What Is Good Government?: The Philosophy of Office, Institutions, and Administration

What is good government? The concept of 'good government' aims to set an ideal for how governments - and their constituent agents - should act, be structured, and held accountable. It promises a fundamental norm to guide the design of its offices and institutions and the administrative state. It is a concept central to contemporary development practice, public administration, and political science, but has largely been neglected in contemporary political philosophy. This, therefore, is the first edited volume specifically dedicated to the philosophy of good government. Bringing together some of today's foremost political philosophers, it explores the complex relationship between good government and other concepts fundamental to politics: justice, legitimacy, and the common good. Placing in conversation classical, modern, and contemporary perspectives, this volume explores themes such as the role of virtue, education, and ritual in governance; political realism and the role of accountability institutions; the virtues and vices of the administrative state; official discretion and public control of state institutions; public trust and the fiduciary conception of public office; and the importance of explanation, reasonableness, and representation in administrative decision-making.