A World Republic of Administration? International Circulation, Governing Sciences, and Administrative Reform (1910-1945)

During the interwar period, a community of actors—at the interface of senior administration and the university—was established at the international level. It aimed at training administrators and setting up a science of administrative thought as a tool for administrative reform. This “Republic of Administration” moreover and furthermore intended to strengthen administration in a liberal state. This article focuses on the political intentions of the reformers. They tried to reinforce efficient public policies and to enable administrative experts to play a key role in their implementation. However, this article also underlines the absence of proper international circulation among the members of this community. The project of a Republic of Administration remained incomplete as the purposes were not the same among the reformers on both sides of the Atlantic in terms of scientific claims, as well as political aims and geopolitical targets. The international coming-together of administrative reformers did not really occur.