New Public Service, The: Serving, Not Steering

by Janet V. Denhardt, Robert B. Denhardt

This volume synthesizes the many ideas and voices calling for the reaffirmation of democratic values, citizenship, and service in the public interest. It asks the reader to think carefully and critically about what public service is, why it is important, and what values ought to guide how we do it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Academic

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2002

Reviews

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the new bible of public service. It literally changed my life and perspective on bureaucracy. It picks up where Reinventing Government left off - and corrects Reinventing's market failures.

[Amanda J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the evolution of Public Administration.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of what the New Public Service is (and isn't). The format is interesting as well because in each chapter they break down specific concepts like accountability and participation by the Old PA, the New PM, and the NPS - so there is some reiteration of their points, but that is going to be very helpful to my students who are new to PA and graduate level work.

I really appreciated the emphasis on shared governance and the importance of public service.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear central argument in favour of service-driven public service - not focused purely on dollars or outcomes or measurable findings, but on, simply, public service in support of democracy - drives the book, under the flag of New Public Service (in contrast to previous schools of thought in public administration scholarship). The authors touch on many important points. The book, though, is structured as a highly theory-oriented discussion of public administration, with most chapters going into depth on three (chronologically sequential) schools - over and over again, throughout the book. This aspect drags. At a certain point, for a student new to the field, it feels a bit belaboured, and one wants to scroll down past the history and to the 'new stuff' in each chapter - which indeed is well written and holds up today.

[Scott Corsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presents an interesting evolution of PA with a more democratic suggested approach toward administration. Good read for those interested in PA and for those interested in thinking of more public focused administration.

[Kristen McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for interests and studies in policy and administration.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three metaphors guide this excellent little book. The "Old Public Administration" featured the metaphor of "rowing." As the authors put it (page 169): ". . .the purpose of government was simply to deliver services efficiently, and that problems were to be addressed primarily by changing the organization's structure and control systems." The "rowing" refers to the hard work of public administration delivering services.

The "New Public Management" uses a different metaphor, "steering." The authors note (page 13): "They are urged to 'steer, not row,' meaning they should not assume the burden of service delivery themselves, but, wherever possible, should define programs that others would then carry out, through contracting or other such relationships. . . .New Public Management [NPM:] relies heavily on market mechanisms to guide public programs."

And, finally, the preferred metaphor of the Denhardts, "serving." Their "New Public Service" would focus on "listening" to and "serving" the public. They observe that NPM forgets who owns the boat. That is, government belongs to the people, not the "steerers"; ". . .public administrators should focus on their responsibility to serve and empower citizens as they manage public organizations and implement public policy." (page 23).

One of the more interesting themes that are addressed in this volume: NPM looks at people as customers and tries to figure out how best to make consumers satisfied; the authors of this volume argue that we are to serve citizens, not create satisfied customers. In a democracy, citizenship means something and the people should be engaged through the New Public Service. With its market-oriented perspective, according to the authors, NPM does not consider citizenship as a critical factor.

This is a well written and thought provoking essay, well worth reading by those interested in contemporary public administration, by the idea of public service, and by those wondering how democracy can thrive in a complex organizational world.

[Patricia Jaramillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book especially when you read it with The Just City. Denhardt and Denhardt emphasize the process and Fainstein emphasizes the outcome.

[Lincoln · Rating 1 out of 5]

The customer is not always right.

[Anson]

A good modern theory on how to be a public servant in a democractic society

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because my MPA class syllabus called for it; otherwise, I would not have selected it.