Routledge Community Development and Public Administration Theory: Promoting Democratic Principles to Improve Communities (Routledge Research in Public Administration and Public Policy)

The concept of community development is often misunderstood, holding different meanings across different academic disciplines. Moreover, the concept of community development has been historically abstracted, not only in the way the concept has been conceptualized in academic studies, but also by the way in which practitioners use the term in the vernacular. Departing from traditional definitions of community development, this volume applies the New Public Service (NPS) perspective of Public Administration to community development to illustrate how public administrators and public managers can engage in community development planning and implementation that results in more equitable and sustainable long-term outcomes. This book will be of interest to practitioners and researchers in public administration/management, public administration theory, community development, economic development, urban sociology, urban politics, and urban planning. Review 'Community Development and Public Administration Theory takes a rare, nuanced – yet much needed – intersectional approach to community development in PA. The text provides useful insights, for scholars and practitioners, into practical strategies that can help to foster equitable and effective policy outcomes. This text a must read for new and seasoned administrators alike.' - Tia Sherèe Gaynor, Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Marist College 'Community development planning and implementation is at the core of the public sector’s impact on residents’ daily lives. Nickels and Rivera apply public administration theories and concepts to the practice of community development. Community Development and Public Administration Theory is a must-read for students, scholars and practitioners interested in local government, community development, citizen participation and economic development research and practice.' - Mohamad G. Alkadry, Professor and Department Head, University of Connecticut 'In this highly readable and practical volume, Nickels and Rivera put The New Public Service to work in creating ways to put citizens at the center of community building efforts. Based on a clearly articulated framework for understanding community development not only as a matter of economics, but also as social justice and empowerment, the authors make a compelling argument for grounding community development in authentic citizen engagement. They make theory practical by realistically exploring what works and what doesn’t and highlighting the challenges and the positive impact of citizen engagement in community development nationally and internationally. This volume will inspire practitioners and academics alike to think differently about community development and spark new and innovative approaches to making communities better.' - Janet Denhardt, Chester Newland Professor of Public Administration, Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California 'This book successfully accomplishes the very important task of bridging the gulf between the scholarship and practice of public administration/policy and community development. It does so by situating community development in models grounded in democratic governance, with a healthy skepticism for devolved and market models of community development, providing examples that show how community development can be community based, instead of organizationally based. The editors and authors are all cutting edge academics and practitioners, writing, researching, and practicing community development outside the mainstream(s). Their work takes place at margins amidst the dispossessed, discarded, and disenfranchised. They ask, and develop practices around, interrogating the systemic power and privileges that typify community development: who is at the table, who is left out, who is advantaged and disadvantaged, whose interests are favored, and how are all of these replicated and reified in practices and