Public Management and Administration: An Introduction

Owen E. Hughes, Public Management and Administration: An Introduction, 2nd ed. (South Yarra, Vic.: Macmillan Education Australia, 1998), 280 pp., $38.95, ISBN 0 7329 5393 6 (pbk); ISBN 0 7329 5487 8.

The second edition of Owen Hughes' introductory text retains many of the good features which made the first edition so popular with students and lecturers. The comprehensive account of changing paradigms in public sector management; the simple and logical format; and the judicious use of bullet point lists to summarise the elements of important concepts give readers a basic guide to understanding the present system by appreciating the past. The chapters on the role of government, strategic management, performance management and public enterprise will continue to be valuable entry points for students orientating themselves to the complexities of public management. The chapter on policy analysis is...