The Spirit of Public Administration

In this field-defining, broad approach to the study and practice of public administration, H. George Frederickson, one of the field's most respected scolars, carefully measures the meets and bounds of public administration and fixes its place in the context of changing politics, values, and ethics. He describes a robust and exciting public administration that includes, but is much more than, effective government management. The Spirit of Public Administration defines an ethic for the field that illustrates: * What the differences are between public administration and government administration, and how these differences redefine the field * How to practice ethical and energetic public administration in the context of contemporary politics * Why fairness and benevolence are as important as efficiency and economy * What implications are evident in the transition from government to governance Frederickson strongly defAnds broad grants of discretion to public administrators and then lays out the proper norms and ethic which should inform that discretion. And he firmly argues that the effectiveness of democratic government and modern governance, not just for the majority of but for all citizens, depAnds on the energetic exercise of bureaucratic discretion. The book concludes with seven principles that should guide everyone who works in public settings. Students and scholars will find The Spirit of Public Administration an exhilarating and challenging perspective.

Introduction: Understanding Public Administration Part One: Governance, Politics, and the Public 1. Finding the Public in Public Administration 2. The Political Context of Public Administration 3. Public Administration as Governance Part Two: Issues of Fairness 4. The Question of Administrative Discretion 5. Fairness and Social Equity in Public Administration 6. Intergenerational Concepts of Public Administration Part Three: Ethics, Citizenship, and Benevolence in Public Administration 7. Ethics and Public Administration 8. The Paradox of Distance and the Problem of Differentiation (with David G. Frederickson) 9. Patriotism, Benevolence, and Public Administration (with David Kirkwood Hart) 10. The Public Administrator as a Representative Citizen (with Ralph Clark Chandler) 11. Pushing Things Up to Their First Principles