Political leaders, public servants and academics in India and the world over have in recent times been concerned with the question of what constitutes 'good governance', and how can it be achieved? The forces of globalization, liberalization and the revolution in information technology have shattered many a myth hitherto held sacrosanct about the government and more specifically concerning its primary institution of governance-the public administration. Governments can no longer afford to support rigid, bureaucratic, reactive, rules driven administrative organizations-rather today's administrative system -ought to be flexible, consultative, result-oriented and proactive-at the same time encouraging and supporting creativity and innovation from the bottom to the top in order to govern and provide services to the citizens at large. During the last century, there has been a considerable rethinking on the ways the governments now conduct their business. They are now looking more and more towards innovative solutions to respond to an increasing number of new and complex environmental and global problems and pressures, which are further accentuated in a developing, multi-linguistic, and a multi-cultural country like India, having diversity of social and religious systems and tremendous ecological, cultural and external constraints. It is thus natural that students of governance and public administration all over the world, more specifically in India must now concern themselves increasingly with more vital issues beyond the realm of mere regulation and maintenance of law and order. In the light of these new perspectives, the present book attempts to discuss some of the critical emerging concerns of good governance and the 21st century challenges to public administration in India.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Part I. FIFTY YEARS OF ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENT : 1. Striving for Good Governance 2. Socio-Political Structure and Public Administration 3. Human Resource Development 4. Globalisation, Liberalization and Human Security Part II. PUBLIC POLICY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS : 1. Public Policy Management 2. Political Control Over Bureaucracy 3. Citizen's Charter 4. Political and Bureaucratic Corruption Part III. CHALLENGES OF CIVIL SOCIETY : 1. Citizen Participation in Development Administration 2. NGOs as the Non-State Actor in Public Administration Part IV. CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL ISSUES : 1. Criminal Justice Administration 2. Managing Foreign Affairs 3. Management of Environment Part V. METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL CONCERNS : 1. Research Methodology in Public Administration 2. Comparative Study of the Public Administration 3. Search for a Theory of Public Administration 4. In Conclusion : The Challenges Ahead