Public Administration and the Illiberal Challenge by Michael W Bauer

Public Administration and the Illiberal Challenge by Michael W Bauer

This Element addresses the illiberal challenge facing public administration amidst the rise of authoritarian populism and democratic backsliding. It investigates how populist governments seek to reshape state bureaucracies, often undermining liberal democratic principles such as pluralism, expertise, and constitutional safeguards, and examines how public administration must respond to safeguard democratic integrity. Drawing on global examples, the Element identifies strategies of populist administrative manipulation, patterns of bureaucratic compliance and resistance, and critical gaps in scholarly understanding. It develops a framework for analyzing these dynamics and proposes normative principles to defend active democratic bureaucracy. Through theoretical inquiry and practical recommendations, it advocates for robust, ethically grounded public administration capable of countering illiberal pressures. Its central thesis underscores the need to restore the intellectual foundation of public administration as a social science deeply embedded in and committed to the democratic policy process. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781009635073
ISBN 10	1009635077
Title	Public Administration and the Illiberal Challenge
Author	Bauer Michael W
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2026-05-31
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.