How public affairs are run depends upon the degree of authority and control central government decides to relinquish to regional and local governments, and the extent to which it favors citizen involvement in the governing process. Public administrators do not operate in a vacuum. The context within which decision-making takes place greatly influences public administrators' approach to public issues. Consequently, what government decides to do and how it decides to carry it out affects the lives of people and how people perceive their role in the unfolding of public affairs.

While public administration varies from one country to another, public administrators inevitably face similar challenges. Running a government is not easy; it is complex, dynamic, contested, supported, subject to special interests, both demand- and supply-driven, just to name a few. In executing government functions, public administrators unsurprisingly contend with major decision-making questions. While obviously not exhaustive, this book addresses some key issues challenging practitioners. These challenges include questions on what gets included in the policy agenda, questions on policy response to problems through adoption and/or adaptation of exogenous policies, questions on the dangers of displacing policy goals, questions on transferring government activities to specialized agency, questions on decentralizing powers to regional and local governments, questions on combating corruption, and questions on managing public resources.

It is widely recognized that policy implementation is much more challenging than its design. Nonetheless, it is the manner in which public administrators address these challenges that creates opportunities for a more effective long-term policy prioritization, design and coordination, a more effective and inclusive public governance, and a more effective use of public resources for the delivery of needed public services.

Citizens do not feel empowered and do not feel they are adequately given the space to meaningfully participate in public governance. Clearly, citizens are not satisfied with the manner in which government is run. This is evident across the developed and developing world, as highlighted also by recent manifestation of discontent in Europe, North America, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

While past government reforms have tendentially focused on performance, efficiency, and productivity, recent developments in public governance have recognized the central role of individuals as 'citizens' rather than 'customers' in both the development and implementation of public policies. Although government remains indispensable to governance, citizen can and should play an active role towards solutions to recurring problems as well as emerging and future issues.

A key way to ensure that governments truly reflect the will of the people, particularly the marginalized and the weaker groups of society, is by creating an environment where citizens are given democratic space to exercise 'voice', even in between elections.

Citizen engagement in decision-making and public service delivery is key to development and to the improvement in the lives of people. The research explicitly selected cases from the largest populated continent in the world, a region where culturally, rights and duties of citizens as well as the power and authority of their political leaders have been significantly influenced by 'Asian values'. In particular, experiences in citizen engagement in India and Thailand have been respectively further influenced by social stratification (castes) and hierarchical proximity to the monarchy (sakdhina). Notwithstanding the extent of democratic values within which the two cases were implemented, both cases are indicative of the potential impact meaningful citizen engagement can have in the lives of ordinary people and carry with them potential for replication.

Citizens do not feel empowered and do not feel they are adequately given the space to meaningfully participate in public governance. Clearly, citizens are not satisfied with the manner in which government is run. This is evident across the developed and developing world, as highlighted also by recent manifestation of discontent in Europe, North America, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

While past government reforms have tendentially focused on performance, efficiency, and productivity, recent developments in public governance have recognized the central role of individuals as 'citizens' rather than 'customers' in both the development and implementation of public policies. Although government remains indispensable to governance, citizen can and should play an active role towards solutions to recurring problems as well as emerging and future issues.

A key way to ensure that governments truly reflect the will of the people, particularly the marginalized and the weaker groups of society, is by creating an environment where citizens are given democratic space to exercise 'voice', even in between elections.

Citizen engagement in decision-making and public service delivery is key to development and to the improvement in the lives of people. The research explicitly selected cases from the largest populated continent in the world, a region where culturally, rights and duties of citizens as well as the power and authority of their political leaders have been significantly influenced by 'Asian values'. In particular, experiences in citizen engagement in India and Thailand have been respectively further influenced by social stratification (castes) and hierarchical proximity to the monarchy (sakdhina). Notwithstanding the extent of democratic values within which the two cases were implemented, both cases are indicative of the potential impact meaningful citizen engagement can have in the lives of ordinary people and carry with them potential for replication.

How public affairs are run depends upon the degree of authority and control central government decides to relinquish to regional and local governments, and the extent to which it favors citizen involvement in the governing process. Public administrators do not operate in a vacuum. The context within which decision-making takes place greatly influences public administrators' approach to public issues. Consequently, what government decides to do and how it decides to carry it out affects the lives of people and how people perceive their role in the unfolding of public affairs.

While public administration varies from one country to another, public administrators inevitably face similar challenges. Running a government is not easy; it is complex, dynamic, contested, supported, subject to special interests, both demand- and supply-driven, just to name a few. In executing government functions, public administrators unsurprisingly contend with major decision-making questions. While obviously not exhaustive, this book addresses some key issues challenging practitioners. These challenges include questions on what gets included in the policy agenda, questions on policy response to problems through adoption and/or adaptation of exogenous policies, questions on the dangers of displacing policy goals, questions on transferring government activities to specialized agency, questions on decentralizing powers to regional and local governments, questions on combating corruption, and questions on managing public resources.

It is widely recognized that policy implementation is much more challenging than its design. Nonetheless, it is the manner in which public administrators address these challenges that creates opportunities for a more effective long-term policy prioritization, design and coordination, a more effective and inclusive public governance, and a more effective use of public resources for the delivery of needed public services.