Combining insights from traditional thought and practice and from contemporary political analysis, Madison'sManagers presents a constitutional theory of public administration in the United States. Anthony M. Bertelli andLaurence E. Lynn Jr. contend that managerial responsibility in American government depends on official respect for theseparation of powers and a commitment to judgment, balance, rationality, and accountability in managerial practice.The authors argue that public managementadministration by unelectedofficials of public agencies and activities based on authority delegated tothem by policymakersderives from the principles of American constitutionalism,articulated most clearly by James Madison. Public managementis, they argue, a constitutional institution necessary to successfulgovernance under the separation of powers. To support their argument,Bertelli and Lynn combine two intellectual traditions often regarded asantagonistic: modern political economy, which regards public administrationas controlled through bargaining among the separate powers and organizedinterests, and traditional public administration, which emphasizesthe responsible implementation of policies established by legislatures andelected executives while respecting the procedural and substantive rightsenforced by the courts. These literatures are mutually reinforcing, the authorsargue, because both feature the role of constitutional principles inpublic management.Madison's Managers challenges public management scholars and professionalsto recognize that the legitimacy and future of public administrationdepend on its constitutional foundations and their specific implications formanagerial practice.
