Abstract

The consolidation of managerial regimes has hinged on an often ignored religious precondition. Without liberal Protestantism, modern administration would not have established its political culture as decisively as it has. Obviously, some countries with enormous welfare states, like Belgium, Austria, and France are overwhelmingly Catholic (at least in terms of their confessional affiliation). Furthermore, non-Protestants in the US, Canada, and England vote disproportionately for political candidates who promise more, not less public administration. Finally, in preponderantly Protestant countries, Protestants are usually found in the right-center of what passes for the political spectrum. Yet, as Thomas C. Reeves suggests, the Protestant…