Devolution's Unfinished Business

Devolution was a response to a decline in legitimacy in the territorial politics of the UK. To differing extents and in different ways, there was a legitimacy gap in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This has largely been restored in the non-English parts of the UK but has created new problems of legitimacy in England. The West Lothian Question and territorial finance are the unfinished business of devolution. Using Beetham's classic work on The Legitimation of Power, this article argues that the situation today in England resembles that which existed before devolution in the non-English parts of the UK: there is nothing illegal in the current constitutional arrangements; but there are constitutional anomalies and inconsistencies, which may lead to a withdrawal of consent.     

Institution of Public Administration Australia: Some Observations About the Profession of Public Service

What does the future hold for the great institution of public service in this country? I will try to answer that in the traditional way by going through some of the more interesting of the many challenges we face. But first let me observe that what public administration in most Western democracies has been through in the past two decades is nothing short of a revolution.     

公共行政学视角下社会性规制的基本理论探析

社会性规制是政府履行社会经济管理职能的重要手段,是公共行政的重要内容。然而,目前对社会性规制的研究仅局限于经济学,行政学界尚未予以足够的关注。从公共行政学的视角出发,对社会性规制的内涵、研究视角和意义等基本理论问题进行探讨,具有十分重要的意义。     

公共行政中的社会正义

在公共行政中强调社会正义是当今国际社会的一个重要话语,由于中国近现代以前的政府行政过程中社会正义的色彩甚为淡漠,因此,具有普适性的社会正义观念对于中国公共行政具有深刻的现实意义.目前,社会正义在中国公共行政中难以通过制度性的规定体现在公共政策之中,其原因在于公共行政中的党政不分.在法制不完善的情况下,党政主要负责人个人的意愿很容易替代公众的愿望.此外,政府通常是依据"红头文件"来实施公共行政,在缺少不同意见时,如何体现社会正义是中国公共行政实施过程中需要认真考虑的问题.     

公共行政中的宪政主义

公共行政中的宪政主义是研究公共行政的两条线索之一,长期以来没有被深入研究,对其进行系统论述具有较强的理论创新意义。公共行政中的宪政主义与西方政治哲学中的宪政主义既有区别也有联系,其内容为公民权利,公民社会或社区价值,人本主义与后现代公共行政及公民参与,它贯穿于公共行政发展的全程,仍然需要进一步发展以完成其使命。     

Behavioral Public Administration: Combining Insights from Public Administration and Psychology

Behavioral public administration is the analysis of public administration from the micro‐level perspective of individual behavior and attitudes by drawing on insights from psychology on the behavior of individuals and groups. The authors discuss how scholars in public administration currently draw on theories and methods from psychology and related fields and point to research in public administration that could benefit from further integration. An analysis of public administration topics through a psychological lens can be useful to confirm, add nuance to, or extend classical public administration theories. As such, behavioral public administration complements traditional public administration. Furthermore, it could be a two‐way street for psychologists who want to test the external validity of their theories in a political‐administrative setting. Finally, four principles are proposed to narrow the gap between public administration and psychology.     

Australian Public Administration in 1997

This is the third in the AJPA s resumed series of administrative chronicles. Earlier administrative chronicles (AJPA 55(1) 1996 and 56(1) 1997) by Jenny Stewart and Scott Prasser have focused on the general principles of administrative change at the Commonwealth and state levels. Judith Homeshaw reviews the year 1997 by evaluating the developments since the milestone machinery of government reforms of 1987. She then reviews the prospects for further reform in New South Wales and Tasmania.