Herman Finer Anglo-American political scientist and theorist in the field of public administration. Date of Birth: 24.02.1898 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Herman Finer
2. Education and Early Career
3. Academic and Broadcasting Career
4. Contributions to Political Science
5. The Friedrich-Finer Debate
6. Later Life and Legacy

Biography of Herman Finer

Herman Finer was an Anglo-American political scientist and theorist in the field of public administration. He was born in the Bessarabian Governorate into a poor Jewish family, who fled Bessarabia and settled in London when he was a child. His father ran a greengrocer's shop in a small market on Chapel Street in the Islington district of London.

Education and Early Career

Finer completed his education at the London School of Economics in 1920 and taught there until 1942. During his time at the university, he was a member of the lightweight boxing team. He was an active member of the Labour Party and participated in the work of the London County Council.

Academic and Broadcasting Career

Finer was one of the first to introduce the teaching of comparative politics and society management as academic subjects in British universities. From 1946 to 1965, he served as a professor of social sciences at the University of Chicago. He gained wide recognition in the post-war years as a radio host of the University of Chicago Round Table, a program discussing political issues. He also hosted a series of television programs titled "Government and Human Nature." Some of these radio and television programs were published in book form.

Contributions to Political Science

Finer authored numerous monographs on various topics in political science, theory of public administration, social sciences, government structures of different countries, the structure of Italian fascism, and the textbook "Theory and Practice of Modern Government" (since 1932). His works include books such as "Mussolini's Italy" (1923), "Presidency: Crisis and Revival" (1960), and others.

In his work "Road to Reaction" (1945), Finer argued that state planning and social protection are not contradictory to the principles of democracy. In the book "America's Destiny" (1947), he examined the theoretical possibility of a "world government," suggesting that the creation of a unified government for common security and economy among at least Western European countries could be possible in the near future.

The Friedrich-Finer Debate

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Finer engaged in a well-known scholarly debate with Carl Joachim Friedrich, a political scientist from Harvard University, on the issue of accountability and responsibility of government officials and civil servants (known as the Friedrich-Finer Debate). Finer emphasized the importance of public control and oversight of the actions of government representatives, while Friedrich focused on the professionalism of administrators.

Finer believed that detailed executive control over the actions of government representatives was necessary, while Friedrich argued that traditional control and supervision procedures were insufficient. The debate centered on the relationship between responsibility and accountability in governance.

Later Life and Legacy

Herman Finer's younger brother, Samuel Finer, was a prominent British political scientist and historian. In the later years of his career, Herman Finer's contributions to the study of public administration influenced the development of the "Three Laws of Bureaucracy," which have become a cornerstone in the field. He passed away, leaving behind a legacy of insightful contributions to political science and the understanding of governance.