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Responsibility as Paradox
A Critique of Rational Discourse on Government
- Michael M. Harmon - George Washington University, USA
Volume:
1
Series:
Rethinking Public Administration
Rethinking Public Administration
Other Titles in:
American Government and Politics
American Government and Politics
June 1995 | 245 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Exploring the concept of responsible government and administration, this book creates a new paradigm for looking at the issue. Michael M Harmon rejects the current predominant `rationalist' theory, which holds that responsibility involves an intractable conflict between the potential free will of an actor and the restrictions of the institution within which the actor operates. He suggests that public administration must undergo a paradigm shift in which institutional restrictions and individual free will create a healthy and dynamic tension and are not completely incompatible.
Bayard L Catron
Foreword
Henry D Kass
Series Editor's Introduction
Introduction
Three Meanings of Responsibility
The Rationalist Conception of Responsible Government
Paradox and Personal Responsibility
The Paradox of Obligation
The Paradox of Agency
The Paradox of Accountability
Conclusion