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Ralph P. Hummel

Ralph P. Hummel (August 9, 1937 – March 20, 2012) was a professor of public administration at the University of Akron and a founding fellow of the Institute of Applied Phenomenology in Science and Technology.[1][2][3] He is best known for his book The Bureaucratic Experience.

Education and career

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Hummel graduated from Wayne State University, where he worked for The Daily Collegian. He worked as a reporter and editor for The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other papers. He received his Ph.D. in political science from New York University in 1972.[1] His Ph.D. thesis examined the concept of charisma in the works of Max Weber.[4][5]

He taught at Fordham University, State University of New York at Fredonia, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York University, Brooklyn College, and the University of Oklahoma.[6] After 10 years as a professor at the University of Akron in the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, he retired in 2008 and became professor emeritus.[2][7]

The Bureaucratic Experience

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Hummel's most famous work was the book The Bureaucratic Experience which went through five editions (1977, 1982, 1987, 1994, and 2008). The book contends that bureaucracy is dehumanizing; for example, it deals with cases instead of people, and it focuses on efficiency at the expense of other human values.[8] Hummel also wrote The Real American Politics: Changing Perspectives on American Government (Jan 1986) and Politics for Human Beings with Robert A. Isaak (1975)

Personal life

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Hummel was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, on August 9, 1937, emigrated to Canada and eventually to the United States in 1951.[1] He was married to Camilla Stivers, a professor of public administration.[1] He died in Rockport, Maine on March 20, 2012.[9]

Selected publications

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  • Isaak, Robert A.; Hummel, Ralph P. (1975). Politics for Human Beings. North Scituate, MA: Duxbury Press. ISBN 978-0878720729.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (1977). The Bureaucratic Experience. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312108151.
  • Hummel, Ralph P.; Isaak, Robert A. (1980). Politics for Human Beings (2nd ed.). Monterey, CA: Duxbury Press. ISBN 978-0878722297.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (1982). The Bureaucratic Experience (2nd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312108519.
  • Hummel, Ralph P.; Isaak, Robert A. (1986). The Real American Politics: Changing Perspectives on American Government. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0137623525.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (1987). The Bureaucratic Experience (3rd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312108533.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (1990). "Uncovering Validity Criteria for Stories Managers Hear and Tell". American Review of Public Administration. 20 (4): 303–314. doi:10.1177/027507409002000404. hdl:11244/25081. S2CID 143947001.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (1991). "Stories Managers Tell: Why They Are as Valid as Science". Public Administration Review. 51 (1): 31–41. doi:10.2307/976634. JSTOR 976634.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (1994). The Bureaucratic Experience: a Critique of Life in the Modern Organization (4th ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312095543.
  • Gale, Scott A.; Hummel, Ralph P. (2003). "A Debt Unpaid — Reinterpreting Max Weber on Bureaucracy". Administrative Theory & Praxis. 25 (3): 409–418. doi:10.1080/10841806.2003.11029411. S2CID 156065737.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (2006). "The Triumph of Numbers: Knowledges and the Mismeasure of Management". Administration & Society. 38 (1): 58–78. doi:10.1177/0095399705284202. S2CID 143278380.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (2008). "Toward Bindlestiff Science: Let's All Get Off the 3:10 to Yuma". Administration & Society. 39 (8): 1013–1019. doi:10.1177/0095399707309815. S2CID 144691164.
  • Hummel, Ralph P. (2008). The Bureaucratic Experience: the Post-Modern Challenge (5th ed.). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765610102.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ralph P. Hummel (obituary)". The Courier-Gazette / Camden Herald. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  2. ^ a b University of Akron. "Dr. Ralph Hummel". Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  3. ^ Institute for Applied Phenomenology in Science and Technology. "Founding Fellows". Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  4. ^ Hummel, Ralph P. (1972). Charisma in Politics: Psycho-Social Causes of Revolution as Pre-Conditions of Charismatic Outbreaks within the Framework of Weber's Epistemology. New York: New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Science. OCLC 54839529.
  5. ^ Steyrer, Johannes (1998). "Charisma and the Archetypes of Leadership" (PDF). Organization Studies. 19 (5): 807–828. doi:10.1177/017084069801900505. ISSN 0170-8406. S2CID 145280795. Hummel (1972: 95 ff.), for example, proves 17 different phenotypes in his analysis of relevant texts by Weber….
  6. ^ Hummel, Ralph P. (2006). "The Triumph of Numbers: Knowledges and the Mismeasure of Management". Administration & Society. 38 (1): 58–78. doi:10.1177/0095399705284202. S2CID 143278380.
  7. ^ University of Akron (June 17, 2008). "Professor Retires". Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  8. ^ Hummel, Ralph P. (2008). The Bureaucratic Experience: the Post-Modern Challenge (5th ed.). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765610102.
  9. ^ "Ralph P. Hummel". Free Press Online (Rockland, ME). Retrieved June 25, 2012.
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