ABSTRACT
Public administration as a field of study finds itself in the middle of a fluid environment. The very reach and complexity of public administration has been easy to take for granted, easy to attack, and difficult to explain, particularly in the soundbite and Twitter-snipe media environment. Not only has the context for the discipline changed, but the institutions of public administration have adapted and innovated to deliver services to the public and serve those in power while becoming increasingly complex themselves. Has public administration evolved? And what new lines of research are critical for effective policy and delivery of programs and public services while preserving foundational principles such as the rule of law and expert institutions? This Handbook of Public Administration sheds light for new researchers, doctoral students, scholars, and practitioners interested in probing modern public administration’s role in solving major challenges facing nations and the world.
This fourth edition recognizes that the scholarship of public administration must reflect the diverse influence of an international orientation, embracing public administration issues and practices in governance systems around the world, and illustrating just how practice can vary across jurisdictions. Every section identifies foundational principles and issues, shows variation in practice across selected jurisdictions, and identifies promising avenues for research. Each chapter revisits enduring themes and tensions, showing how they persist, along with new challenges and opportunities presented by digital technology and contemporary political realities. The Handbook of Public Administration, Fourth Edition provides a compelling introduction to and depiction of the contemporary realities of public administration, and it will inspire new avenues of inquiry for the next generation of public administration researchers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|161 pages
The Contemporary Complexity of Public Administration
part |54 pages
Foundations and Tensions in Public Administration
chapter 2|12 pages
A Transfer-of-Ideas Approach to the History of Public Administration
chapter 5|11 pages
The Challenges of Discretion, Collaboration, and Ambiguity for Administrative Law
part |68 pages
The Evolving and Increasing Variety of Public Administration
part |38 pages
Analyzing Public Administration with Complexity Lens
chapter 12|15 pages
How Complexity Informs Public Policy and Administrative Practice
part 2|150 pages
Crucibles for Public Administration
part |65 pages
Budgeting and Performance Monitoring for More Complex Environments
part 14|22 pages
From Theories to Practice
chapter 15|13 pages
Conformity and Diversity in Budgetary Systems
chapter 17|16 pages
Aptitude, Accountability, and Adaptation
chapter 20|10 pages
Rapid Advances in HRM Technologies and Public Employment Systems
part |41 pages
Public Administration and Regenerating the Policy Cycle