Public Administration Evolving: From Foundations to the Future demonstrates how the theory and practice of public administration has evolved since the early decades of the twentieth century. Each chapter approaches the field from a unique perspective and describes the seminal events that have been influential in shaping its evolution.
This book presents major trends in theory and practice in the field, provides an overview of its intellectual development, and demonstrates how it has professionalized. The range from modernism to metamodernism is reflected from the perspective of accomplished scholars in the field, each of whom captures the history, environment, and development of a particular dimension of public administration. Taken together, the chapters leave us with an understanding of where we are today and a grounding for forecasting the future.
"This book helps public adminstrators benchmark our field by understanding how far theory and practice have evolved in responding to far reaching social, demographic, economic and political trends. The editors have done practitioners and academics a real service by bringing together in one volume the reflections of top thought leaders in our field covering the major issues ranging from intersectoral relationships to social equity to ethics. This volume will have a long shelf life." - Paul L. Posner, Director of the Master's in Public Administration program at George Mason University, USA
"This book weaves a striking tapestry of public administration. The warp threads are the topics of the chapters: ethics, management, IT, equity, federalism, performance, professionalism, and others. The woof threads are the historical trends that all of us are experiencing: changing demographics, communication, accountability, globalization, public debt, inclusiveness, and urbanization. The tapestry weaves together both sets of threads to make a fabric that links together the past and future. All thoughtful observers and practitioners of government need to read this book to understand the strength, flaws, durability, and beauty of this fabric of public administration." - John R. Bartle, Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of Nebraska Omaha, USA
