Response to: H. George Frederickson’s Giving the Public in Public Administration its Due

Abstract

This response to George Frederickson’s retirement speech on the meaning of “public” in public administration highlights Frederickson’s intellectual influence, both on this author and, especially, the entire field of public administration theory. The current paper argues that both the empirical and normative meanings of public are vital and that the interaction of the two helps frame not only public administration theory but also the practice of public administration. By treating “public” as little more than a sector label, a stereotype, it is easy to march in lockstep with those who misguidedly marginalize public administration as little more than a means of addressing market failure.