Volumes of Influence
| Published date | 01 October 2003 |
| Date | 01 October 2003 |
| DOI | 10.1177/095207670301800401 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
EDITORIAL
Volumes
of
Influence
Kevin
Theakston
University
of
Leeds
The
articles
carried
in
this
special issue
of
Public
Policy
and
Administration
originated
as
papers
presented
to
the
'Volumes
of
Influence'
symposium
organized
as
part
of
the
PAC
conference
held
at
the
University
of
York
in
September
2003.
The
aim
of
the
'Volumes
of
Influence'
project
was
to
explore
the
work
of
a
number
of
key
writers
and/or
books
on
British
government,
public
policy
and
administration.
The
basic
idea
was
to
revisit
and
(re)evaluate
some
of
the
landmark
or
classic
books
in
the
field
and
assess
the
contribution
of
some
of
the
most
influential
writers
who
have
played
a
significant
role
in
developing
the
discipline.
In
contrast
to
the
disciplinary
self-awareness
shown
in
some
other
fields
and
found
in
US
political
science,
the
history
and
the
development
of
our
own
subject
is
too often
a
neglected
dimension
in
the
UK
public
administration
academic
community,
and
in
the
UK
political
studies
world
more
generally.
The
flood
of
new
publications,
the
inevitable
and
necessary
updating
of
empirical
material,
and
the
shifting
tides
of
academic
fashion
all
combine
to
produce
something
like
a
form
of
collective
amnesia
in
relation
to
earlier
authors
and
books,
which
often
tackled
issues
and
debates
in
a
way
which
is
still
relevant
today,
even
if
labelled
or
framed
in
more
or
less
different
ways.
The
'volumes
of
influence'
project
was
thus
not
conceived
as
an
exercise
in
antiquarianism
or
archeology
but
started
on
the
basis
that
we
can
-
and
should
-
go
back
and
learn
from
the
best,
from
books
and
authors
which
stand
the
test
of
time.
The
collection
of
articles
assembled
here
is,
we
suspect,
just
the
first
step
in
the
exploration
of
the
UK's
public
administration
'hall
of
fame'.
A
whole
range
of
other
authors
and/or
books
could
be
legitimately
selected
for the
'volumes
of
influence'
treatment.
Indeed,
at
the
York
conference
we
also
had
stimulating
papers
and/or
presentations
on
W.J.M.
Mackenzie
(by
Christopher
Hood),
Samuel
Beer
(by
Michael
Moran),
S.E.
Finer's
Primer
of
Public
Administration
(by
Grant
Jordan),
and
W.A.
Robson
(by
Chris
Public
Policy
and
Administration
Volume
18
No.
4
Winter
2003
I
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