Experts and Democracy: Political Science and Urban Reform in the Early Twentieth Century

This paper analyzes the relationship of political scientists to urban reform through their involvement in civic organizations in the early-twentieth century.  In doing so, it enables us to explore the changing role of social scientists in the organization of the state and civil society.  It also addresses the ways in which the expansion of government contributed to a transformation of democratic decision-making processes, particularly in terms of questions regarding the position of professional “experts” in determining the purpose and scope of government.

Through their work with reform groups, political scientists attempted to become this type expert directly involved in the restructuring of urban government.  The expansion of services provided by cities (transportation, utilities, etc.) led contemporaries to believe that they needed to reorganize not only the administration of government but also the representative structures.  Political scientists and reformers led discussions about how to balance a need for professional input with a desire to maintain democratic control.   They proposed civil service systems, the use of city managers, the adoption of initiative and referenda, and many other reforms.  The fundamental question of who should control the formation of policy – appointed professional experts, elected official, or citizens – lay at the heart of these debates.  The prominence of political scientists demonstrated their aspiration to serve as experts themselves, both in these initial discussions about the restructuring of government and in creating professional training schools.

Out of these debates emerged a model of civic democracy in which groups of professional experts claim to speak on behalf of a wider public.  This model would shape the institutions of civil society and government, from the local to the national levels, for decades to come.  Contemporary social scientists note many causes of this trend in post-war America, but I explore the influence of its earlier origins.