The challenge of public administration reform: introduction to the Handbook of Public Administration Reform

The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that governments matter. The range of policy responses and results in terms of morbidity and death shows that government is not just a residual, merely setting the framework for the operation of a market economy. But it is easy to advocate ‘good’ government, good governance, effective public administration, or state or agency capacity. Less clear is what these mean in practice, and should, how, and if, government can be reformed to achieve them. In this edited volume, with its 23 chapters all refereed by the editor and up to three reviewers, we seek to address these questions. Themed chapters address key public administration issues, before we proceed to a series of country studies, ranging from the Anglosphere, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. Reform remains ideological, political, and contested, and there are no simple answers. But we contribute to the discussion and provide ways forward.