Question

The politics-administration dichotomy maintains democratic accountability by:

a) Separating political and administrative roles
b) Combining political and administrative roles
c) Ignoring democratic principles
d) Eliminating administrative functions

Answer 1

The politics-administration dichotomy preserves democratic accountability by separating political and administrative roles, ensuring that the administrative process operates efficiently and remains impartial.

Step-by-step explanation:

The politics-administration dichotomy implements democratic accountability by separating political and administrative roles. This concept, largely advocated by Woodrow Wilson, suggests that while politics sets tasks for administration, the actual administrative process should remain neutral and operate based on management science without political influence. By doing so, public administration can increase efficiency akin to private-sector practices, and be more effective through specialized management and training. However, democratic accountability also involves the bureaucracy being responsive to public opinion while maintaining its separation from the political process. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is (a) Separating political and administrative roles.