Comparative Public Administration

This accessible introduction to the system of public administration uses a clear, country by country analysis to the contemporary system of public administration and management in a number of significant countries. This text examines the extent to which new public management, politicians and public opinion can influence bureaucracies in various countries; in addition, it explores the role of public administration systems within the wider political systems and democratic frameworks of their states. The new edition revises and updates several of the original country studies including: the United States, France, the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Italy, and adds three more chapters on Greece, Russia, India and China. Each chapter is written to a common framework which makes comparison easier and covers the following issues:Political cultureThe Constitutional frameworkThe civil servicePublic sector agenciesFederal and local governmentFinancing the systemCo-ordination of the systemManaging the systemAccountability, secrecy and opennessDemocracy Further developments and the financial crashThis student-friendly volume is a highly valuable resource for students of Politics and Administration.This textbook is essential reading for students of comparative public administration.

"The book provides an agile and effective introduction to the administrative system of a number of important countries. This is a useful contribution that will introduce students to the growing field of comparative public administration." - Edoardo Ongaro, Professor of International Public Services Management, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK "This is an insightful account of an important though often neglected area of the political process. Written by country experts, and drawing on examples from China, Europe, India, Russia and the United States, it provides the reader with a clear and topical analysis of the workings and impact of public administration." - Dr Hugh Atkinson, Department of Social Sciences, London South Bank UniversityPraise for the first edition:"Comparative Public Administration offers students an easily accessible yet profound analysis of the structure of the state in Western Europe, the US and Japan. This rich volume suggests new and promising methods of research into how the state operates in advanced countries." - Jan-Erik Lane, University of Geneva

J. A. Chandler is an emeritus professor of Local Governance at Sheffield Hallam University and author of several books on local government, including  Explaining Local Government (Manchester University Press, 2009). He has also edited  Local Government in Liberal Democracies (Routledge, 1993) and The Citizen’s Charter (Dartmouth, 1996). He is completing Explaining Public Policy to be published by Routledge in 2014/15.