Management: Science, Theory, and Practice
Public Administration and Business Administration: Siamese Management Twins Separated at the Heart?
By Jaciel Keltgen
Dr. Matthew Fairholm POLS 812 University of South Dakota
Siamese Management Twins
Introduction Countless scholars and practitioners over the years have attempted to legitimize the field of public administration, make sense of the so-‐called public administration dichotomy, and to reinforce -‐-‐ or erase -‐-‐ the connections between public administration and its more popular and more perhaps more heartless sibling, business administration.
2
These attempts have been gathered into scholarly journals, fancy tomes and college textbooks. But the fact remains that there is still great political debate over the entire public administration profession. Arguments will continue long after this paper has been researched, written, annotated and put on a shelf somewhere. MPA-‐ trained professionals who work for state, local or the federal government and MBA-‐ trained professionals engaged in the quasi-‐public sector will also continue to do their jobs no matter what lines are drawn, conclusions made or research papers presented. Does
By Jaciel Keltgen
Dr. Matthew Fairholm POLS 812 University of South Dakota
Siamese Management Twins
Introduction Countless scholars and practitioners over the years have attempted to legitimize the field of public administration, make sense of the so-‐called public administration dichotomy, and to reinforce -‐-‐ or erase -‐-‐ the connections between public administration and its more popular and more perhaps more heartless sibling, business administration.
2
These attempts have been gathered into scholarly journals, fancy tomes and college textbooks. But the fact remains that there is still great political debate over the entire public administration profession. Arguments will continue long after this paper has been researched, written, annotated and put on a shelf somewhere. MPA-‐ trained professionals who work for state, local or the federal government and MBA-‐ trained professionals engaged in the quasi-‐public sector will also continue to do their jobs no matter what lines are drawn, conclusions made or research papers presented. Does