Theory building: the debate between modernist and interpretive social science in the pursuit of democratic governance

ABSTRACT

Bevir’s Democratic Governance advances a new theory of governance. The theory rejects reliance on bureaucracy, market and community on the one hand, and strives to embrace a participatory and deliberative rationality to achieve democratic governance on the other. The fundamental question remains: in what ways can his theory ease the tension and bridge the gap between democracy and bureaucracy? If readers are interested in the development of a more coherent theory on public administration or prefer a more balanced perspective in the study of democratic governance, this book serves as a good start, though it may not be able to give you the ultimate answer.

KEYWORDS:

• Democracy
• Bureaucracy
• Local Reasoning
• Local Knowledge
• Participatory and Deliberative Rationality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Hon S. Chan is Professor of the Department of Public Policy, City University of Hong Kong. His major research interests are Chinese civil service, cadre personnel management and performance evaluation.