Ralph P. Hummel Explained

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

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

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

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

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

Notes and References

1. News: Ralph P. Hummel (obituary) . The Courier-Gazette / Camden Herald . April 23, 2012 . June 22, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607171712/http://knox.villagesoup.com/people/announcement/obituaries/ralph-p-hummel/814045 . June 7, 2012 .
2. Web site: Dr. Ralph Hummel. University of Akron . June 25, 2012.
3. Web site: Founding Fellows . Institute for Applied Phenomenology in Science and Technology . June 25, 2012.
4. Book: Hummel . Ralph P. . Charisma in Politics: Psycho-Social Causes of Revolution as Pre-Conditions of Charismatic Outbreaks within the Framework of Weber's Epistemology . 1972 . New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Science . New York. 54839529.
5. Steyrer. Johannes . Charisma and the Archetypes of Leadership. Organization Studies. 19. 5. 1998. 807–828. 0170-8406. 10.1177/017084069801900505. 145280795 . Hummel (1972: 95 ff.), for example, proves 17 different phenotypes in his analysis of relevant texts by Weber…..
6. Hummel. Ralph P.. The Triumph of Numbers: Knowledges and the Mismeasure of Management. Administration & Society. 38. 1. 2006. 58–78. 10.1177/0095399705284202. 143278380 .
7. Web site: Professor Retires. June 17, 2008. University of Akron . June 25, 2012.
8. Book: Hummel, Ralph P.. The Bureaucratic Experience: the Post-Modern Challenge . M.E. Sharpe . Armonk, NY . 2008 . 5th. 9780765610102 .
9. News: Ralph P. Hummel . Free Press Online (Rockland, ME). June 25, 2012.