Policy making is not only about the cut and thrust of politics. It is also a bureaucratic activity. In this ground-breaking work, two leading authorities come together to examine the world of the policy bureaucrat for the first time. The volume draws in crucial debates over accountability and...

Intro -- Robert Nisbet, The Present Age -- Front Matter -- Title Page -- Copyright Details -- Table of Contents -- Foreword, p. vii -- The Present Age -- 1. The Prevalence of War, p. 1 -- 2. The New Absolutism, p. 41 -- 3. The Loose Individual, p. 87 -- Epilogue, p. 137 -- Index, p. 141.

Despite criticism of inefficiencies and unlimited growth, bureaucracies still fill crucial positions in modern societies. This volume examines 'varieties in bureaucracies' across Europe, with a specific focus on the Nordic region

The blame game, with its finger-pointing and mutual buck-passing, is a familiar feature of politics and organizational life, and blame avoidance pervades government and public organizations at every level. Political and bureaucratic blame games and blame avoidance are more often condemned than...