Recently Published: Observing Government Elites

R. A. W. Rhodes, Paul ‘t Hart and Mirko Noordegraaf (Eds.), Observing Government Elites (Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan 2007).

The book studies top-level political office-holders, civil servants and public managers. It describes their world through their eyes, focusing on beliefs and everyday practices. It analyses how such practices are embedded in political-administrative traditions; in webs of institutional rules, routines, rituals, and relations. It explores how their beliefs, practices and traditions create meaning in politics, policy making and public service delivery. It reflects critically on how to do this kind of field work; on being up close and personal. By being there, the authors provide unique insights into the everyday life of ministers and senior public servants.