John Pratt

Research and the Professional Development of Administrators

A conceptual chasm in training for public administration is the connection between policy and practice. The problem may be expressed in different terms: as the split between a policy statement and its implementation, or between ministers (or committee chairmen) and ’mere administrators’; ¡ or as the convoluted relationship between the manager and the aims or objectives of the organisation. It typically boils down to some common questions such as: does the administrator serve or subvert his political masters? does the manager set objectives or simply try to live with them?