This book discusses some of the main challenges that arise in the management of modern democracies, with a focus on the role of citizens and their perceptions of government. A theoretical and practical framework is suggested for dealing with some of the most urgent problems that governments face today: the balance between bureaucracy and democracy and between political and administrative concerns; the pressing economic concerns in a market-based, globalized knowledge society and the changes in the relationship of trust amongst the players. At the heart of the analysis is the idea that running governments effectively means settling the potential conflicts between all those who are involved in the governmental process and in the making of public policy and public actions. The authors suggest approaches for strengthening the trust in democratic institutions and cooperation between the main actors in the democratic sphere, without compromising on the need to ensure effective governance.

Eran Vigoda-Gadot, Professor and Head of the Center for Public Management and Policy (CPMP), University of Haifa, Israel, is the author and co-author of more than 170 articles and book chapters, 10 books and symposiums as well as many other scholarly presentations and working papers in the field of public administration, public management and organizational behavior. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Haifa in 1998 and spent time as a visiting professor in Britain, Ireland, Canada (McGill) and the USA (Harvard Kennedy School, UMASS and UGA). Vigoda-Gadot is the former Dean of the School of Political Science at Haifa University, a member of the editorial board of PAR, JPART and ARPA and an active member of European and American associations of Public Administration and Management such as the European group of Public Administration, the American Association of Public Administration, and the Academy of Management.

Shlomo Mizrahi is Associate Professor in the Department of Public Policy and Administration, Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management at Ben-Gurion University. He received his Ph.D from London School of Economics in 1995. His research focuses on public policy, public sector and NPM, political behavior, the welfare state, regulation and privatization, public choice and game theory, collective action and interest groups, institutional change, bargaining and conflict resolution. His work has been published in leading journals of public policy, public administration and political economy.