1st Edition

Government: A Public Administration Perspective A Public Administration Perspective

By Jos C. N. Raadschelders Copyright 2003
    462 Pages
    by Routledge

    462 Pages
    by Routledge

    Most public administration texts overly compartmentalize the subject and don't interconnect the various specializations within government, which leaves a serious gap in preparing students for public service. Government: A Public Administration Perspective is designed to fill that void. It provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of government that includes perspectives from political science, political theory, international relations, organizational sociology, economics, and history. The text draws on classic and modern literature from all these areas to analyze government at four different levels - ideational, societal, organizational, and individual layers. It links public administration's various subfields - human resource management, budgeting, policy making, organizational theory, etc. - into a holistic framework for the study of government. It also includes an extensive bibliography drawing from American and European literature in support of the book's global, historical, and comparative approach.

    Introduction; 1. Government: The Most Complex Social Phenomenon of Our Time; Part I. Why Government? The Ideational (Institutional) Level; 2. Citizens and Their Government: Who Needs Who? 3. The Legal Constitution of Society and Government; 4. The Moral Constitution of Society and Government; Part II. What Services Does Government Provide? The Societal (Institutional) Level; 5. Democracy: Between Local Community and National Government; 6. Equality Before the Law: Social Justice and the Administration of Justice; 7. The Nightwatch State: External and Internal Safety; 8. The Welfare State: Novelty and Triumph of the Twentieth Century; Part III. How Does Government Operate? The Organizational (Actor) Level; 9. Efficiency: Government Between Legalist-Administrative and Managerial Values; 10. Organizational Structure, Culture, Change, and Reform; 11. The Functioning of Government; Part IV. Who Governs? The Individual (Actor) Level; 12. Political Officeholders and Political Employees; 13. Bureaucrats and the Civil Service: Between Images and Facts; 14. Organized Society: Citizenship, Interest Groups, and Citizen Participation; Conclusion; 15. A Holistic Perspective on Government and Governance

    Biography

    Jos C. N. Raadschelders