This volume faces the challenge of the 21st century in this masterly analysis of the legitimate options open to public administration in a democratic society. Against a background of globalization of markets, increased prejudice, and racial and ethnic violence, the author demonstrates the centrality of administrative legitimacy to a 21st century that is an improvement over the 20th.

Exploring the concept of responsible government and administration, this book creates a new paradigm for looking at the issue. Michael M Harmon rejects the current predominant rationalist' theory, which holds that responsibility involves an intractable conflict between the potential free will of an actor and the restrictions of the institution within which the actor operates. He suggests that public administration must undergo a paradigm shift in which institutional restrictions and individual free will create a healthy and dynamic tension and are not completely incompatible.

This classic book by Sir Geoffrey Vickers first published 30 years ago speaks to both the student//academic and the practitioner interested in understanding decision-making in organizational settings. As the biographical essay elucidates, Vickers' ideas arose from his rich and multifaceted career as a practitioner. His work provides for the integration of theory and practice that is without parallel anywhere in the literature.

Written in a lively and accessible style The Art of Judgment continues to be a seminal work for scholars seeking to develop an interpretive and critical account of...