Herbert A. Simon (1916-2001) introduced the concept of “bounded
rationality” to the study of decision making in public
administration. He held that decision makers in public
organizations were “intendedly rational,” but operated within a
recognizable set of constraints. His argument generated decades of
discussion and debate, initiating searches for systematic methods
of decision-making and a theoretical model of problem solving in
public administration.
Critically discuss the main arguments for Simon’s concept of
bounded rationality, and the major constraints that affect...