Seven experts in the field of public administration have collaborated to create a singularly unique work that draws on their wide experience in issues regarding public policy, the emergence of women and minorities in government employment, organizational theory, international negotiations, environmental policy, comparative and development administration, and public finance.

The authors hold varied perspectives that yield a balanced and comprehensive view of the challenges that await public administrators in the new millennium.

Although diverse perspectives are useful in a textbook, they must be combined into a coherent whole that embodies consistent themes and a continuity of ideas. Therefore, after each author initially prepared, reviewed, and revised his or her respective chapters, the lead author subsequently revised the entire manuscript again to ensure its readability and consistency.

"Thus, although the book has many authors," as the preface states, "it is a single work with a clearly articulated set of guiding themes, stronger for its diversity but also effective as a unified volume."