Public Administration and Democracy
The Complementarity Principle

The Element argues that with public administration, representative democracy can work well when designed according to its values.

Anthony M. Bertelli (Author), Lindsey J. Schwartz (Author)

9781009217606, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 January 2023

75 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.4 cm, 0.13 kg

This Element argues for a complementarity principle – governance values should complement political values – as a guide for designing the structures and procedures of public administration. It argues that the value-congruity inherent in the complementarity principle is indispensable to administrative responsibility. It identifies several core democratic values and critically assesses systems of collaborative governance, representative bureaucracy, and participatory policymaking in light of those values. It shows that the complementarity principle, applied to these different designs, facilitates administrative responsibility by making the structures themselves more consistent with democratic principles without compromising their aims. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

1. Introduction
2. The argument of complementarity
3. Responsible policy work
4. The consequences of irresponsible policy work
5. The consequences of non-fidelitous representation
6. How does the complexity principle function?
7. Conclusion
References.

Subject Areas: Public administration [JPP], Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Social & political philosophy [HPS]