The man instrumental in the creation of the Brookings Institution, Charles E. Merriam, sought to move toward a science of politics. In his presidential address to APSA in 1921, he spoke of what he called a pressing problem, the reconstruction of the methods of political study (Merriam 1921, 174). Thus began a trend that placed increasing emphasis on the development of theories and testable hypotheses.

p. 644. - "Ties that bind: The link between public administration and political science." 2003