This edited volume will reproduce abridged and revised versions of the best papers from the third Minnowbrook Conference, which was hosted by Syracuse University in the fall of 2008. The Minnowbrook Conference is a once-in-a-generation event. It's held once every twenty years to bring together the top scholars in public administration and public management to reflect on the state of the field and future directions. The contributors are a mix of senior, mid-level, and junior scholars. Topics covered in the book will include academic-practitioner relations; democratic performance management; financial management; international and comparative perspectives; information technology and management; law, politics, and public administration; leadership; methods; networked governance; and other topics. The volume will also look back at the previous two Minnowbrook conferences (1968 and 1988) to discuss how things have changed.

A once-in-a-generation event held every twenty years, the Minnowbrook conference brings together the top scholars in public administration and public management to reflect on the state of the field and its future. This unique volume brings together a group of distinguished authors—both seasoned and new—for a rare critical examination of the field of public administration yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The book begins by examining the ideas of previous Minnowbrook conferences, such as relevance and change, which are reflective of the 1960s and 1980s. It then moves beyond old Minnowbrook concepts to focus on public administration challenges of the future: globalism, twenty-first century collaborative governance, the role of information technology in governance, deliberative democracy and public participation, the organization of the future, and teaching the next generation of leaders. The book ends by coming full circle to examine the current challenge of remaining relevant. There is no other book like this—nor is there ever likely to be another—in print. Simply put, the ideas, concepts, and spirit of Minnowbrook are one-of-a-kind. This book captures the soul of public administration past, present, and future, and is a must-read for anyone serious about the theory and practice of public administration.