Comparing Public Bureaucracies: Problems of Theory and Method

A foundational guide to understanding how bureaucracies differ—and why those differences matter.

The comparative study of public policy once promised to make major contributions to our understanding of government. Much of that promise now appears unfulfilled. What accounts for this decline in intellectual fortunes and change in intellectual fashion? Comparing Public Bureaucracies seeks to understand why. One of the principal answers is that there is no readily accepted and dependent variabl...