From the back cover: Subject to shifts of political mood, portrayed by the media as lazy and incompetent, hobbled by central agency regulations, criticized by auditors general, public service managers have a tough time of it....Is the good manager one who follows the rules, or the one who ignores lines of authority to get things done? Is the official who stays within the budget but doesn't deliver the program a better manager thlan the one who blows the budget but provides the public with a needed service? This book, one of very few on public sector management, suggests how to improve the system and foster management excellence.