Learning from Public Sector Narratives

• Published date: 01 November 2012
• Date: 01 November 2012
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2012.02662.x

922 Public Administration Review • November | December 2012

Sandford Borins, Governing Fables: Learning from

Public Sector Narratives (Charlotte, NC: Informa-

tion Age, 2011). 291 pp. $45.99 (paper), ISBN

9781617354908.

In his book Governing Fables: Learning from Public

Sector Narratives, Sandford Borins provides schol-

ars of public management great impetus to take

the “narrative turn.”  e narrative turn and engaging

narratology holds great promise for public administra-

tion practice and scholarship.  e narrative turn is

based on interpretation of our world rather than on

explanation and prediction.  is book answers calls by

scholars to use narrative inquiry in public administra-

tion research (Brown et al. 2005; Ospina and Dodge

2005; White 1999). Governing Fables is designed to

benef‌i t both academics and practitioners through an

enlarged awareness “from which to engage in and with

the storytelling” (10) and narratology.  e subtitle of

the book, “Learning from Public Sector Narratives,” is

a constant focus for Borins.

A public narrative can be def‌i ned as a distinctively

structured argument or position that forwards a cam-

paign, directs an economy, advocates f‌i scal priorities,

designs a policy, or forces government actions. Borins

maintains that as public managers gain “narrative

competence,” they will become improved storytellers

and better appreciate governing fables.  e profes-

sional lives of most public servants will never be

recorded on f‌i lm or become a published text, but the

building of narrative competence allows practition-

ers to better understand their motivations, personal

values, organizational parameters, communication

essentials, decision-making styles, interfaces between

politics and administration, and public sector con-

texts. At an individual level, practitioners can create

or modify a narrative of their own. A starting place to

gain this competence will be reading Governing Fables.

 e goals of the book are “to hone skills for managers

as consumers and creators of complex and changing

professional narratives and to provide context-specif‌i c

insights for public sector managers in key areas of pub-

lic activity” (5).  ese areas or genres of public activity

are documented in chapters 2–7 and cover transfor-

mational teachers (chapter 2); the ugly business of

British government and self-interest (chapter 3); the

British examples of leadership (chapter 4); the role

of cynicism, idealism, and compromise in American

politics (chapter 5); and lessons of crisis manage-

ment (chapter 6) and jury deliberations focusing on

life-and-death decisions (chapter 7). Readers can learn

from each chapter as they can relate to the public,

organizational, and personal narratives.  e public

narrative has a heavy emphasis on agenda setting, goal

attainment, and promotion of the public interest.  e

organizational or internal narrative favors face-to-face

interactions, decision making, and implementation.

 e personal narrative highlights conduct, commit-

ment, and choices.  e reader will naturally f‌l esh out

these narratives as Borins constantly relates them to

movies and television episodes and series (referred to

as f‌i lm in this review) and to a variety of books. Borins

has watched months, if not years, of f‌i lm and is able

to write in a way to re-create visual images so that

the reader does not have to catch up to his watching

in order to get the full benef‌i ts from the book. Many

readers will desire to watch more f‌i lm. At the end of

the book, Borins of‌f ers 10 essential narratives that are

his favorites, generating reader motivation to view the

ones not watched.

In the f‌i rst chapter, Borins discusses the distinctions

among fables, stories, and narratives.  is discussion

lacks clarity, as Borins leans on the work of Mieke

Bal rather than his own work and understanding.

“Stories,” “narratives,” and “fables” are key terms

in this book.  is reader def‌i ned fables as the con-

glomeration of narratives. A fable could be close

to a metanarrative or a grand narrative, constructs

debunked by postmodernism and advocates of critical

theory. Fables are reinforced with narratives and sto-

ries.  e terms “narratives” and “stories” often seemed

interchangeable in the book; however, it is clearer to

think of stories as embedded in narratives, whereas a

Sonia M. Ospina and Rogan Kersh, Editors

Richard J. Herzog

Stephen F. Austin State University

Learning from Public Sector Narratives

Richard J. Herzog is professor of

government and director of the master of

public administration program at Stephen F.

Austin State University. His current research

interests include validating stories that

managers tell, discovering administrative

ironies, and theory assessment in adminis-

trative settings.

E-mail: rherzog@sfasu.edu

Public Administration Review,

Vol. 72, Iss. 6, pp. 922–925. © 2012 by

The American Society for Public Administration.

DOI: 10.111/j.1540-6210.2012.02662.x.