Richard C. Box is a distinguished fellow in the Hauptmann School of Public Affairs at Park University, Missouri and Regents/Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His writing focuses on the interaction between public service professionals and the political, legal, and economic environment that surrounds them.

Public Service Values is written specifically for graduate and undergraduate courses in public administration, wherever a discussion of public service ideals might enrich the learning experience and offer students a better understanding of daily practice. Well-grounded in scholarly literature and with a relentless focus on the public service professional, it highlights the importance of values in professional life and encourages a more self-aware and reflective public practice. Case studies to stimulate reflection are interwoven throughout the book and application to practice is cemented in a final section devoted to value themes in professional life as well as a chapter dedicated to holding oneself accountable. The result is a book that challenges us to embrace the necessity of public service values in our public affairs curricula and that asks the important questions current public service professionals should make a habit of routinely applying in their daily decision making.

Foreword Preface 1. The Public Professional and Public Service Values 2. Public Service Values Today 3. Neutrality: The Public Professional in a Democratic Society 4. Efficiency: The Economic Environment of Public Service 5. Accountability: Whom Do I Serve, and for What Purposes? 6. Public Service: The Personal Commitment 7. The Public Interest: Commitment to Society 8. Conclusion: Value Choices and the Public Professional References Index About the Author