Trying to Save the Garden: What if "Rat Choice" Hadn't Invaded Public Policy and Public Administration? A Public Administration Satire

Abstract

The study of public administration is a huge garden of fruits and vegetables. There are a wide variety of different plant species that are beneficial to the public interest. Unfortunately, however, every garden also harbors pests, both of the plant and animal kind. In this essay, the "garden" represents the fruits enjoyed by a democratic public administration and the primary destructive force is the unchecked power of the rat.1 The rat represents the worst of capitalist behavior that undermines democracy and public service. First, we will make a simple salad comprised of fruit, nuts, and vegetables. Second, we will be looking at the behavior of the rat in undermining the produce from the garden. Finally, we will conclude the short essay with a possible solution to the problem of the rat.