Theories of Public Organization

by Robert B. Denhardt

This brief, readable overview of public administration theory is the only book of its kind. In an area where ideas really make a difference, as those ideas directly affect the way we act in administration, the book's presentation of multiple viewpoints enables students to develop their own philosophies of public administration, and helps them relate theory to application.

Genres: Political Science

222 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1993

Reviews

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for a class on Organizational Theory/Behaviour. Unfortunately, this book felt rather redundant after having already read Ott's Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior, Baradat's Political Ideologies and Farmer's To Kill the King. Most of this book was a summary of dry information. My favourite part was actually in the appendix, a journaling activity that I am going to use while planning my dissertation.

One huge note: DO NOT BUY THE KINDLE EDITION. Every time that a scholar, such as Freud or Marx, is quoted in this Kindle textbook, the quote box instead displays: "Text not available due to copyright restrictions." This makes the Kindle version precisely worthless. Do not buy unless you want to spend the first week of classes scrambling to get your hands on the real book and the rest of the semester trying to catch up

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good summation of what I learned in the PA program. I read this for a Capstone class, so there was no new material, but it was presented in such a way as to tie together a lot of the theories I learned, doing a lot of the work for me.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book was better than some of the other books I've had to read for public administration. Denhardt simplifies things for those who are not familiar to the field, but not enough for it to be an easy read.

[Kayti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is another great round-up by the leading author in public administration--Robert Denhardt! This book captures the essence of how public administration began, how it's evolved through its history, and it's adaptation to "new public service" (another great book by Denhardt) in the modern age. For anyone that works in public administration, or is teaching that field, I highly encourage this read. This, and "new public service" are what's taking public administration into the 21st Century!

[Sean Doerr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good insights, at times easy to digest, but at other times almost seems rambling, drawn out and dry.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most exciting read, but a good overview of theories in public administration.