It is not the purpose of this book to describe an all-encompassing view of public administration reality or even to present a comprehensive survey of theories on the subject. The succeeding chapters present particular theories or families of theories that, in the authors’ judgment, have contributed significantly to the body of knowledge in public administration, have the potential to make such contributions, or have important heuristic value. The selection of theories omits some important theoretical areas (game theory, administrative law, theories of ethics, network theory). It nonetheless includes a wide enough variety of public administration theory to illuminate the possibilities and limitations of contemporary theorizing in the field.