TR
EN
The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx
Abstract
The relationship between political philosophy and public administration theories lies at the center of ongoing debates, particularly within the axis of freedom, the state, and bureaucracy. In this context, John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx represent two fundamental poles in shaping the modern understanding of the state through the contrasting normative frameworks they offer. This study aims to analyze the boundaries of the state, bureaucracy, and public policy through Mill’s and Marx’s perspectives on freedom and democracy. This study is significant as it traces the influence of classical political theories on modern public administration practices. A qualitative research method was adopted, and the works and theoretical approaches of both thinkers were examined through a comparative perspective. The analysis concludes that Mill’s liberal individualism, based on the "harm principle," constitutes the philosophical infrastructure of market-oriented managerial trends such as New Public Management (NPM); conversely, Marx’s class-based critique of the state nourishes the fundamental arguments of the critical approaches in public administration and offers an explanatory framework for legitimacy crises.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
No financial support was received for the conduct of this research.
Ethical Statement
This paper complies with Research and Publication Ethics, has no conflict of interest to declare, and has received no financial support. The article has been checked for spelling and plagiarism/similarity. The article was evaluated by "at least two external referees" and "double blinding" method. The author(s) sent a signed "Copyright Transfer Form" to the journal. There is no need to obtain ethical permission for the current study as per the legislation. The "Declaration Form Regarding No Ethics Permission Required" was sent to the journal by the authors on this subject. During the preparation of this work the authors did not use AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing processes. Authors acknowledged that this study has not been published or submitted to any publication outlets for publication.
References
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- BALASSA, Béla Alexander (1959), “Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill”, Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, S.83(2), ss.147-165.
- BARRY, Norman Patrick (2002), “Hukuki ve Siyasi Açıdan İfade Hürriyeti”, Liberal Düşünce (Trans. Özlem Yılmaz), S.7(27), ss.5-14.
- BAYRAM, Yılmaz (2013), “John Stuart Mill’de İfade Özgürlüğü”, Gazi Üniversitesi İİBF Dergisi, S.15(3), ss.115-128.
- BENTHAM, Jeremy (2000), An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Batoche Books Kitchener.
- BOZDOĞAN, Selim and YARALI AKKAYA, Aysun (2020), “Karl Marx ve Demokrasi Üzerine Bir İnceleme”, Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, S.48, ss.155-174.
- BOZEMAN, Barry (2002), “Public-Value Failure: When Efficient Markets May Not Do”, Public Administration Review, S.62(2), ss.145-161.
- COWLING, Maurice (2008), Mill and Liberalism, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2nd Edition.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Public Administration
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
Submission Date
November 12, 2025
Acceptance Date
April 26, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 2
APA
Demirkol, M., & Arıkan, S. (2026). The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.33712/mana.1822654
AMA
1.Demirkol M, Arıkan S. The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi. 2026;9(2). doi:10.33712/mana.1822654
Chicago
Demirkol, Mustafa, and Samed Arıkan. 2026. “The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx”. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi 9 (2). https://doi.org/10.33712/mana.1822654.
EndNote
Demirkol M, Arıkan S (May 1, 2026) The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi 9 2
IEEE
[1]M. Demirkol and S. Arıkan, “The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx”, Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi, vol. 9, no. 2, May 2026, doi: 10.33712/mana.1822654.
ISNAD
Demirkol, Mustafa - Arıkan, Samed. “The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx”. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi 9/2 (May 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.33712/mana.1822654.
JAMA
1.Demirkol M, Arıkan S. The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi. 2026;9. doi:10.33712/mana.1822654.
MLA
Demirkol, Mustafa, and Samed Arıkan. “The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx”. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi, vol. 9, no. 2, May 2026, doi:10.33712/mana.1822654.
Vancouver
1.Mustafa Demirkol, Samed Arıkan. The Philosophical Roots of Public Administration: The Limits of State, Bureaucracy, and Public Policy from the Perspectives of Mill and Marx. Uluslararası Yönetim Akademisi Dergisi. 2026 May 1;9(2). doi:10.33712/mana.1822654