Power and Service: A Cross-National Analysis of Public Administration

Hardy Wickwar takes a global look at public administration from the perspective of one whose lifetime has spanned most continents and most of a century. His volume investigates what governments do to, for, and with people; how governments treat their lands and the resources on, in, around, and above them; and how governments relate to their citizens through the exercise of power, law, and political judgement. Relating public administration to a country’s social structure, law, and history, the volume expounds a European model and then analyzes variants in relation to differences in geography and historical setting. Wickwar makes a sharp distinction between continental countries where people accept the state as supremely important and island countries that do not. Taking as a given the fact that governments render services, Wickwar examines the varying ways in which they use their power to serve their people: what governments do themselves and what they leave for other social institutions to accomplish. Because of its clear view of the relationship between the structure of a particular society’s thought and of its institutions, without assuming that an American administrative model ought to be emulated worldwide, Power and Service serves as an excellent guidebook for those who operate in various administrative environments internationally.

The volume is divided into three major sections: World Picture, Country Model, and Western Variance. Part I begins by elaborating on the idea and ideals of public administration and how they have emerged, establishing bases for comparing public administration in time, space, and phases of modernity. The eight chapters that compose section II scrutinize public order, education and health services, income protection services, and more using a European model as a point of reference. Western Variance assesses both western and world variants, considering variants in both insular and continental settings. The final chapter, Horizon 2001, probes the emerging world of global public administration discourse. By all standards this volume will be essential reading in courses in comparative administration, politics, criminal justice, social service, health administration, international relations, and European history.

HARDY WICKWAR is Professor Emeritus of Government and International Studies at the University of South Carolina. His worldwide experience as a United Nations civil servant informs this work. Wickwar is now a consultant in health and social administration and his clients include a graduate medical education center and a council on aging. His previous publications include The Struggle for the Freedom of the Press and Political Theory of Local Government. His current project is a volume on the political science of aging.