The public administration in Germany has been described as one of the world's 'classic administrative systems'. It was on German soil that one of the prime examples of the efficient service structure in public affairs originally developed which is so characteristic of the modern state. In view of the cracks in recent German history the continuing efficiency of public administration is considered remarkable. In addition German scholars - from Max Weber to Fritz Morstein Marx - whose works have attracted attention from far beyond the confines of Germany, have contributed to the establishment of basic academic principles for an international discussion of administrative phenomena. But even in Germany the negative aspects of state bureaucracies have not gone unobserved and criticism from abroad of our particular political system has not exactly spared our public administration either. In some places ideas may persist that no longer match the reality of state and administration in today's Federal Republic of Germany.

A comparative, interdisciplinary examination of the mechanisms behind public administration Global Dimensions of Public Administration and Governance is a comprehensive, comparative text on the structure and function of governments around the world. Written by two of the field's leading public administration scholars, this book provides an interdisciplinary perspective and a global, historical, and theoretical examination of the management and governance of the modern state. Readers learn how territory, bureaucracy, and political systems influence policy and reform in over thirty countries, and how these mechanisms affect the everyday lives of citizens. This comparative approach features rich examples of how policy is shaped by culture, and how modern policy principles are filtered to fit a country's needs and expectations. Chapters conclude with comparative analyses that help readers better-understand the role and position of government in the contemporary world, both in democratic societies and less-than-democratic environments. Governance doesn't happen in a vacuum. Those responsible for policy, regulation, and reform take cues from history, current events, and visions for the future to inform thinking on matters that can potentially affect a large number of everyday lives. This book illustrates the thought process, providing the necessary insight these important decisions require. Understand the relationship between structure and function of government Learn how policy is culture-dependent Examine the political and societal contexts of reform Discover the myriad forms of modern bureaucracy The various social sciences provide valuable information and perspectives for those involved in public administration. Those perspectives converge here to form a thorough, well-rounded, examination of the success and failure possible, and the mechanisms through which they take place. Global Dimensions of Public Administration and Governance provides a detailed, wide-ranging look at how modern governments operate, how they got this far, and where they're headed for the future.

This major international handbook provides a complete review and guide to past and present knowledge in this essential field of inquiry. Assembling an outstanding team of scholars from around the world, it comprehensively explores the current state of the art in academic thinking and the current structures and processes for the administration of public policy following this period of rapid transformation and change.

This book has been written to explain some of the fundamental issues of public administration to a wide audience. The author, Emeritus Professor and former head of the Department of Political Science at The University of Hong Kong, has had many years experience in the study and teaching of public administration in both European and African states (in the 50s and 60s) and Asia (in the 70s and 80s).

An interesting study of the German higher Education system, examining the development of higher education policies from the post-war years, to the post-unification period.

Discussing the features of public administration, this work explores organization theory and behaviour in the public sector. It covers public policy and its implementation, and considers the evolution of ethics, offering alternative ethical constructs for use by the practicing public administrator. The work also explores Total Quality Management in government, government contracting, privatization, voluntarism and government corporations. The implications of the Government Performance Act of 1993 and recent developments in budgetary thinking including target base budgeting and cutback are also included.

Deregulation, privatization and marketization have become the bywords for the reforms and debates surrounding the public sector. This major book is unique in its comparative analysis of the reform experience in Western and Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Leading experts identify a number of key factors to systematically explain the similarities and differences, map common problems and together reflect on the future shape of the public sector, exploring significant themes in a lively and accessible way.