The Poverty of Comparative Public Administration in a Neo-Liberal Era: A Commentary on Subramaniam

This article comments on the article "Comparative Public Administration: From Failed Universal Theory to Raw Empiricism" by V. Subramaniam (2000), comparing & contrasting comparative public administration (CPA) with the theory of New Public Management. He traces the causes for the downgrading of public administration in the social sciences, analyzes the influence of neoliberalism in practice & in academic studies, & notes the abstract theoretical orientation of neo-Marxist research. The author identifies three reasons that have held public administration back from becoming a proper discipline in the social sciences. The author acknowledges Subramaniam as a pioneer in CPA & urges readers to heed his thoughts. 20 References. G. Gifford