Reclaiming John Dewey - Democracy, inquiry, pragmatism, and public management

This article argues that it would be not only possible, but also prudent, f or the field of public management to reclaim the philosophy of John Dewey a s a guiding ethos for its practice. In Dewey's view the democratic communit y is responsible for ensuring that each person's capacity for participation and self-government is fully developed. In such a community, citizens woul d engage in inquiry to choose appropriate action inparticular situations. T he public manager would participate in this process by contributing his or her expert knowledge bur would not make policy decisions. Today's decentral ized and reinvented government presents an opportunity for the practice to reconnect to citizens in processes such as those advocated by Dewey.