The Welfare State, Citizens, and Immersed Civil Servants

Working from an Aristotelian perspective, the author argues that the welfare state, although able to meet social needs, cannot be very effective in solving complex social problems. The latter requires sensitivities to particular people in particular situations, which can only be acquired communally....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Administration & society 1995-02, Vol.26 (4), p.434-463
Main Author: Racine, David P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative Approaches
Analysis
Citizen Participation
Citizens
Civil servants
Civil Service
Decision Making
Human resource management
Public Administration
Public Welfare
Social policy
Social Problems
United States
Welfare State
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Working from an Aristotelian perspective, the author argues that the welfare state, although able to meet social needs, cannot be very effective in solving complex social problems. The latter requires sensitivities to particular people in particular situations, which can only be acquired communally. This is the level at which citizens, in their pursuit of self-government, count as much as or more than public policies and agencies. However, citizens, on their own, may often lack the skills and wherewithal to tackle difficult social dilemmas. The article suggests experimenting with a strategy of immersing public administrators in communities to lend a noncoercive hand to citizen problem solvers.
ISSN:0095-3997
1552-3039
DOI:10.1177/009539979502600402