BOOK REVIEW: THE 21ST CENTURY PUBLIC MANAGER BY ZEGER VAN DER WAL

Abstract

Zeger van der Wal’s latest book entitled ‘The 21st Century Public Manager: Challenges, People and Strategies’ published in 2017 is in many ways a unique and milestone work, truly global in scope and ambition, both in its mapping of the complex 21st century landscape of public administration, and in offering a clear perspective for practitioners, while also inspiring them on their journeys. Along these lines, the value of the book is in its basic premise that “public management matters” and that of the demanding rethinking of the roles, responsibilities, skills and strategies of purposeful public servants while navigating in the ever-changing VUCA world – one characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The book was intended to serve as a practical manual and indeed is an extremely useful guide, being an asset for professionals, students and educators who wish to follow a logical framework in understanding contemporary public policy challenges.