Thinking Government: Public Sector Management in Canada, Second Edition - Softcover

Johnson, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551117797 ISBN 13: 9781551117799

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Higher Education Division, 2006

Synopsis

Thinking Government, second edition is fully revised and updated. It maintains the descriptive and analytical focus of the first edition while including new materials and coverage of the Martin Government, the new Conservative Party, the federal elections of 2004 and 2005, Budget 2005, the politics and administration of a minority government, and the contemporary debates regarding the public policy direction of the country. It contains a full description and analysis of the institutions of the federal government and the nature and working of the power relations between elected politicians and senior public servants, along with in-depth coverage of organizational theory, a comparison of public and private sector management, and a critical review of management decision-making.

As with the first edition, David Johnson offers a thorough introduction to the fields of Canadian public administration and public sector management. The book devotes special attention to the role of government in society, as well as how ideas and ideologies shape Canadians? thinking about the role of the state, and how parties and governments respond. As with its predecessor, this second edition clearly places Canadian government and public administration within its inherent political context. It assesses systems of financial and human resource management, including coverage of the politics of the budgetary process, employment equity policy, human resource reform, and collective bargaining in the federal public service. Thinking Government, second edition also devotes considerable attention to contemporary issues in management reform, public sector accountability and ethics, and the dynamic of transformative leadership within the public service.

About this title

About the Author:

David Johnson is Professor of Political Science at Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Review:

Thinking Government is a comprehensive primer that systematically puts the principles and practice of Canadian public administration in political, historical, and philosophical context. It is nicely presented, combining accessible expositions of classic and contemporary perspectives on public administration with a range of government and media exhibits to illustrate points or provoke debate. Along with its website, glossaries, and print and URL bibliographies, Thinking Government offers a 'one-stop' resource, perfect for courses on Canadian public administration and governance.

(Evert A. Lindquist, Director, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria)

David Johnson provides a fresh new approach to presenting public administration. In an increasingly crowded field, Johnson's textbook stands out for its thought-provoking approach to our usual assumptions about public administration and its relation to broader questions about our society. Johnson looks at contemporary developments in public management and provides both the historical and political context that gives these developments real meaning. This makes the text both more relevant to students and useful for instructors. Johnson has clearly set the new standard in terms of his presentation of this material and his analysis of these complex issues.

(Ken Rasmussen, Director, Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Higher Education Division
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1551117797
• ISBN 13: 9781551117799
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 668