Public values are being promoted as a core concept in the study of public administration, in particular, in discourses surrounding Moore’s public value management and Bozeman’s public value failure... Show morePublic values are being promoted as a core concept in the study of public administration, in particular, in discourses surrounding Moore’s public value management and Bozeman’s public value failure. This article outlines the approaches to the concept of values and public values. Particular attention is paid to the founding distinction between facts and values, which proves to be less clear than usually assumed. After discussing a range of possible characteristics of public values, an encompassing definition is attempted, which consequently has to accommodate opposing characteristics. It is concluded that the concept of public value is a fuzzy concept, and that is probably “as good as it gets.” Show less
This article provides the introduction to a symposium on contemporary public values research. It is argued that the contribution to this symposium represent a Public Values Perspective, distinct... Show moreThis article provides the introduction to a symposium on contemporary public values research. It is argued that the contribution to this symposium represent a Public Values Perspective, distinct from other specific lines of research that also use public value as a core concept. Public administration is approached in terms of processes guided or restricted by public values and as public value creating: public management and public policy-making are both concerned with establishing, following and realizing public values. To study public values a broad perspective is needed. The article suggest a research agenda for this encompasing kind of public values research. Finally the contributions to the symposium are introduced. Show less
Do classifications of values as presented in the study of public administration make sense? In this article, an overview of values in public administration is discussed and, in particular, a number... Show moreDo classifications of values as presented in the study of public administration make sense? In this article, an overview of values in public administration is discussed and, in particular, a number of attempts to rank and order these values are discussed. The need to, and possibility of, distinguishing levels, categories, syndromes, constellations, families, sets, clusters, and so on of values is generally acknowledged. All categorizations and typologies, however, prove to be tentative and helpful only as descriptive, analytic tools. It is argued that the validity and usefulness of any typology of values relies on the justification of the approach taken. This is, however, where most authors fall short of what is demanded to appraise their categorizations and typologies Show less
