A Reasonable Public Servant: Constitutional Foundations of Administrative Conduct in the United States

An essential text for PA courses on Human Resource Management as well as Public Management and Law, this book illuminates the role of the reasonable public servant, who strives to perform authorized functions efficiently, yet in a manner that aligns with constitutional values embodied in the Bill of Rights. "A Reasonable Public Servant" provides a comprehensive review of Supreme Court opinions in explaining the reasonable conduct of a public servant and the development of clearly established constitutional and statutory rights that a reasonable public servant is expected to observe: property rights; procedural due process; freedom of critical speech; privacy; equal protection; and anti-discrimination laws. The author relies on the Court's opinions as the exemplar of public reason, and pays close attention to the manner in which the Court balances among competing value priorities - for example, the rights of a public servant as an employee as well as an individual citizen, and the efficiency needs of the government as an employer as well as a sovereign state. This book's detailed appendices include the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Constitutional Foundations of Public Service; Chapter 1 The Constitution and a Reasonable Public Servant; Chapter 2 Personal Responsibility; Chapter 3 Official Responsibility; Part 2 Constitutional Rights of a Public Servant; Chapter 4 Property Rights, Liberty, and Procedural Due Process; Chapter 5 Freedom of Critical Speech; Chapter 6 Right to Privacy; Chapter 7 Equal Protection and Affirmative Action; Part 3 Civil Rights of a Public Servant; Chapter 8 Discrimination in Employment; Chapter 9 Sexual Harassment and Employer Liability; Chapter 10 Americans with Disabilities; Part 4 Conclusion; Chapter 11 The World of a Reasonable Public Servant;

About the Author :
Yong S. Lee is Professor of Public Policy and Administration and Director of the Institute of Science and Society at Iowa State University. He teaches law and public management, employment law, public personnel administration, and organizational theory. His research focuses on constitutional law, civil rights, and civil damages liability. His work extends to research on science and technology policy. He was a recipient of two National Science Foundation awards and a research fellow at Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in 2000., David H. Rosenbloom is Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at American University in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on public administration and democratic constitutionalism. He is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and was the 1999 recipient of the Dwight Waldo Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Literature and Leadership of Public Administration through an Extended Career and the 2001 John Gaus Award for a Lifetime of Exemplary Scholarship in the Joint Tradition of Political Science and Public Administration.