ABSTRACT
Political theories must be construed in relation to their material environment and ideological framework. American writers on public administration have accepted the inevitability and the desirability of the Great Society—with minor differences and with reservations as to detail. It is important also that the rise of public administration occurred during the golden age of private charity. The Modern Corporation—The dependence of public administration on its business background has been furthered by the influence of the "corporate revolution" and the resulting emphasis on forms of organization characteristic of business corporations. The rise of American scholarship, the spread of a guild spirit among scholars, and the rise of professional schools have been a part of the general movement toward specialization. The chapter discusses the relationship between American study of public administration and its material environment—economic, institutional, "historical". The Fundamental Law—The relationship of administrative study to the notion of a "fundamental law" is as important as its relationship to democracy.
