Governance and the Public Good

Kevin Morrell

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview article

    43 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The paper examines the control of power, using an account of the public good developed from Aristotle. It identifies three different perspectives on the relationship between governance (the control of power) and the public good: a 'cybernetic' perspective, an 'axiological' perspective, and a perspective of 'critique'. This framework offers a way to scrutinize the exercise of power, and to evaluate the linkages between a political administration and its citizenry. To evaluate an administration's legacy, this framework suggests we should study: (1) how an administration controls power over time; (2) how an administration exhibits virtue; and (3) how an administration creates conditions which enable its citizens to live the good life. Narrative theory is one basis for empirical development of this framework. This contributes to some long-standing debates in management, public administration, economics and political science. It also enables critical examination of a fashionable, though vague, term: 'public value'.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)538-556
    Number of pages19
    JournalPublic Administration
    Volume87
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2009

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