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Philosophy
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Apr 3, 2024
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Statesmanship in public administration can be defined in many ways and is usually used to describe a leader who is morally right and courageous. Newswander states in his article that some define statesmanship as “the art of directing matters to promote the public interest- and to add a ‘classical’ touch – educating or ennobling the public’ (2012, p. 867). Overeem and Bakker (2019) define statesmanship as morally excellent political leadership. Leaders in the past that have defined what statesmanship means are leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill. Modern public administration has multiple factors that concern statesmanship. “The modern state, moreover, has three basic characteristics or aspirations, namely, constitutionalism, (representative) democracy, and bureaucracy” (Overeem & Bakker, 2019, statesmanship section, para. 2).
Constitutionalism and statesmanship are tied together in public administration. Overeem & Bakker (2019) reveals that constitutionalism was created to replace statesmanship in law making. “The American Founders, for instance, believed it was necessary to resort to constitutionalism instead of statesmanship as a reliable source of political order” (Overeem & Bakker, 2019, statesman section, para. 3). Since constitutionalism has replaced statesmanship in public administration, it essentially makes statesmanship obsolete. However, I believe that is still a role statesmanship can play in public administration.
Representative democracy is the style of democracy that we see in the United States. Denhardt et al. defines democracy as “a political system in which the interests of the people at large prevail” (2014, p. 3). In this system, citizens elect representatives that have similar interests who in turn make policy and laws that reflect those interests. Statesmanship in representative democracy is how leaders behave during their time in the positions they hold. To achieve statesmanship in those roles, leaders need to find
a balance of being morally right and courageous while also upholding the constitution. There are times when leaders will make decisions that may not seem right to the public but are right for democracy and vice versa. “As Storing understood, statesmanship entails a two-way interplay: Leaders listen and discern, but from time to time, they must also inform and educate” (Stid et al., 2021, modern statesman section). Statesmanship can be achieved in public administration by also exhibiting the four characteristics or virtues set forth by Aristotle: Prudence, courage, justice, and temperance.
Philippians 2:3-4 says “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests,
but also for the interests of others” (New American Standard Bible, 1971/1995). Public administration leaders who want to express statesmanship within their roles should look at others interests before their
own, especially when it comes to the betterment of our society.
References
Denhardt, R. B., Denhardt, J. V., & Blanc, T. A. (2014). Public administration: An action orientation. Wadsworth, CenGage Learning.
New American Standard Bible. (1995). Thomas Nelson. (Original work published 1971)
Newswander, C. B. (2012). Moral Leadership and Administrative Statesmanship: Safeguards of Democracy in a Constitutional Republic. Public Administration Review, 72(6), 866–874. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41688015
Overeem, P., & Bakker, F. E. (2016). Statesmanship beyond the modern state. Perspectives on Political Science, 48(1), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10457097.2016.1229563
Stid, D., Howard, P. K., & Mills, M. A. (2021, Summer). A time for statesmanship. National Affairs. https://nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/a-time-for-statesmanship
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