The Political Theory of Reinvention

In this article, we examine the implications of the reinvention movement for democratic governance, broadly defined. The most basic premise of the reinvention movement is a belief that the accumulation of the narrowly defined self-interests of many individuals can adequately approximate the public i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public administration review 2000-03, Vol.60 (2), p.89-97
Main Authors: DeLeon, Linda, Denhardt, Robert B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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9130
9190
Administrative reform
Analysis
Beliefs
Citizen Participation
Citizenship
Communities
Competition
Customer service
Democracy
Entrepreneurship
Experimental/theoretical
Governance
Government (Administrative Body)
Governmental reform
Internal customers
Lead Article
Political movements
Political philosophy
Political theory
Politics
Politics & political behavior
Public administration
Public interest
Self interest
Theory Practice Relationship
Total Quality Management
United States
Writing
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Description
Summary:In this article, we examine the implications of the reinvention movement for democratic governance, broadly defined. The most basic premise of the reinvention movement is a belief that the accumulation of the narrowly defined self-interests of many individuals can adequately approximate the public interest. By "narrowly defined," we mean the interests of individuals as they privately apprehend them, unmediated by participation in a process of civic discourse. To illustrate the centrality of this assumption to the implicit theory of reinvention, we consider three of its elements-its use of the market model, its emphasis on customers rather than citizens, and its glorification of entrepreneurial management. We then examine the implications of the self-interest assumption, which entails a rejection of democratic citizenship, civic engagement, and the public interest, broadly conceived.
ISSN:0033-3352
1540-6210
DOI:10.1111/0033-3352.00068