Critical Social Theory in Public Administration

Front Cover
Routledge, Mar 26, 2015 - Medical - 176 pages
The essential premise of critical social theory is that contemporary society is neither democratic nor free, but that modern global capitalism creates a citizenry satiated with consumer goods, unaware of alternative ways of living. In the public sector, critical theory suggests that governing systems are influenced, if not controlled, by the wealthy and powerful, leaving public professionals to decide whether to serve those interests or the interests of a broader public. This book provides a framework for the application of critical social theory in public administration. Its goal is to encourage awareness among public administration scholars and practitioners of social conditions that tend to shape and constrain scholarship, practice, teaching, and social change. At a time when concern for public interest and a civil society have largely been displaced by the goals of economic efficiency and the "New Public Management," Critical Social Theory in Public Administration presents a viable alternative that incorporates the latest views of postmodern thinking with the central elements of critical social theory.
 

Contents

Introduction
3
1 Critical Imagination in a Postmodern Environment
14
2 Contradiction Utopia and Public Administration
32
Critical History
49
4 Critical Theory and the Paradox of Discourse
69
5 Pragmatic Discourse and Administrative Legitimacy
89
6 Private Lives and Antiadministration
109
7 Critical Practice and the Problem of Finding a Public
126
References
147
Index
157
About the Author
165
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Richard C. Box

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