Criticism and Public Rationality: Professional Rigidity and the Search for Caring Government

Criticism is at the heart of any political discussion, and criticism of old policies is central to the development of new ones. In its analysis of political decision-making, this reissue, first published in 1991, examines the principles which control the process of policy criticism. It identifies two fundamental and related obstacles to this process: the privileged status accorded to 'professional judgement' and the conflicting philosophical ideas that shape political argument. Based on the study of Europe's largest local authority, the book presents a theory of decision-making that can be applied to institutions at all levels.