ABSTRACT
One of the core principles of the New Public Service is a reaffirmation of the centrality of the public interest in government service. The New Public Service demands that the process of establishing a “vision” for society is not something merely to be left to elected political leaders or appointed public administrators. Instead, the activity of establishing a vision or direction, of defining shared values, is something in which widespread public dialogue and deliberation are central (Bryson and Crosby 1992; Luke 1998; Stone 1988). Even more important, the public interest isn’t something that just “happens” as a result of the interaction between individual citizen choices, organizational procedures, and electoral politics. Rather, articulating and realizing the public interest is one of the primary reasons government exists.
