ABSTRACT
The rise of professionalism in government has stirred some measure of fear and discomfort in the souls of those who reflect upon the relationship between public administration and American democracy. A useful starting point for analyzing the continuing evolution of professionalism and its relationship to bureaucratic responsiveness is Don K. Price's model of the "four estates" and their position on the spectrum from truth to power. According to Price, American society is comprised of four estates: the scientific, the professional, the administrative, and the political. Each profession has its own world view, filtered through the education, experience, socialization, and specialized knowledge of its members. By helping to bridge the gap between them, professional responsibility promotes accountability for work behavior, guides the sense of personal duty, and helps resolve conflicts between objective and subjective demands. The expansion of the professions in government is both inevitable and desirable in an increasingly complex, technological society.
