Opportunities for

The future
Globalizatio
Democracy
n,
an New
, Public
d Service
the
THE IMPORTANCE OF
PUBLIC SERVICE

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◆ Over the past decade, Americans have seen
tax reductions and tax reform at the federal
level, as well as tax limitations at the state
and local levels.
◆ In several important areas – notably
education, economic development, and
environmental concerns – the states are taking
positive actions.
◆ Public confidence in state and local
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TRENDS
PUBLIC
in
SERVICE
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Globalizat
ion

INCREASING
D E M O C R AT I Z AT I O N A N D THE
E X PA N D I N G ROLE OF
CITIZENS IN THE
G OV E R N M E N T P R O C E SS
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Economic Changes And
Redefining Government

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Direct implications
for those in public
service:
◆ Public managers face challenges in areas where
traditional industries, such as steel or timber, have
suddenly declined, as “high tech and high touch”
has become a banner for economic growth.
◆ Those at the state and local levels must play new
and important roles in economic development,
including international economic development,
which may require them to know as much about
business decisions.
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◆ There are also challenges for those
operating public programs, especially in the
human services, who have found
government spending severely restricted at
a time when the need for those services
seems ever increasing.

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◆ Subprime and near-prime mortgages were
offered to buyers who historically had not
been able to qualify because of low credit
scores or insufficient resources for a down
payment, often with little or no
documentation of income.
◆ Banks also made it easier for homeowners
to refinance loans and withdraw cash from
9 homes that had gone up in value.
◆ This expansion of credit fueled global speculation in
real estate and mortgage-backed securities,
reinforcing risky lending practices as the lines
between traditional investment banks and
mortgage lenders were blurred by government
deregulation.
◆ In responding to these challenges, government is
not alone. Public service work is no longer the work
only of government, but an effort in which
governmental agencies, non-profit and third-sector
10 organizations, and corporate and business interests
EXAMPL
◆ In many states, the number of E S employed
people
by private security forces exceeds the number
employed by local police departments.
◆ In some cities, the chamber of commerce is so
involved in public programs that it receives more
funding from government than it receives from
private business.
◆ In major urban areas, fewer than half of human
services are delivered by government; the
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majority is delivered by nonprofit and private
◆ An important consideration with respect to the
reform movements relates to the application of
entrepreneurial practices and business values in
public service. Although transforming the
relationship between a government and its citizens
in economic terms may generate cost savings and
lead to more stream-lined public organizations, the
question remains as to what the long-term impact
will be for issues of citizenship and public
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participation.
GLOBALIZATION

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◆ Some argue that globalization “defines the
fundamental challenge to the role of
government and public administration in the
twenty-first century”.
◆ City managers, for example, find that to be
effective in local economic development
activities, they must be experts in
international business. But global
interdependencies will affect us in other ways
14 as well.
◆ Several diverse views have emerged relating to
this globalization trend. They range from a
critical perspective, in which the trend is seen as
an attempt by developed nations to introduce
Western values into other regions, to what
supporters believe to be a chance to extend
employment opportunities and wealth creation
into impoverished nations.

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◆ Relating to the internalization process is a pattern
that carries perhaps even greater implications:
decentralization. Central governments are
handing over new powers and responsibilities to
local and regional authorities.
◆ As we continue to live in our “global village,” we
will be challenged to deal with opportunities and
threats that defy national boundaries. Our
systems of governance will need to reflect our
concern for the public interest – both at home and
16 abroad.
THE ROLE OF
CITIZENS IN THE
GOVERNANCE
PROCESS

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◆ More countries than ever before are working
to build democratic governance. Their
challenge is to develop institutions and
processes that are more responsive to the
needs of ordinary citizens, including the poor,
and that promote development.
◆ Moving beyond their role as recipients of
government services, citizens increasingly are
involved in helping shape the policies and
programs that affect their lives.
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◆ This form of participation represents a return to
important principles that underlie our system of
democracy, such as becoming more concerned with
equity and justice, as opposed to merely efficiency
and performance.
◆ Public administrators often associate civic
engagement with public hearings, legal and
administrative arbitration, and other formal
mechanisms that tend to be time-consuming and
highly confrontational.
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◆ Such limited forms of civic engagement not only
result in policies that are detached from the
actual needs of affected populations but also
create barriers between the local institutions of
government and citizens.
◆ Despite these concerns, public officials at all
levels have established open governance
processes to encourage more substantive forms
of engagement. For example, the federal
government encourages citizen participation in
20 the rule-making process through a website.
◆ The move to more direct forms of civic participation
opens the door for effective and responsible
citizenship, but in order for these forms to be
successful, those in the government must be willing
to listen and act in a responsive manner.
◆ In order to achieve effective participation, both
public administrators and citizens need to change
their behavior, adapting the roles they play in
governance process which will acquire new skills.

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Seven Principles Of
The New Public
Service
Janet and Robert Denhart

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◆ The primary role of the public servant
is to help citizens articulate and meet
their interests rather than to attempt
to control or steer society in new
directions.
◆ Public administrators must make the
creation of a collective, shared notion
of the public interest paramount.
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◆ Policies and programs to meet public
needs can be most effectively and
responsibly achieved through collective
efforts and collaborative processes.
◆ The public interest is a result of a
dialogue about shared values rather
than the aggregation of individual
interests.
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◆ Public servants must be attentive to more than the
market, they also must attend to statutory and
constitutional law, community values, political
norms, professional standards, and citizen
interests.
◆ Public organizations and the networks in which
they participate are more likely to be successful in
the long run if they are operated through
processes of collaboration and shared leadership
based on a respect for all people.
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◆ The public interest is better advanced by public
servants and citizens committed to making
meaningful contributions to society than by
entrepreneurial managers acting as if public
money were their own.
◆ The New Public Service raises important concerns
about pushing government toward the adoption of
the values of business. They also argue that if
citizens are to regain their confidence in the
government, they must perceive public
26 institutions as responsive.
◆ The New Public Service contends that the
government shouldn’t be run like a business, it
should be run like a democracy, and the most
important criteria for assessing administrative
performance should be to examine how effectively
the work of public officials has engaged citizens in
the governance process and advanced the public
interest.

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actions designed to promote
shared responsibility and engage
more citizens in efforts to build
and strengthen their communities

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Government leaders and administrators
should model civility, working to ensure
that decision making is conducted in a
civil, responsible way.
They need to sharpen skills, developing
proficiency in convening and
facilitation, conflict resolution,
mediation, and cultural competence.
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They must create opportunities for
informed engagement, giving citizens
a firsthand look at how government
works.
They must support a culture of
community involvement, helping
citizens understand that the problems
cannot be solved alone.
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They must make the most of technology
to inform and educate, solicit feedback,
and conduct community conversations.
They must include everybody, involving
citizens who traditionally have not been
engaged and reaching out to future voters
and leaders.
They must make it last, making
participation an ongoing process rather
31 than a one-time product.
◆ Developing an engaged community
includes both citizen “exchange” activities
that inform, collect information, and solicit
input and consultations; and citizen
“engagement” activities that promote
collaboration, create dialogue, build
relationships, and empower citizens in
making decisions and taking responsibility
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for their community.
ETHICS AND THE
IMPERATIVES OF
GOOD GOVERNANCE

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◆ At the root of every act of every public servant,
whether in developing or executing public policy,
lies a moral or ethical question. It means that
public administrator must demonstrate in their
own actions the highest standards of behavior.
◆ The future public servant will likely be both active
in policy development and responsive to the
public interest. Our constitutional structure not
only permits but also encourages an active
executive and administrative role.
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◆ Public administrators must assume
leadership in establishing a high moral
tone for the public service generally.
◆ Public organizations and the values and
commitments they represent should
become models for all organizations, at
least those involved in the management
of public programs.
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◆ Ethical considerations have become a
central theme in public administration
around the world. In Japan, the National
Public Service Ethics Act, which took effect
in April 2000, established a national ethics
board to continuously monitor the
compliance of government officials and to
oversee investigations and punishment for
violations of ethical standards.
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◆ Only when our commitment to democratic
practices and ideals is clear to all will we
once again be able to establish public
service as the highest calling in our society.

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While “good governance” is difficult to define,
Jreisat offers a list of core values that are useful
in thinking about what might be considered the
ultimate purposes of public service. He suggests
that good governance:
◆ Is ethical and accountable
◆ Creates trust and promotes broadly shared
values, particularly accountability and
sustained openness and transparency
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◆ Is based on effective leadership both
within government and across society
◆ Is where rules and legal standards for
orderly conduct and progressive social
transformation are constructed
◆ Is based on new and modified political
and administrative forms to replace
hierarchical, command and control
39 systems.
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