Ties That Bind: The Link between Public Administration and Political Science

A century ago two fields, political science and public administration, were one. At the 1939 meeting of the American Political Science Association, public administration created its own professional organization, and the two fields' paths have since diverged. This presentation outlines the divergence, parallel paths, and convergence that link these fields. Methods and models of inquiry are discussed as they affect the influence of the fields on civil society.