Reinventing government or reinventing ourselves
Subtitle: the role of citizen owners in making a better government
By: Hindy Lauer Schachter.
Series: SUNY series in public administration
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 138
Subjects: Bureau of Municipal Research (New York, N.Y.) -- History.; Political participation -- United States.; Administrative agencies -- United States -- Reorganization.; Administrative agencies -- United States -- Management.; Government publicity -- United States.; Public administration -- United States -- History.
Description: Challenging the assumptions of the "reinventing-government" movement now in vogue, this book unites a call for active citizenship with the current concern for improving public-agency performance. The author argues that citizens should not be viewed as customers of government, as reinventing-government advocates assume, but rather as government's owners.

By analyzing a turn-of-the-century model of urban reform that depicts this relationship between citizens and government, Schachter shows how reinvigorating an active public is essential to increasing agency efficiency and responsiveness. She offers two strategies for moving toward active citizenship: better citizenship education, including service learning, and public agencies' provision of better-focused information for their owners.

This book will spark much-needed debate on the role of active citizens in administrative reform.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-134) and index.