Observing Government Elites Up Close and Personal [Hardcover]

This book focuses on the everyday life of ministers and senior public servants in different countries, describing the world through their eyes. It explores how their beliefs, practices and traditions create meaning in politics and public policy making. It provides unique data on life of politicians and practical advice on how to conduct fieldwork.Being There; R.A.W.Rhodes, P.'t Hart & M.Noordegraaf PART I: OBSERVING AT HOME The Everyday Life of a Minister: A Confessional and Impressionist Tale; R.A.W.Rhodes Spies at the Crossroads: Observing Change in the Dutch Intelligence Service; P.'t Hart Men at Work: How Public Policy Managers Cope; M.Noordegraaf Governing Karlstad: An Insider's Story; P.O.Norell PART II: OBSERVING ABROAD Dutch Eurocrats at Work: Getting Things in Done in Europe; K.Geuijen, P.'t Hart & K.Yesilkagit The EU's Nomads: National Eurocrats in European Policy Making; R.Thedvall European Integration in Anthropological Perspective: Studying the 'Culture' of the EU Civil Service; C.Shore So What? The prospects and Pitfalls of Being There; R.A.W.Rhodes, P.'t Hart & M.Noordegraaf

'This volume provides a distinctive and innovative insight into...important issues based on ethnographic approaches that political scientists typically eschew. The scholarship is uniformly high, as would be expected from such a distinguished cohort of contributors. I would have no hesitation in recommending this work to all scholars with an interest in the broad field.' - Michael Cole, University of Liverpool, Political Studies Review

KARIN GEUIJEN Lecturer in Organizational Culture, Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, The NetherlandsP. O. NORRELL Associate Professor of Public Administration, Karlstad University, SwedenCRIS SHORE Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, New ZealandRENITA THEDVALL Postdoctoral Researcher, Stockholm Centre for Organizational Research (SCORE), Stockholm University, Swedeló"