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.