, which to a large degree makes the political system symbolicin nature. It envisions free-market capitalism that is minimally constrained bygovernment. In fact, there is a blurring of boundaries between private andpublic sectors through the process of contracting out government work, whileleaving remaining government functions in the hands of expert publicadministrators. This use of discretion and outsourcing is made accountablethrough the use of outcome objectives, including sometimes competing ideals ofefficiency, effectiveness, equity, and ethics. It is the responsibility of expertpractitioners to assure that these objectives are met. Here, citizens are treated ascustomers or clients, and interactions are based on principles of exchange. Bothcivil and political processes take on the pluralist, competitive model borrowedfrom theories of efficient economic markets.The Collaborative tradition calls for a radical, fully democratic politicaleconomy, where political and market activities are self-governing in nature.Governance thus occurs through fluid, egalitarian networks of concernedindividuals, regardless of social sector or role. Ultimately, roles such as politicianand public administrator would be dissolved into the role of citizen. Again,there are many possible interpretations of what these social institutions and rulesof engagement can or should look like. Some theories draw from workplaceJournal of Public Affairs Education 307