This book provides a political economy perspective on recent changes within Canadian public administrative practice and structure, revealing the theoretical and practical underpinnings of neo-liberal public administration. It also addresses itself to the search for more democratic alternatives. This work is intended to serve as a text for courses in public administration and Canadian government and politics. The role of globalization, state fiscal crisis, economic restructuring and the ideological shift to the political right are viewed as central explanatory factors in public administrative and public policy change.

Bryan Evans is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. In addition to a PhD in Political Science from York University, he holds a Bachelor of Arts from Laurentian University and a Master of Arts from York University . His doctoral dissertation, defended in January 2008 at York University, explores the links between managerialism, neoliberalism and the restructuring of the Ontario public sector. His advisor, Gregory Albo, is an internationally respected Marxist analyst.

His teaching and research interests focus on public sector restructuring, public policy and public management as well as the politics of labour and work Currently he is a member of a university and community based team investigating Ontario ‘s workers’ compensation system. His publications reflect this research agenda and most notably, Shrinking the State , co-authored with Dr. John Shields , is regarded as a path-breaking contribution toward a critical understanding of the new public management and public sector restructuring.

Bryan Evans' profile page

Born in NY City, Shields holds a Masters Degree in theology from St. Paul’s College in Washington, DC, where he worked with Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. He went on to teach popular theology in Canada and the US. He left the church and moved to British Columbia in 1969. An interest in social justice led him to the labour movement where he was a champion for women’s equality work. He was President of the BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) for fourteen years. A deep interest in spirituality led him to contemporary cosmology, which is illuminating a deeper understanding of the universe. For the past twenty years he has explored the connection between science and spirituality. He now lives in Victoria, B.C., and has been teaching Labour Relations and Negotiations at Vancouver Island University.

John Shields' profile page