Public administration does not fit neatly within a democratic setting. Madison argued that government would not be necessary “if men were angels.” Likewise, there would be no problem with public management in a constitutional democracy if bureaucrats, contractors, and all others were faithful agents of positive authority. That this is not the case leads directly to the political creation of multifarious institutions that shape, restrict, enable, and motivate the way in which public management is practiced in democracies. This book is about that shaping, restriction, enabling, and motivation. It aims to introduce a political–economic approach to public administration to students at the advanced undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. My hope is that it will also serve applied researchers in public management and allied fields who would like to get an accessible overview of core ideas driving this type of research.

I have thought about writing this book for a very long time. Many conversations over the years have made it possible. Many discussions occurred in the halls and offices of places at which I have studied and worked and at a wide variety of conferences and events.