Communication
| Date | 01 December 1999 |
| Author | Michael Hunt |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9248.00242 |
| Published date | 01 December 1999 |
| Subject Matter | Communication |
Communication
Andrew Dunsire, `Then and Now: Public Administration, 1953±1999', Political Studies,
XLVII (1999), 360±78
Andrew Dunsire notes in his stimulating article that both the ®eld and the study of
Public Administration in this country have undergone such a variety of upheavals that `it
has almost been exciting'. He is in an excellent position to judge since he has made a
substantial contribution to the study of the subject since 1953.
Nevertheless, it is possible to question the scope of his analysis, particularly in relation
to the ®eld of study from 1975 to 1999. In part this questioning arises from the emphasis
in his article on the development of theory but it is also encouraged by his assertion that
`the NPM model took over fromthe traditional model' and his plea that `someone . . . has
to keep alive and nurture the idea of a ``public'' sector or ``public service ethic'''. But the
traditional model has not died, there is no need for it to be allied to the `emerging ®eld of
representative democracy', and the ideas (and ideals) of public service have been the
focus of a number of studies in recent years.
As Dunsire implies, many of the curricula of (undergraduate) courses in Public
Management or Public Policy are very similar to those of traditional courses in Public
Administration. There may be some changes to individual modules but there has been
little change to the values underpinning such courses. Those courses that are oriented to
preparing undergraduates to work in the public service still attempt to impart an
understanding of the values of collective community provision as much as they seek to
make students aware of the contribution of management processes.
Just as importantly, there is a considerablebody of empirical research which both tests
the practical application of the new public management and also examines its relevance
to continuing demands for accountable and responsible government. Some of this
research considers twentieth century administrative history,1some takes a more general
critical and re¯ective perspective on the practice of public administration2and there is
also a considerable volume of other critical and re¯ective work dealing with speci®c
aspects of the subject.3In addition, a number of specialist research centres have been
established, among them the Centre for the Study of Public Order (Leicester University)
and the Centre for Ombudsman Studies (Reading University). Some emerging themes
(for example, ethics in the public sector) owe much more to the attempt to further
understand the nature of eective and responsible administration in the twenty-®rst
century than to notions of management. Finally, a number of signi®cant undergraduate
#Political Studies Association 1999. Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 CowleyRoad, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main
Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
Political Studies (1999), XLVII, 967±968
1Peter Barberis, The Elite of the Elite (Dartmouth, 1996); Richard A. Chapman and J. R.
Greenaway, The Dynamics of Administrative Reform (Croom Helm, 1980); Richard A. Chapman,
Leadership in the British Civil Service (Croom Helm, 1984); Georey K. Fry, The `Administrative
Revolution' in Whitehall (Croom Helm, 1981); Barry J. O'Toole, Private Gain and Public Service
(Routledge, 1989); Kevin Theakston, Leadership in Whitehall (Macmillan, 1998).
2Howard Elcock, Change and Decay? Public Administration in the 1990s (Longman, 1991);
Robert Pyper, Aspects of Accountability in the British System of Government (TudorBusiness, 1991);
Diana Woodhouse, In Pursuit of Good Administration (Oxford University Press, 1997).
3Peter Barberis (ed.), The Civil Service in an Era of Change (Dartmouth, 1997); Richard A.
Chapman (ed.), Ethics in Public Service (Edinburgh University Press, 1993); Georey Marshall,
Ministerial Accountability (Oxford University Press, 1989); Barry J. O'Toole, `T.H. Green and the
ethics of senior ocials in British central government', Public Administration, 68 (1990), 337±52;
Robert Pyper, `The civil servant's right to leak', Political Quarterly (January 1995), 72±81; Diana
Woodhouse, Ministers and Parliament (Oxford University Press, 1994).
To continue reading
Request your trial