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New Directions in Public Administration

Serving Beyond the Predictable

Governments serve as a vehicle through which citizens, communities and societies express their values and preferences (Bourgon, 2007). Some of these values and preferences remain constant; while others change as societies confront new situations and evolve. Periodically, new values surface whose energy transforms the role of government and the practice of public administration. Reflecting back on the last three decades, we can see how public administrators around the world embarked on a journey of experimentation and innovation in response to changing circumstances and public expectations (Bourgon, 2008a). The nature and pace of change has been astonishing. The theme of the conference is `New Directions in the Study and Practice of Public Administration'. In addressing this theme, I will argue that the search for new directions in research and the practice of public administration should relate to the search for a new balance in the role of government.

Key Words: complexity • emergence • public sector reform • public sector performance • resilience • shared governance

Public Policy and Administration, Vol. 24, No. 3, 309-330 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0952076709103813


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