During the five full years of his presidency (1964–1968), Lyndon Johnson initiated a breathtaking array of domestic policies and programs, including such landmarks as the Civil Rights Act, Head Start, Food Stamps, Medicare and Medicaid, the Immigration Reform Act, the Water Quality Act, the Voting Rights Act, Social Security reform, and Fair Housing. These and other "Great Society" programs reformed the federal government, reshaped intergovernmental relations, extended the federal government's role into new public policy arenas, and redefined federally protected rights of individuals to engage in the public sphere. Indeed, to a remarkable but largely unnoticed degree,Johnson's domestic agenda continues to shape and influence current debates on major issues such as immigration, health care, higher education funding, voting rights, and clean water, even though many of his specific policies and programs have been modified or, in some cases, dismantled since his presidency.LBJ's Neglected Legacy examines the domestic policy achievements of one of America's most effective, albeit controversial, leaders. Leading contributors from the fields of history, public administration, economics, environmental engineering, sociology, and urban planning examine twelve of LBJ's key domestic accomplishments in the areas of citizenship and immigration, social and economic policy, science and technology, and public management. Their findings illustrate the enduring legacy of Johnson's determination and skill in taking advantage of overwhelming political support in the early years of his presidency to push through an extremely ambitious and innovative legislative agenda, and emphasize the extraordinary range and extent of LBJ's influence on American public policy and administration.

The public sector continues to play a strategic role across the world. The last thirty years have seen major shifts in approaches to public sector management in many different countries. There is also a fierce debate across academic disciplines about contemporary public administration/management: some advocate the use of more managerialist approaches; while others critique them. New functions have also arisen in the public sector, such as evaluation or management consulting, which require analysis. There is a renewed need for an analysis of contemporary public sector organizations, which are changing rapidly before our eyes. This it is time for an authoritative assessment of the major trends in public management, embracing both their intended and unintended effects. This handbook brings together leading international scholars to comment on key current issues. The individual chapters include a mix of broad overviews, in depth exploration of particular thematic areas and analyses of different theoretical perspectives such as political science, management, sociology, and economics. The authors have been given sufficient space to develop their distinctive arguments. The editors provide an overall concluding chapter. The Handbook combines scholarly rigor, engaging writing from senior authors and high policy relevance. It will be relevant to advanced students, researchers and reflective public sector practitioners.

Intended to put the American model of public management in perspective for academics around the world, this book establishes the historical, theoretical, analytical, practical and future foundations for the comparative study of public management. It combines topics of best practice, performance, accountability and rule of law.