Political-Administrative Relations in State Government: A Legislative Perspective

Abstract

In an effort to contribute to knowledge about political-administration relations in state government, this article presents the results of the author's participant-observation as a state legislator. Academics or public administration practitioners have written much of the literature on political-administrative relations. Little has been presented by politicians. The author reviews how the politicians with whom he served related to state administrators. He suggests that state legislators did not have a consistent approach in these relationships. Rather, administrators variously are enemies, allies, whipping boys or behind-the-scenes resources, depending on any given political situation in state government. Hence situational political logic dictated state political-administrative relations, driven by the self-interest of each particular elected official.