RECONSTITUTING A PROFESSION FOR AMERICAN PUBLIC-ADMINISTRATION

Is public administration a profession? Richard Green Lawrence Keller, and Gary Wamsley approach this long lasting debate from a new perspect ive. They argue that the field assumes an impoverished definition of ' 'profession'' and thus has neglected important dimensions of the pract ice that need examination in a more constructive debate. BY returning to the classical roots of the word ''profession,'' the authors attempt to illuminate the roles that public administrators have played, and m ust play, if they are to govern effectively and ''professionally.'' Dr awing upon several works that develop the political roles of public ad ministrators, they tie a conception of professionalism to constitution al politics rather than specialized managerial knowledge, perceiving p ublic administration as a calling centered on democratic governance ra ther than techniques of policy implementation.