Introducing Public Administration and Bureaucracy

Introducing Public Administration and Bureaucracy: The Hidden Government is a comprehensive, narratively driven textbook that presents public administration not as a technical appendix to politics, but as a central institutional story of American democracy. As the book demonstrates, democratic governance sinks or swims not by the fleeting drama of election nights, but by the quiet, grinding competence of its permanent bureaucracy—and unlocking how that machinery truly works is the ultimate mandate for both citizens and scholars. Introducing Public Administration and Bureaucracy is distinctive in several respects. First, it takes equity seriously as an analytical, not merely aspirational, category, dedicating a full chapter to how administrative systems can produce unequal outcomes, while integrating equity analysis throughout the volume. Second, the book engages directly with the algorithmic turn in public administration, including a sustained treatment of artificial intelligence (AI), automated decision-making, and the accountability challenges of platform government. Third, written in a journalistic style, each chapter opens with a recent case study drawn from American governance, including COVID-19, the opioid epidemic, and the Department of Government Efficiency. Fourth, the book explores the current regulation landscape in the US, offering students the most up-to-date analysis of the judicial reshaping of administrative authority. Offering classroom-friendly pedagogy throughout, including self-test questions, discussion questions, and learning exercises, Introducing Public Administration and Bureaucracy is an ideal introductory public administration textbook for sophomores through first year MPA students. Instructors teaching from the book can access an online Instructor's Manual with answers, helpful teaching prompts for leading class discussions, and extra resources.