The Oxford handbook of governance and public management for social policy. By Karen J. Baehler , Washington: Oxford University Press. 2023. pp. 1064. $29.09 (soft cover), $144.92 (hardcover). pISBN: 9780190916329; eISBN: 9780190916350

• Published date: 01 May 2024
• Author: V. Kalyani
• Date: 01 May 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13819

efforts should be made to reform our requirements for

elected officials so that they have a better understanding

of how to be more effective policy makers. It would not

only strengthen the relationship between Manager and

Council, but the synergy that can be created will lead to

better service delivery and strengthened communities.

That is the ultimate reason for both sides entering into

this arena in the first place, isn’t it?

ENDNOTES

1

Daniel A. Rosemond, Death of a Public Servant (Brisbane: Limelight

Publishing, 2022), 50.

2

Rosemond, Death, 71.

3

Rosemond, Death, 11.

4

Rosemond, Death,2.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Russell Muniz has been serving South Florida local

governments since 1995. He has served as the Town

Administrator for the Town of Southwest Ranches,

Florida since 2023, where he oversees the accomplish-

ment of public policy directives of the Town Council.

He teaches both Public Administration and Business

Administration courses to undergraduate students. He

is an avid participant in local government professional

associations including the Florida City County Man-

agers Association, the Broward City County Managers

Association, and the Local Government Hispanic

Network.

Accepted: 26 March 2024

DOI: 10.1111/puar.13819

The Oxford handbook of

governance and public

management for social policy

By Karen J. Baehler, Washington: Oxford

University Press. 2023. pp. 1064. $29.09

(soft cover), $144.92 (hardcover). pISBN:

9780190916329; eISBN: 9780190916350

V. Kalyani

Department of Social Work, DMI-St. Eugene University, Lusaka, Malawi

Email: kalsmsw@gmail.com

This endeavor demonstrates a commendable commitment

to a global perspective on social administration and policy.

It represents every inhabited continent and chosen by

knowledgeable regional editors, promises a rich diversity

of insights. The extensive coverage encourages readers to

intricately trace themes and make comparisons across

nations, fostering a profound understanding of global

social issues. The diverse focus, which provides snapshots

from their regions, ensures a nuanced exploration from

varied perspectives. Each chapter’sspecificconcentration

at the intersection of social policy, public governance, and

public management addresses the vital need for integra-

tion in these fields. The interdisciplinary approach, incorpo-

rating insights from political science, political economy,

economics, public policy, policy history, program evalua-

tion, organizational behavior, and management studies,

adds depth and richness to the exploration of social

challenges. Overall, this compilation holds promise as a

valuable resource and it’s seeking a holistic understanding

of social policies on a global scale.

The Oxford Handbook of Governance and Management

for Social Policy the book highlights the stands as an effort to

bridge the fragmented landscape of global knowledge in the

public social welfare sphere. The delineation imposed by

geography, language, and culture often obstructs global

knowledge exchange, a challenge this handbook seeks to

overcome. By curating 64 authors from diverse regions, care-

fully selected by editors with regional expertise, the hand-

book delves into the challenges facing social welfare spher es

worldwide and explores regional responses. The thematic

organization allows for inter-regional comparisons and the

synthesisofinsightsacrossdisciplinary boundaries, fostering

amapoftheintersectionbetween social policy, governance

studies, and public management. Particularly significant is the

handbook’s capture of the state of interdisciplinary knowl-

edge before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a

valuable reference point for understanding subsequent adap-

tations in social welfare systems globally. As the pandemic

reshaped these systems worldwide, the handbook provides a

baseline for future researchers, encapsulating a rich variety of

practices and paradigms that will be critical in evaluating the

long-term implications of the pandemic on social policy.

The introduction to the handbook explores efforts to

advance human development across six continents.

Authors, meticulously selected from Africa, Asia, Australasia,

Canada, the United States, Europe, and Latin America, cap-

ture key developments and challenges in their respective

regions’social welfare spheres, spanning the turn of the mil-

lennium. The result is a captivating snapshot of global social

policy and public administration pre-COVID-19. The intro-

duction navigates the intricate social welfare landscape,

emphasizing historical context and the concept of path

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