Public responsiveness, or bureaucratic responsiveness to citizen demands, is central to public administration theories. It is a key concept regarding the appropriate role of bureaucracy and professional administrators in a democratic political system. By exploring the complexity of the concept, this article proposes a pragmatic model as an alternative to the two mainstream models of understanding public responsiveness. The theoretical implication of the pragmatic model is also discussed. Future research should address administrators’ instrumental concerns in fostering public responsiveness.