Government Matters More Than Ever: Toward Respect for Government in an Increasingly Privatized World

This article argues that, in our rapidly changing, increasingly complex world, government matters. It always has and arguably now matters more than ever largely because of the context within we live - a context in which more than two decades of government bashing have taken their toll on pride and capacity in public service, leaving an emasculated public sector to deal with the immense challenges of today's world. To make this argument the historical shifts of perspective on government and the marketplace are described along with the changes occurring so rapidly in our world. Second, the impact of the recent shift to a pro-marketplace bias and the impacts of globalization, interdependence and increased tribalism on governments and on public administration are described. Finally, some key challenges facing public administration as a result of these changes are discussed