Renovating the Refounding

Abstract

Manifestos are bold and declarative, often seeking to challenge contemporary norms. This was true of the Blacksburg Manifesto, which critically argued that the field of public administration was resting on an unstable foundation. Instead of merely serving the role of critic, the authors of the refounding project laid a new foundation that could house a critical aspect of government: administration. Despite their successes, their answers have become dated. The field has changed, requiring a renovation. In seeking to revise the Manifesto, we update the project to make it more relevant for 21st-century governing.