The American Experiment With Government Corporations (Bureaucracies, Public Administration, and Public Policy)

Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Chicago Housing Authority -- all are examples of a controversial institution, the government corporation. This hybrid organizational form incorporates the best features of public and private management to accomplish tasks that are unsuited for commercialization or ordinary public administration.This comprehensive assessment of government corporations sets aside ideological presuppositions to reexamine the record and identify both the successes and failures of this unique arrangement. By viewing public administration as an experiment, the author challenges readers to think creatively about the government corporation and ways to reinvent it, capitalizing on its strengths and compensating for its shortcomings.