Papers on the transatlantic transfer of administrative ideas in the 20th century

The 20th century transatlantic transfer of administrative ideas has not been analyzed in a systematic manner. In general, comparative Public Administration concentrates on differences rather than similarities which are the result of mutual inspirations among Continental European and US-American scholars. Accordingly, the research traditions in America and Germany have usually been interpreted as separated paths. This issue of the KPM-Schriftenreihe contributes to showing that these paths have had significant road junctions. This issue contains four articles which form Christian Rosser’s dissertation. The first article, which has originally been published in Public Administration, presents an analytical framework that promises to explore the transfer of administrative ideas. In the second article, the remarkable similarities between Hegel’s, Wilson’s, and Weber’s theories of bureaucracy are discussed. In the third article, Rosser examines Wilson’s adoption and modification of German state theory. Both the second and the third article have already been published in Public Administration Review. The fourth article presents a comparative discussion of how Weber’s ideal type of bureaucracy was received among American scholars with a background in political science, on one hand, and scholars with an organizational orientation on the other. Besides satisfying a historical interest, the research presented here has direct relevance for current administrative science. By clarifying terminological and conceptual differences and similarities between American and German ways of thinking about the field, the four papers may enhance coherence and identity of public administration theory. They provide thorough basic knowledge about essential administrative concepts and may thus contribute to the education of future Public Administration scholars and practitioners.