Public administrators becoming “more the problem than the solution”

by | Apr 14, 2023 | public administration

 

During the Graduate Synthesis course, we have examined the challenges that public administrators face when trying to be good public servants. These challenges can shape their chances for successfully carrying out their administrative and “shared” responsibilities. One might say the search for the “good” public administrator begins with an examination of both the challenges public administrators face as well as their skills and talents (good listener, inclusive, reflexive, autonomous, good facilitator, mutually responsive, advancing social equity, etc.) that typically factor into the the work of serving as effective public problem-solvers for society and its members.
A challenge public administrators face is that they themselves may at times become more the problem than the solution. An old political phrase from the 1960s suggests that “if you are not part of the solution, you are the problem.”
Part One: Give two (2) reasons for public administrators themselves becoming “more the problem than the solution” when administering for the common good and facilitating administrative change.
Part Two: After identifying the reasons you believe that public administrators may themselves at times become part of the problem, provide at least two (2) change strategies to help public administrators emerge as problem-solvers rather than problem-creators.
You may apply your theoretical arguments to the practice of public administration by drawing on your professional experiences and utilizing related examples and illustrations (including from health care, if that is your option) to support your response. Specifically, draw on Jun, Bolman and Deal, Denhardt and Denhardt, and other sources as appropriate.
Resources:
1. Denhardt, J. V., & Denhardt, R. B. (2015). The New Public Service: Serving, not steering (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. [ISBN: 9781138891258] https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csueastbay/detail.action?docID=1987301
2. Jun, J. S. (2006). The social construction of public administration: Interpretive and critical perspectives. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. [ISBN: 978- 0791467268] https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csueastbay/detail.action?docID=3407710

 

 

 

 

 

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Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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