| Abstract: | Abstract: This paper argues that the study of public administration needs to be reoriented to assist governments, in particular our public services, to meet new challenges. The paper suggests that our public services are facing nothing short of a crisis situation. Public bureaucracies are under attack everywhere, even at times by the political masters they seek to serve and by those who in the past urged governments to intervene in the economy. The Westminster model that underpins the work of our public services is also being transformed in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. In addition, governments everywhere are being pressed to do more with less and public servants are being asked to manage government operations more efficiently. The paper suggests that, as presently constituted, our public administration programs in Canadian universities are of limited help to public administrators. Policy issues dominate the agenda of our public administration programs far too much. The paper calls for a return to the work of the pioneers of Canadian public administration. It also calls for new studies in public management and suggests ways in which this could be accomplished. Sommaire: Cet exposé soutient qu'il faut réorienter I'étude de I'administration publique pour aider les gouvernements, et plus particulièrement les fonctions publiques, à relever de nouveaux défis. L'auteur avance que les services publics font face à une crise. Partout, les bureaucraties publiques font I'objet d'attaques, aussi bien de la part des politiciens qu'elles s'efforcent de servir que de ceux qui ont autrefois incité les gouvernements à intervenir dans I'économie. Le modèle de Westminster, qui sous-tend l'activité de nos services publics, subit lui aussi des transformations tantôt subtiles tantôt radicales. De plus, les gouvernements sont partout contraints à faire davantage avec moins de ressources, tandis que les fonctionnaires sont poussés à assurer les activités gouvernementales avec une plus grande efficacité. |
