Politicization of administration is generally held to be an innovative process: the administration seems to strip off its neutral phenotype. This false notion stems from a model of analysis that ignores the administration'senvironmental interrelations and the administrative function.A functional systems model is proposed which is capable of avoiding normative implications. This model helps to understand politicization of administration as an adaptive process of the capitalist state which is thus reacting to trends of economization and "socialization" of politics. The adaptation is held to be partially successful only. Political and administrativeproblem-solving tends to come out more and more critical. The only solution to this - extended participation - cannot be conceded for system's reasons.