ABSTRACT
Public administration literature passes over the tasks of creating a sense of tradition and of viewing institutions and societies as constantly evolving. Political and economic events left distinct prints on public administration. The French Revolution was driven by hungry citizens who revolted against the whole sinking political and economic structure of privileges and monopolies granted by the king. The predominance of law in the French liberal state of the nineteenth century emphasized guarantees of citizens' rights and limits on state power, but it "eclipsed social science-based public administration". The Industrial Revolution sharpened, refined, and rationalized managerial concepts and practices in order to serve capitalist objectives, particularly the maximization of capital returns on investments. The new organizational focus turned to rational theories that emphasized science, technology, and improved managerial practices. A different perspective on administrative reform is firmly rooted in established organization and management traditions and is entirely in conformity with conventional ethics of public service.
