166 6: Postmodern Th eory
neutrality, and an emphasis on organizational design with little concern for social
injustice. Th e phenomenological approach of postmodern theory views reality as
socially constructed, thus a hermeneutical approach that recognizes a subjective
interpretation of events, meanings, and relationships is necessary. For postmod-
ernists, the nation-state is not central, but rather deconstructed to emphasize and
understand the nature of one-on-one relationships.
Notes
- Some theorists whose work is considered in this chapter might reject being cate-
gorized as postmodern. - We describe here only that part of the so-called New Public Administration that
was, at the time, generally called the humanistic perspective. Other perspectives, con-
cepts, and theories emerged from the subsequent meetings of Minnowbrook Confer-
ence, most notably the social equity argument (Frederickson 1980). - For a particularly interesting postmodern playful analysis of public administra-
tion theory, see McSwite 2002. For a less playful, but nevertheless interesting, use of
contraries, negatives, and problematics in postmodern public administration, see Fox
and Miller 1995.