{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/30513"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/30513","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Rediscovering the Heart of Public Administration: The Normative Theory of <i>In His Steps</i>","abstract":"Public administration literature lacks richness and context regarding the moral history of the founding of the field in the early 1900s. As a result, current calls for &quot;recapturing the soul&quot; of public administration have failed to stimulate a theory-or even a working understanding-of how to &quot;rehydrate&quot; the observed desiccation of public life and revivify the concept of the public interest. In correcting the historical record, this dissertation shows that the &quot;soul&quot; of public administration stemmed from the field's deep roots in the social gospel movement of the early 20th century. For that short period, the nascent field was not viewed as a bastardization of constitutional order, but as a noble endeavor in which beloved sons and daughters participated in their nation's governance. As a representative character of that era, Charles M. Sheldon serves as an exemplar of a citizen administrator whose sojourn into the public square was characterized by deep faith, empathy for the common person and commitment to action-regardless of the personal cost. His optimism, innovation and creativity stand in sharp relief to today's dispirited and over-regulated public work force. Sheldon's best-selling book, In His Steps (1896), stands as a pre-modern parable for moral decision-making in a dynamic and uncertain postmodern environment. In allowing for uncertainty, discourse and experimentation, the book's operative question, &quot;What would Jesus do?&quot; enriches our understanding of normative theory as process. It also offers back the field's lost &quot;soul&quot; in the way of submission, empathy, covenant, grace and hope.","abstract_html":"Public administration literature lacks richness and context regarding the moral history of the founding of the field in the early 1900s. As a result, current calls for &amp;quot;recapturing the soul&amp;quot; of public administration have failed to stimulate a theory-or even a working understanding-of how to &amp;quot;rehydrate&amp;quot; the observed desiccation of public life and revivify the concept of the public interest. In correcting the historical record, this dissertation shows that the &amp;quot;soul&amp;quot; of public administration stemmed from the field&#x27;s deep roots in the social gospel movement of the early 20th century. For that short period, the nascent field was not viewed as a bastardization of constitutional order, but as a noble endeavor in which beloved sons and daughters participated in their nation&#x27;s governance. As a representative character of that era, Charles M. Sheldon serves as an exemplar of a citizen administrator whose sojourn into the public square was characterized by deep faith, empathy for the common person and commitment to action-regardless of the personal cost. His optimism, innovation and creativity stand in sharp relief to today&#x27;s dispirited and over-regulated public work force. Sheldon&#x27;s best-selling book, In His Steps (1896), stands as a pre-modern parable for moral decision-making in a dynamic and uncertain postmodern environment. In allowing for uncertainty, discourse and experimentation, the book&#x27;s operative question, &amp;quot;What would Jesus do?&amp;quot; enriches our understanding of normative theory as process. It also offers back the field&#x27;s lost &amp;quot;soul&amp;quot; in the way of submission, empathy, covenant, grace and hope.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gates, Susan Wharton"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Ph. D.","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":"Public Administration and Public Affairs","degree_department":"Public Administration and Public Affairs","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["White, Orion F. Jr."],"committee_members":["Wolf, James F.","Sheldon, Garrett W.","Rees, Joseph V.","Goodsell, Charles T."],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998-05-01","date_published":"1998-05-01","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:03Z","subjects":["Tangier Island","Charles M. 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