Woodrow Wilson's Lasting Impact on the Development of Federal Budget Practice and Theory
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Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 12-1-2014 Woodrow Wilson's Lasting Impact on the Development of Federal Budget Practice and Theory Tyson Michael Elbert Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Elbert, Tyson Michael, "Woodrow Wilson's Lasting Impact on the Development of Federal Budget Practice and Theory" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 5032. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/5032 This Graduate Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Automated Template A: Created by James Nail 2011 V2.02 Woodrow Wilson’s lasting impact on the development of federal budget practice and theory By Tyson M. Elbert A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Political Science in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration Mississippi State, Mississippi December 2014 Copyright by Tyson M. Elbert 2014 Woodrow Wilson’s lasting impact on the development of federal budget practice and theory By Tyson M. Elbert Approved: ____________________________________ Robbin B. Mellen Jr. (Major Professor) ____________________________________ P. Edward French (Committee Member/Graduate Coordinator) ____________________________________ William M. Wiseman (Committee Member) ____________________________________ James A. Chamberlain (Committee Member) ____________________________________ R. Gregory Dunaway Professor and Dean College of Arts & Sciences Name: Tyson M. Elbert Date of Degree: December 13, 2014 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Political Science Major Professor: Robbin B. Mellen Jr. Title of Study: Woodrow Wilson’s lasting impact on the development of federal budget practice and theory Pages in Study: 120 Candidate for Degree of Masters of Arts This thesis explores the legitimacy of the academic field of public administration and the sub-field of public budgeting. The intellectual foundations for each, established largely by the early writings of Woodrow Wilson, are analyzed in order to better understand the ways Wilson influenced and impaired the development of theory and practice of public budgeting at the federal level of American government. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first segment addresses the theoretical frameworks and research methods used throughout. The second segment discusses the impact of Wilson on the founding, growth, and development of public budget theory and practice within the academic institutions of public administration and budgeting. The final segment provides findings and recommendations based on the research. An opportunity emerges for scholars willing to reconsider popular institutional beliefs regarding the legislative and executive branches’ roles when budgeting at the federal level of government. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................v CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Institutional Framework .....................................................................................2 The Importance of Studying History .................................................................5 Problem Statement .............................................................................................7 Thesis Overview ................................................................................................9 II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................10 History’s Role in Understanding Institutions ..................................................10 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................13 Need for the Study ...........................................................................................13 Research Question ...........................................................................................14 Conclusion .......................................................................................................14 III. RESEARCH METHOD ...................................................................................15 Research Design ...............................................................................................15 Data Sources ..............................................................................................16 Validity of Data Sources ............................................................................17 The Critical Perspective ...................................................................................21 Summary of the Method ..................................................................................26 IV. WOODROW WILSON AND THE FOUNDING OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ...........................................................................28 Woodrow Wilson .............................................................................................29 Congressional Government (1885) ..................................................................31 The Study of Administration (1887) ................................................................33 Public Administration is a Self-Aware Field Worth Studying ..................34 Politics Should Be Separated from Administration ...................................35 The Application of Scientific Principles to the Study of Administration ...............................................................................37 The Field of Administration is a Field of Business ...................................38 The Need for an Effective and Trained Civil Service ................................39 ii Conclusion .......................................................................................................40 V. THE PROGRESSIVE REFORM ERA ...........................................................42 VI. THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC BUDGETING .........47 New York Bureau of Municipal Research .......................................................50 The Taft Commission on Economy and Efficiency .........................................52 The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 ........................................................54 The Emergence of Normative Budgeting ........................................................58 Performance Budgeting .............................................................................60 Planning-Programming-Budgeting System ...............................................63 Management-By-Objectives ......................................................................64 Zero-Based Budgeting ...............................................................................65 Cutback Budgeting.....................................................................................67 Performance-Based Budgeting ..................................................................68 Conclusion .......................................................................................................70 VII. FINDINGS .......................................................................................................74 The Path Dependent Development of the Academic Sub-Field of Public Budgeting ..................................................................................75 The early writings of Woodrow Wilson shaped the development of public administration in profound and unmatched ways. ..............76 Wilson the Administrative Scholar ......................................................77 Wilson’s Importance to the Development of Public Administration and Budgeting .................................................78 The growth and development of multiple movements overlapped and shared goals. ............................................................................80 The idea of a public budget is a relatively new concept in America. ........81 Normative budget models have been embraced by the academic community and promoted at all levels of government, but have failed at the federal level repeatedly. .....................................83 Normative Budget Frames at the Federal Level ..................................84 The United States Constitution has guided theory development sparingly within the fields of public administration and budgeting........................................................................................85 The academic fields of public administration and public budgeting have legitimacy problems. .............................................................86 Conclusion .......................................................................................................88 VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................91 Implications and Recommendations for Future Research ...............................91 iii The academic study of public budgeting at the federal level of government, as well as associated theory development and practitioner training, should be oriented to exist within parameters set forth by the U.S. Constitution. ...............................91