Overview

For instructors who want to expose their students to the social, political, and historical context of the practice of public administration, this book provides a unique approach to the introductory PA course. The author's own text is skilfully interwoven with a collection of seminal readings and documents that illuminate the key issues of past and present for public service professionals in a democratic society. More than an overview of public administration, Public Administration and Society offers students a broad perspective on the American Founding Era, the relationship of citizens to government, and how the structure of government reflects societal values. The premise of the book is that understanding the societal context is important to the success of the practitioner and to the practitioner's role as a responsible agent of change in a democratic society. Introductory essays and readings offer students perspectives on five important thematic areas in public administration: the Founding-Era debate over the size and scope of government, the relationship of the community to the individual, public organizations and policy making, values and public administration, and the role of the public service practitioner in a democratic society. This new edition of features five new readings, and, based on input from adopters, an entirely new section on public policy making (Part IV: Public Organizations and Policy). The author's part-opening sections have all been extensively revised and updated.

Full Product Details

9780765635341

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Richard C. Box is Regents/Foundation Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Visiting Distinguished Professor in the Hauptmann School of Public Affairs at Park University in Kansas City. He served as a land-use planner and city administrator in local governments in Oregon and California before completing his doctorate at the University of Southern California. His writing focuses on the role of the public-service practitioner in a democratic society and the application of critical social theory in public administration. He is the author or editor of Citizen Governance: Leading American Communities into the 21st Century (Sage Publications, 1998); Public Administration and Society: Critical Issues in American Governance (M.E. Sharpe, 2004, 2009, 2013); Critical Social Theory in Public Administration (M.E. Sharpe, 2005); Democracy and Public Administration (M.E. Sharpe, 2007); and Making a Difference: Progressive Values in Public Administration (M.E. Sharpe, 2008).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available