Statesmanship in Public Administration Context
Statesmanship
Statesmanship is the practice that directs matters of the government in a way that promotes the interests of the public while observing the advanced intellectualism and sound moral judgment (Newswander, 2012). The current definition applies at polity levels. In the context of public administration, statesmanship requires public servants to promote regime values to enhance the social and political order established by the Constitution using both legitimate and discretionary action. In this light, administrators should be cognizant of the moral values that underlie the Constitution to advance its values as well as to rectify the defects. They should strive to promote the general interest by upholding high moral values and focus on all the areas of the nation and community.
Constitutionalism
Constitutionalism is the ideology that requires adherence to the fundamental laws that legitimize and limit the power of the government. The current meaning may seem incompatible with statesmanship, which requires servants to transcend the existing social and political order. Nevertheless, democratic constitutionalism is compatible with the administrative constitutionalism. Democratic constitutionalism requires a framework for instituting balances and checks in the government powers in which the administrators collaborate with other executives, such as legislators and judges (Newbold, 2011). True statesmen should actively engage in constitutional affairs to ensure that the values ingrained in the Constitution are upheld. Besides, they are required to transcend the mandates of their responsibilities within the Constitution. They should strictly scrutinize the management, political, and government actions and situations to ensure that they are consistent with the general interest. The Constitution should be established through the full participation of individuals to enhance the attainment of an effective constitutional state, which has broad legitimacy from the citizens. Overall, the effective constitutionalism is not established through Courts only, but it requires the input of other executives and public administrators.
Representative Democracy
In a representative democracy, citizens elect the government officials to create policies and laws on behalf of the society. The current form of democracy can be contrasted with other forms that allow a broad spectrum of citizens to participate in the decision-making process. A true democracy should exemplify the will of society (Newbold, 2010). Representative democracy may inhibit the establishment of the administrative statesmanship because it gives latitude to the elected representative to make legislation.
Statecraft and Personal Skills Necessary to Attain Statesmanship
A statesmanship is not associated with the mere election to the political position. Both politicians and public servants should possess various personal skills to foster the successful attainment of statesmanship. The individuals should have a moral foundation that prevents them from being swayed by opinion polls. Justice is a moral perspective that focusses on impartiality and fairness (Fischer, 2010). Besides, accountability is a crucial element that enhances the integrity of an institution (Denhardt, Denhardt & Blanc, 2014). Statesmanship requires a person with the ability to inspire others to follow the right way. Besides, it requires persistence and courage. The individuals should have the tenacity to continue pressing for the matters that promote the interest of society.
References
Denhardt, R. B., Denhardt, J. V., & Blanc, T. A. (2014). Public Administration: An Action Orientation. Cengage Learning.
Fischer, K. (2010). A Biblical-Conventional Perspective on Organizational Behavior & Leadership.
Newbold, S. P. (2010). Toward a constitutional school for American public administration. Public Administration Review, 70(4), 538-546.
Newbold, S. P. (2011). Federalist No. 27: Is transparency essential for public confidence in government? Public Administration Review, 71, s47-s52.
Newswander, C. B. (2012). Moral leadership and administrative statesmanship: Safeguards of democracy in a constitutional republic. Public Administration Review, 72(6), 866-874.