Rethinking Public Administration: The Case for Management

When we think about government, our thoughts are almost invariably about politics. Politicians deserve the attention they get, serving as they do at the top of federal, state, and local government. But there is a downside to focusing on politics, which is that we pay no attention to the management of our public institutions. Author Richard Clay Wilson, Jr., a former city manager, argues that the career managers who actually operate the entities of government have the capacity to significantly upgrade governmental performance. Before that can happen, though, we must rethink the roles of elected officials and career managers. This book points the way.