Book excerpt: Hailed for its timelessness and timeliness, Public Administration in Theory and Practice examines public administration from a normative perspective, and provides students with an understanding of the practice of public administration. Combining historical, contextual and theoretical perspectives, this text give students a truly comprehensive overview of the discipline and focuses on the practical implications of public administration theory. Features Normative perspective focuses on the practice of public administration and helps students understand what public administrators do. Historical, contextual and theoretical perspectives provide comprehensive coverage of the subject matter. A thematic overview reinforces the multiple conceptual frameworks or lens through which we see public administration. Students will learn to think through to practical and realistic solutions that acknowledge an historic precedence and theory. Emphasis on performance measures and assessments