ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the "deeper problem of the legitimacy of the public administrative role". A wide array of political and social theory addresses the problem of legitimacy at this macro level. From this perspective, the legitimacy issue is complicated by the fact that politics and administration are not typically differentiated in the minds of citizens—government is both. These conflicts contribute to the "crisis of legitimacy" that has been widely acknowledged in reference to the citizenry's lack of trust and confidence in government. The crisis of legitimacy is often linked to evaluative concepts of accountability, responsibility, and responsiveness. Therefore, to get at those underlying beliefs and attitudes, the problem of legitimacy is approached through the notion of role conceptualization or ideation. Assuming a legitimacy crisis exists in government in the United States, these questions cannot be ignored—administrative legitimacy simply is not a settled matter theoretically or in practice.
