Preface to Public Administration: A Search for Themes and Direction

Stillman, Richard Joseph

ISBN 10: 1574200658 / ISBN 13: 9781574200652

Published by Chatelaine Pr, 1998

About this Item

Seller Inventory # Abebooks376865

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Preface to Public Administration: A Search for Themes and Direction
• Publisher: Chatelaine Pr
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1574200658
• ISBN 13: 9781574200652
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Examining the development of public administration from the late 18th century to the present, this text offers a comparative history of public administration in Europe. It considers current problems and controversies in public administration, as well as exploring possible remedies.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Chapter 3 "The U.S. Constitution...says nothing about government personnel, but the new [Civil Service Act of 1883] added a profoundly important element and outlook that, as as Frederick C. Mosher points out, sought to establish the merit criteria in place of patronage politics as the basis for selecting and promoting government employees. Merit, along with depoliticization and political neutrality, became via the Civil Service Act of 1883 the dominant theory governing personnel selection. Today these merit criteria permeate our government, so that now professional, scientific, and technical experts control many functions within public agencies, claiming more specialized expertise and greater knowledge than that of elected politicians and the lay public.