This book offers a lucid and comprehensive account of the contributions of eminent theorists to the study of public administration and management. It introduces its readers to the works of 32 esteemed thinkers in the field of administrative theories. It provides life sketches of all the thinkers along with an outline of their contributions and a critical discussion of their seminal work.

With a focused emphasis on individual thinkers, this volume covers all the major administrative theories that have evolved over the last 600 years, such as the oriental, classical, and administrative schools of thought, organisational humanism, and public choice theories of administration. The impact of postmodernism, poststructuralism and critical social theory on public administration has also been analysed in the context of their relevance to the modern world.

Written as per the prescribed curriculum, the book will serve as a helpful companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students of public administration and political science. It will be useful to students, researchers and teachers of public administration, public policy, political science, and management. The book will also be an invaluable companion to policymakers in the government sector as it will strengthen their conceptual understanding of the subject.