John Rohr, the Administrative State, and the Study of Administrative Constitutionalism

• Date: 01 March 2014
• Author: Peri E. Arnold
• Published date: 01 March 2014
• DOI: 10.1177/0095399713515872
• Subject Matter: Articles

Administration & Society

2014, Vol. 46(2) 160 –168

© The Author(s) 2013

DOI: 10.1177/0095399713515872

aas.sagepub.com

Article

John Rohr, the

Administrative

State, and the Study

of Administrative

Constitutionalism

Peri E. Arnold1

Abstract

John Rohr’s work made the Constitution central to American administration.

He created a normative conception of administrative constitutionalism,

and through textual interpretation he argued the framers’ ideas of

administration are consistent with modern administration. I interrogate

Rohr’s interpretations to argue that he overstated the compatibility of the

framers’ vision and modern administration. Thus, I argue, to support Rohr’s

normative program we must turn away from Rohr’s static Constitution and,

instead, engage theories of constitutional change.

Keywords

administrative state, constitutionalism, constitutional legitimacy

The Constitution and Public Administration

My contribution to this occasion honoring John Rohr interrogates his admin-

istrative constitutionalism. I review Rohr’s key arguments for American

administration’s constitutional legitimacy. Then, I identify several problems

with his characterizations of the framers’ conception of administration.

Finally, I conclude by sketching an expanded program for research on admin-

istrative constitutionalism.

1Department of Political Science, University of Notre Dame

Corresponding Author:

Peri E. Arnold, O’Shaughness Hall 217, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.

Email: peri.e.arnold.1@nd.edu

515872AAS46210.1177/0095399713515872Administration & SocietyArnold

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