Image and Integrity in the Public Service

In a recent commentary, Ubiquitous Anomie: Public Service in an Era of Ideological Dissensus (PA R, July/August 1988, pp. 753-755), Aaron Wildavsky described a sense of anomie or normlessness that he perceives in the public service, especially the federal service. Such a feeling, he argues, has grown out of an ideological dissensus among major party elites about the role of government and, in turn, the mission of the civil service. Under these conditions, says Wildavsky, those in the public bureaucracy are unclear about their role: should they emphasize efficiency and neutral competence or representativeness and political responsiveness? Moreover, according to Wildavsky, given the lack of agreement on their mission, those in the bureaucracy will be subject to continued attack. So long as political dissensus prevails, he writes, bureaucrats will remain the flak-catchers of American society.