Choice Review

Is it time for public administration to broaden its vision? Roberts (Univ. of Mass., Amherst) puts forth the provocative argument that the field has narrowed to a public management approach centered on processes within administrative states, and he advocates for public administration to embrace a global perspective and add country-level analysis. Structures, contextual factors, practices, and other aspects of public administration should be examined at the state (meso) level, not just at the more localized micro levels. The introductory chapter is followed by a section of brief essays that elaborate propositions about how public administration leaders engage in governance strategies. The second section identifies perennial "strategy-making dilemmas," and the final section outlines how the macro-level approach can be applied in research, teaching, and practice. The discussion demonstrates the author's in-depth understanding of Machiavelli, foundational public administration, American political development, fragile states, and global challenges. This reviewer wishes Roberts had delved more into the work of diverse scholars who are examining social equity, public engagement, and innovative democratic governance strategies. Likewise, discussion of nongovernmental organizations and international institutions is underdeveloped. Those topics could be the basis for a follow-up to this thoughtful text. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. --Marcia L. Godwin, University of La Verne