ABSTRACT
The crucial role of administrative reform in contemporary society reflects the general importance of administration in a complex civilization, where increased specialization, diversification, and fragmentation depend on complicated mechanisms of integration and coordination controlled largely by professional administrators. The discipline of administrative theory is relatively new, and is beset by controversial philosophical and methodological issues. Administrative reform is part of societal reform, and, logically, the wider reform movement should be studied first. The administrative reformer's task is to improve the administrative performance of individuals, groups, and institutions and to advise them how they can achieve their operating goals more effectively, more economically, and more quickly. Administrative reform is power politics in action; it contains ideological rationalizations, fights for control of areas, services, and people, political participants and institutions, power drives, campaign strategies and obstructive tactics, compromises and concessions.
