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Intended as a text for master’s level students in public administration and public policy, this volume provides an introductory survey of the field that focuses on the structures of operation, management, and environments of modern governments. The contributors address federal, state, and local governments as well as intergovernmental relations, discussing such topics as fiscal management, policy analysis, program evaluation, management and administration, marketing, and the developmental progress of national governments. Their aim throughout is to distill for the reader a solid base of current knowledge about the field of public administration and the challenges it offers to practitioners as we move into the 1990s.

The volume begins with an introductory chapter which addresses current and evolving issues in U.S. public administration and demonstrates the ways in which political, social, and economic trends impact upon modern governments and their managers. The functions and structure of the federal bureaucracy and state and local governments are described in detail in two chapters, followed by a chapter by editor Marcia Whicker that explores intergovernmental relations. The contributors then turn to an examination of government operations in the fiscal management, policy analysis, and program evaluation arenas. Three chapters discuss management issues, including organizational theory, leadership, and personnel administration. Finally, the text addresses the use and adaptation of private sector marketing techniques, the developmental progress of national governments, and the evolution of historical/philosophical values that constitute the framework for future governance.

MARCIA LYNN WHICKER is Professor of Public Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her previous works include, U.S. National Health Policy, Sex Role Changes: Technology, Politics, Policy, The Constitution Under Pressure: A Time for Change?, and When Presidents Are Great.

TODD W. ARESON is Assistant Professor and Assistant Director for Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.