Perspectives of modern and postmodern public administration

<p>The purpose of this essay is to characterize the perspectives of modern and postmodern public administration.</p><p>Modernist approaches have crossed the discipline from its origins to the present day, focusing on the substantive and instrumental reason. The weberian bureaucracy and systems theory are the main paradigms of modern public organization.</p><p>Postmodernism confronts with the modern look. There is not a postmodernist theory; however there are authors who are described as postmodernists. They postulate the end of the great myths, life as a virtual reality, media, spoken and interpreted. They question the illusionary falsehood of modernity and the reason as a founding relationship and explanatory of public administration. Critical, interpretative, deconstructive, constructive theories of the, device and the rhizomatic ones, are among the so-called postmodern.</p><p>Both perspectives provide us with views for a better understanding of the public administration.</p><p>Key words: Modernity, postmodernity, public administration.