2004 Donald Smiley Prize

Winner: David A. Good (University of Victoria)

The Politics of Public Management: The HRDC Audit of Grants and Contributions (University of Toronto Press, 2003)

Excerpt from jury report: David Good’s The Politics of Public Management is the product of a happy circumstance in a very unhappy episode in recent Canadian politics. During the first six months of 2000, questions arising from an internal audit conducted by HRDC (Human Resources Development Canada) dominated national politics. Dr. David Good, a career public servant with a Ph D in Public Policy, was an Assistant Deputy Minister in HRDC during the period when his Department was under intense public scrutiny. His book is a superbly written, insightful insider’s account of the story. It provides a close-up look at the trade-offs that are made as the imperatives of the classic system of responsible government give way to those of the New Public Management. It also shows the power of the media both to drive the agenda of those on the inside of government and to create on the outside their own public version of events. Good’s book is a healthy reality check for citizens and political scientists concerned with declining public confidence in democratic governance.