
State Work
Public Administration and Mass Intellectuality
Stefano Harney(Author)
Duke University Press
Will be published approx. on 2. July 2002
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-0-8223-2880-3 (ISBN)
Description
An innovative contribution to political theory, State Work examines the labor of government workers in North America. Arguing that this work needs to be theorized precisely because it is vital to the creation and persistence of the state, Stefano Harney draws on thinking from public administration and organizational sociology, as well as poststructuralist theory and performance studies, to launch a cultural studies of the state. Countering conceptions of the government and its employees as remote and inflexible, Harney uses the theory of mass intellectuality developed by Italian worker-theorists to illuminate the potential for genuine political progress inherent within state work.
State Work begins with an ethnographic account of Harney's work as a midlevel manager within an Ontario government initiative charged with leading the province's efforts to combat racism. Through readings of material such as The X-Files and Law & Order, Harney then reviews how popular images of the state and government labor are formed within American culture and how these ideas shape everyday life. He highlights the mutually dependent roles played in state work by the citizenry and civil servants. Using as case studies Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government and a community-policing project in New York City, Harney also critiques public management literature and performance measurement theories. He concludes his study with a look at the motivations of state workers.
State Work begins with an ethnographic account of Harney's work as a midlevel manager within an Ontario government initiative charged with leading the province's efforts to combat racism. Through readings of material such as The X-Files and Law & Order, Harney then reviews how popular images of the state and government labor are formed within American culture and how these ideas shape everyday life. He highlights the mutually dependent roles played in state work by the citizenry and civil servants. Using as case studies Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government and a community-policing project in New York City, Harney also critiques public management literature and performance measurement theories. He concludes his study with a look at the motivations of state workers.
Reviews / Votes
"Harney gives us a refreshingly new perspective on the contemporary state through the labor of those in government and public administration. His analyses move elegantly from the registers of daily practice and experience to general theoretical discussions to create a sophisticated and accessible argument."-Michael Hardt, author of Empire (with Antonio Negri) "There is a growing need for a socially critical understanding of corporate management and government. Stefano Harney's book is a timely contribution in this regard. This is a painstaking analysis of the complexity of political and administrative processes."-Tony Tinker, Editor, Critical Perspectives on AccountingMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
North Carolina
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
567 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8223-2880-3 (9780822328803)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2002
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€198.99
Available for download
Person
Stefano Harney is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the City University of New York, College of Staten Island.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Hands of a Government Man
1. Yes, Minister: The Rise and Fall of the Ontario Antiracism Secretariat
2. Reengineering Immaterial G-Men
3. Reinventing Statolatry: From Nicos Poulantzas to Al Gore
4. Generalizing Social Terror: Public Management and Performance by Objectives
5. The Administration of Motivation: Any Cook Can Network
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Introduction: Hands of a Government Man
1. Yes, Minister: The Rise and Fall of the Ontario Antiracism Secretariat
2. Reengineering Immaterial G-Men
3. Reinventing Statolatry: From Nicos Poulantzas to Al Gore
4. Generalizing Social Terror: Public Management and Performance by Objectives
5. The Administration of Motivation: Any Cook Can Network
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index