The Oxford handbook of American bureaucracy / edited by Robert F. Durant.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

The Oxford Handbook of American Bureaucracy affords readers an uncommon overview and integration of the eclectic body of knowledge of American bureaucracy. One of the major dilemmas facing the administrative state in the United States today is discerning how best to harness for public purposes the dynamism of markets, the passion and commitment of non-profit and volunteer organizations, and the public-interest-oriented expertise of the career civil service. Researchers across a variety of disciplines, fields, and subfields have independently investigated aspects of the formidable challenges, choices, and opportunities this dilemma poses for governance, democratic constitutionalism, and theory building. This literature is vast, affords multiple and conflicting perspectives, is methodologically diverse, and is fragmented. Each of the articles in this text identifies major issues and trends, critically takes stock of the state of knowledge, and ponders where future research is most promising. The book is one of Oxford Handbooks of American Politics a set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics.