Philosophy and public administration: An introduction (second edition) By Edoardo Ongaro: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020. 334 pages. Hardback. £85.00. ISBN: 9781839100338

• Published date: 01 February 2021
• Author: Christopher Robertson
• Date: 01 February 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2436

BOOK REVIEW

Philosophy and public administration: An introduction(second

edition) By Edoardo Ongaro:

Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020. 334 pages. Hardback. £85.00. ISBN: 9781839100338

The second edition of Philosophy and Public Administration by Edoardo

Ongaro (2020) is a much-needed contribution to literature on public

administration (hereafter known as PA), public governance and public

management, effectively staking claims as to why philosophy for PA

should command academic attention. The book begins with

Ongaro (2020) clearly stating the deficit between contemporary PA

literature and ontological, political philosophical and epistemological

debates, justifying the work by attempting to “provide the broad pic-

ture of the relations between PA and philosophy…to furnish a base

for discussion and analysis of a number of the key interconnections

between ‘foundational’philosophical issues and some of the key

themes debated [in contemporary PA]”(p. 4).

However, Ongaro (2020) understands the gargantuan task of

staking the claims of philosophy for PA in meticulous detail, given the

334-page limit of the book. Therefore, Ongaro (2020) repeatedly

reminds the reader from the outset that this is but an introduction,

which is duly acknowledged as a limitation: “the terrain covered by

this work is huge…the choice of themes inevitably needed to be highly

selective and very subjective”(p. 25). Therefore, this book provides an

enlightening, yet challenging introduction to philosophy for PA which,

akin to the author, may also bring the reader out of their comfort zone

and prompt critical thinking into methods for undertaking research

into philosophy for PA.

Providing a gentle introduction to the reader, labelled as a com-

prehensive and accessible work for where the target audience is

“scholars, students and practitioners of PA”(Ongaro, 2020, p. 6), the

book then follows by providing an express overview of philosophical

thought from Pre-Socratic works to early modern thought in chapter

2. Chapter 3 then examines the relevance of philosophical thought for

PA, appraising thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and the revolution of

the subject, alongside facets of philosophical thought such as phe-

nomenology, existentialism and structuralism. Here, Ongaro (2020)

effectively introduces the reader to key debates, which vary to differ-

ent extents their influence upon Ongaro's (2020) argument of philoso-

phy for PA. These chapters, whilst written as introductory, may have

to be read several times by a newcomer to philosophy, but could also

be skipped, as Ongaro (2020) suggests, if the reader considers them-

selves proficient in philosophical thought. However, this book is self-

proclaimed as a monumental challenge, not only to the author, but

also the reader, particularly given the novelty of attempting to stake

claims of philosophy for PA as an emerging area.

Chapter 4 delves into the crux of the book, focusingonontological

perspectives and PA doctrines and themes, underpinned by the origi-

nality that this work differs fromother works on philosophy and PA by

beginning from philosophy, then delving into implications for PA, as

opposed to the other way around. Buildingupon the introductory phil-

osophical debates in the previous two chapters,Ongaro (2020) utilises

chapter 4 to accentuate the importance of ontologies for PA and

debating their differing utilisations in attempt to foster the rigour and

depth for PA as a mode of scholarly investigation. Chapter 5 explores

political philosophy and the key area highlighted by Ongaro (2020) as

the legitimacy of public governance and the key facet of “justification”

in attempt to determine how the public sector should be organised,

particularly given contemporary “crisis of legitimacy”questions glob-

ally. Not only overviewing political philosophical arguments suchas

Plato's common good, utilitarianism as common good, but also contra-

sting this by addressing social contractarian arguments, Ongaro (2020)

then proceeds to apply this in relation to PA debates. Therefore,

Ongaro (2020) effectively constructs an excellent starting point into

how PA concepts, such as NPM, could be explained through common

good or social contractariandebates.

Following this, chapter 6 examines methodologies and epistemol-

ogies of philosophy for PA, before then addressing seminal figures dif-

ferent forms of thinking for PA in chapter 7. Addressing Lorenzetti's

virtues, Machiavelli's realism and More's utopianism and applying this

to PA thinking, chapter 7 is excellent in that three dissimilar master-

pieces from across centuries are aptly weaved into PA thinking, stak-

ing claims for considering philosophical debates for PA, with More's

influence of utopian thinking on “best practices”applied in chapter 8.

Chapter 9 is particularly interesting and pioneering, with

Ongaro (2020) tentatively outlining a draft theory of PA change, open

to scholars to expand upon in other works. Indeed, this is not

expanded upon in this work due to length considerations and straying

from the scope of the book; however, this opens numerous ambitious

research avenues for scholars who wish to attempt to formulate a

philosophically informed theory of PA change.

Finally, chapter 10, excellently, given the seminal nature of the

text, outlines how philosophy for PA could not only be best

Received: 21 August 2020Accepted: 25 August 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2436

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https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2436