Inserting Frontier into Dichotomies: Politics, Administration, and Agonistic Pluralism

Abstract

This article employs the concept of “frontier,” from Chantal Mouffe’s political theory, to present an interpretation of the political significance of dichotomies generally, and then applies it to Woodrow Wilson’s formulation of the politics/administration dichotomy. The central premise is that dichotomies, rather than a source of frustration, serve important and necessary purposes for political and administrative life in a discursive landscape shaped by values pluralism and liberalism. In pursuing this premise, the article suggests that Frederick Jackson Turner’s thesis about the American frontier may have influenced Wilson’s thinking. The article concludes with comment regarding the possible utility of the presented argument for contemporary public administration.