Public Affairs and Democratic Ideals: Critical Perspectives in an Era of Political and Economic Uncertainty

Description

Argues for refocusing attention on publicness and the critical exploration of underlying assumptions that are foundational to the study and practice of public affairs. We live in an era where many citizens feel increasingly uncertain about their futures, having to deal with stagnant wages, globalization, and wealth and income inequality, while, at the same time, policymakers appear unable or unwilling to reach any viable policy consensus on a wide range of major issues. Public Affairs and Democratic Ideals addresses these vexing conditions and the challenge they pose for public management and administration. Curtis Ventriss argues for reordering intellectual and policy priorities with a focus on publicness and the role of critical democratic thought in public affairs. Too often, the assumptions that underlie the prevailing theory and practice of addressing major political and economic problems remain unquestioned, with economic and political conflicts displaced into issues of administration and leadership. Ventriss calls for a reinvigorated notion of publicness based, in part, on a public social science, civic experimentation, and policies designed and tailored to the unique needs of various publics. As a way to move forward, this book offers ideas for redefining professionalism, promoting civic initiatives, and rethinking professional education for public service. Contents Foreword Chapter 1 Introduction Inspirations and Areas of Inquiry Theoretical Grounding Conclusion Section 1: The Importance of Publicness and Critical Democratic Thought Chapter 2 Conditioning Factors: Neo-Managerialism and the Modern State Neo-managerialism and the Economization of Political Inquiry The Modern State and Public Affairs Conclusion Chapter 3 A Conceptual Foundation: Reinvigorated Publicness Toward a Public Social Science Intermediary between Citizen and State Encouraging Self-Governance and Accountability Conclusion Chapter 4 A Substantive Approach: Critical Democratic Thought The Relevance of Critical Democratic Thought to Public Affairs The Challenges and Opportunities of Critical Democratic Thought Conclusion Chapter 5 Rationality, the Public Sphere, and the State A View of Substantive Rationality The Foucauldian Challenge The Nature of the Public Sphere: Leonard’s Reconciliation and Arendtian Influences The State, Citizenship, and Globalization: Taking Guerreiro Ramos’s Project Forward Conclusion Section 2: Contemporary Challenges Chapter 6 The Enduring Implications of the Economic Crisis of 2008 Social Inequality, Social Mobility, and the Potential for Rising Social Discord Delimitation of the Market and a Discussion of Public Accountability The Challenge of Managing Political/Economic Involution Economic Crisis and the Value of Historical Inquiry A Final Thought Conclusion Chapter 7 Public Affairs in an Epoch of Space: Challenges to the Public Sphere Space and Globalization Toward a Spatial Social Theory The Relevance of Public Affairs to Spatiality: Coming Full Circle A Final Reflection Conclusion Chapter 8 A Critical Analysis of the Role of Citizen Involvement in Public Affairs: A Reexamination Habermas and the Managerial Citizen Involvement Approach: An Environmental Perspective The Utilitarian Past The Utilitarian Response Communicative Rationality and Social Transformation Citizen Participation and the Utilitarian Acquiescence Toward Critical Spaces of Hope Human Practices and the Market Ethos The Need for Citizen Spaces of Hope Conclusion Chapter 9 Conclusion: Reflections of a Sympathetic Critic I II III Notes References Index