Handbook of Public Administration

PRAISE FOR HANDBOOK OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Public administration in today's era of governance faces big challenges, including leadership competency, accountability, evidence-based policy delivery, and public trust. The third edition of the Handbook of Public Administration provides much-needed coverage of the theory and practice to help address these contemporary concerns. It is a must-read for anyone involved in public administration at the local, national, and global levels. -Dr. Soonhee Kim, professor, Public Management, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Republic of Korea The third edition of this handbook will become a classic. Perry and Christensen rightly assume that 'public administration' is not static but instead a dynamic verb, which they conjugate actively as in governing, building, developing, sharpening, embracing, becoming, enacting, advancing, tracking, and professionalizing. By doing this, academic and practitioner activism become two sides of the same public sector coin. -Prof. Dr. Geert Bouckaert, professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven Instituut voor de Overheid - Public Governance Institute, Belgium; and president, International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) I benefited enormously from the first edition of this book as a student: it offered the best overview of a complex field. Almost twenty years later things have grown considerably more complex, reflected by a mix of new forms of governance, greater skepticism toward the state, and new technologies. The new Handbook is up to the task of helping both the student and scholar understand this world - indeed, it reclaims its status as the best overview of the field. -Dr. Donald P. Moynihan, professor, Public Affairs, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and president-elect, Public Management Research Association (PMRA) This is a book that every public administration student should read. With an elite group of contributors, it offers a comprehensive, advanced, balanced, and state-of-the-art coverage on how to become competent administrators and build effective public enterprises in achieving public purposes in the 21st century. A book full of treasures! -Dr. Kaifeng Yang, professor, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University; and International Adjunct Professor, Renmin University of China From matters of governing and building infrastructures for accountability to leading, managing, and professionalizing the practice of public administration, this terrific book will more than satisfy its readers from both the world of practice as well as academe. -Dr. Walter D. Broadnax, distinguished professor, Public Administration and International Affairs, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University Edited by distinguished scholars, this Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of major research topics with up-to-date information about theory and evidence. It is an indispensable guide to the scope and practice of public administration, and it is essential reading for all of those interested in how public organizations work. -Dr. Lotte Bøgh Andersen, professor, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Danish Institute of Governmental Research The new edition of the Handbook of Public Administration will serve as an essential source for public administration courses and as a key starting-point for new research in the field. -Dr. Steve Kelman, Weatherhead Professor of Public Management, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and editor, International Public Management Journal