In Defense of Politics in Public Administration: A Value Pluralist Perspective (Public Administration: Criticism and Creativity) - Hardcover

Spicer, Michael W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 081731685X ISBN 13: 9780817316853

Publisher: University Alabama Press, 2010

Synopsis

Scholars of public administration have historically too often been disdainful towards politics in the field, viewing political activities and interests as opportunities for corruption, mismanagement, and skewed priorities. Supporters of this anti-political stance have become even more strident in recent years, many of them advancing scientific models for the study and practice of public administration and governance. Michael Spicer argues that politics deserves to be defended as a vital facet of public administration on the grounds that it can promote moral conduct in government and in public administration, principally by bringing to the foreground the role of values in administrative practice. Politics can facilitate the resolution of conflicts that naturally arise from competing values, or conceptions of the good, while minimizing the use of force or violence. Drawing on the writings of Isaiah Berlin, Bernard Crick, and Stuart Hampshire, In Defens

About this title

About the Author:

Michael W. Spiceris Professor of Public Administration and Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and the author of Public Administration and the State (Alabama, 2001).

Review:

“This is a great book, entirely original, and I know of no work like it. It combines deep knowledge of relatively contemporary political and moral philosophy with a total command of the core literature in public administration. It goes well beyond works on ethics in public administration and is qualitatively well above even the best of them. Spicer is clearly among the very best minds in the field of public administration. He puts all the pieces together in this tour de force on what is and has long been the field's central question: What is the appropriate relationship of politics to public administration. This is a very important book and I hope it finds its way into every public administration program and every public administration faculty member's hands.”--David H. Rosenbloom, author of Building a Legislative-Centered Public Administration,Administrative Law for Public Managers, and Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector

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“Spicer argues that politics is central to public administration because it reflects the moral diversity and value differences found within a democracy. An outstanding book for collections on public administration, policy, and U.S. politiecs. Highly recommended for all readership levels.”—CHOICE

"Michael Spicer presents both a tightly argued endorsement of public administrators' necessary and legitimate participation in political discourse as well as a convincing rebuttal to those ... whose misplaced optimism about the possible benefits of technicist analysis, policy neutrality, and bureaucratic control conspire to produce what Spicer calls an 'antipolitical attitude.'"--Administrative Theory & Praxis / Public Administration Theory Network

About this edition

• Publisher: University Alabama Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 081731685X
• ISBN 13: 9780817316853
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 136