FRANK JOHNSON GOODNOW ON THE FUNCTION OF POLITICS

Abstract

The present text is a translation of the second chapter from Frank Johnson Goodnow’s book Politics and Administration: A Study in Government. The author was the founder and first President (1903-1905) of the American Political Science Association. Goodnow is famous for having developed the functional theory in political science. The main issue addressed in the book is the functions of politics, in particular their differentiation from the functions of administration. According to Goodnow, the function of politics should resolve into establishing who is to express the will of the state, as well as, into defining a practical and the most rational way of such expression. Goodnow makes an insightful conclusion: although the sphere of politics tends to take its unlimited control over public administration, this unjustified intrusion can be prevented by encouraging a sound public opinion. The translation was performed by Y. Yu. Moiseenko, Junior Researcher, Institute of Philosophy and Law, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, from the text of the first edition: Goodnow F. Politics and Administration: A Study in Government. N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, L Macmillan & CO., Ltd., 1900. P. 23-46.