The transformation of public administration from a domain grounded in public management to one dominated by political analysis represents a fundamental epistemological and institutional shift in the theory and practice of governance. The path forward is to reconcile its tensions, revisiting the lost arts of administration while embracing the political realities of contemporary governance. Doing so will allow public policy to once again be both effective and legitimate.

Modern public administration is now defined by systemic complexity, marked by institutional fragmentation, overloaded systems, and the rise of symbolic reformism. Today’s policy failures are not just technical—they’re conceptual. Consensus without strategic alignment, reform without clear problem framing, and consultation without coherence all contribute to a landscape where governments “do more” but achieve less.