Several Reflections on the Interdependence Between Politics and Administration

Abstract

Administration and politics have complex faces. They are internally intricate and change over time. Regardless of this, at every moment they remain connected to the state, its political system, and the citizen. Politics has also another dimension that complicates the analysis of its relationship with administration: its partisan nature. This is a multifaceted issue, hence the title—“several reflections.” We commonly refer to Aristotle and Montesquieu and their (subjective and objective) tripartite division of power, as well as the assertion that administration operates within the limits of the law and in execution of the law. Yet everyday practice shows that this does not hold. One cannot separate the executive or judicial branches from the legislative branch, since the first is defined as acting within and in execution of the law, and the second as adjudicating on the basis of the constitution and statutes. They are therefore functionally linked to the legislative power.

In this text, I aim to identify sensitive elements of the connection between administration and politics, including partisan politics. I also seek to point out the permanent elements of the political system that are not always consistent with the intentions of its creators.