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Richard Mulgan

BA (NZ), BA, MA, BPhil (Oxford)

Crawford School of Economics and Government


 

Research interests/expertise

  • Accountability
  • Public sector management
  • New Zealand politics
  • Greek political theory

Current Projects

His most recent book, Holding Power to Account. Accountability in Modern Democracies builds on a series of articles on the subject of accountability published over the last eight years (Palgrave Macmillan 2003). The book provides a general analysis of accountability mechanisms drawing on examples from five countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States). Particular topics covered include the contrast between accountability in the public and private sectors, the effect of public sector reform on accountability, the comparison between single and multiple points of accountability, and the limits of accountability. For further details, including a sample chapter, see www.palgrave.com.

Research work on accountability has continued in a joint project with Professor Graeme Hodge (Director, Centre for the Study of Privatisation and Public Accountability, Monash University) investigating the effects of outsourcing on government accountability in the Australian Commonwealth. The research has been funded jointly as a 'linkage' project by the Australian Research Council and the Australian National Audit Office.  He also received an ARC Discovery Grant to study the accountability priorities of Australian Parliamentarians.
His book on New Zealand politics, Politics in New Zealand (Auckland University Press, 1994, second edition 1997) was revised for a third edition published in 2004.

He retired in 2008 and is now Professor Emeritus in the Crawford School.

 

Recent Publications

  • Mulgan,R. (1998), 'Citizenship and legitimacy in post-colonial Australia'.
    Citizenship and Indigenous Australians, Peterson, N.; Sanders, W. (ed), Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 179-95.
    Online publication not available.

  • Mulgan,R. (2000), '‘Accountability’: An Ever-Expanding Concept?'.
    Public Administration, Vol. 78, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, UK, 555-573.
    pdfView Publication Online >>

  • Mulgan,R. (2000), 'Was Aristotle an “Aristotelian Social Democrat”?'.
    Ethics, Vol. 111, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA, 79-101.
    pdfView Publication Online >>

  • Mulgan,R. (2002), 'Public accountability of provider agencies: the case of the Australian 'Centrelink''.
    International Journal of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 68(1), 45-59.
    pdfView Publication Online >>

  • Mulgan,R. (2003), 'Holding Power to Account: Accountability in Modern Democracies'.  Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke, UK,
    Online publication not available.

  • Mulgan,R. (2003), ‘Centrelink: a new approach to service delivery’ in C. Aspalter (ed), Neoliberalism and the Australian Welfare State  (Hong Kong: Case Verde Publishing), 169-80 Online publication not available.

  • Mulgan,R. (2005), ‘Plato, Aristotle and the good governance agenda’ in T. Battin (ed), A Passion for Politics. Essays in honour of Graham Maddox (Sydney; Pearson Longman), 145-5

  • Mulgan,R. (2005), ‘One cheer for hierarchy: accountability in disjointed governance’, Political  Science 55(2), 6-18

  • Mulgan,R. (2005), ‘Outsourcing and public service values: the Australian experience’, International Review of Administrative Sciences 71 (1), 55-70.

  • Mulgan,R. (2006), ‘Government accountability for outsourced services’, Australian Journal of Public Administration 65 (2), 48-58

  • Mulgan,R. (2007), ‘Truth in government and the politicization of public service advice’, Public Administration 85 (3), 569-86

  • Mulgan,R. (2008), ‘Public sector reform in New Zealand – issues of public accountability’, Public Administration Quarterly 32(1), 1-32

  • Mulgan,R. (2008), ‘How much responsiveness is too much or too little?’, Australian Journal of Public Administration 67 (3), 345-56

  • Mulgan,R. (2008), ‘The accountability priorities of Australian parliamentarians’, Australian Journal of Public Administration 67 (4) (2008), 457-469

 

Selected Publications

Books

  • Holding Power to Account. Accountability in Modern Democracies, Basingston, Palgrave Macmillan, third edition 2003, updated P. Aimer, 2004

  • Politics in New Zealand, Auckland University Press, Auckland, 1994, second revised edition 1997

  • Maori, Pakeha and Democracy, Oxford University Press, Auckland, 1989

  • Democracy and Power in New Zealand, Oxford University Press, Auckland, 1984, second edition 1989

  • Aristotle's Political Theory, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1977

Articles and Book Chapters (since 1997)

  • 'Centrelink: a new approach to service delivery' in C. Aspalter (ed), Neoliberalism and the Australian Welfare
    State (Hong Kong: Case Verde Publishing, 2004), 169-80

  • 'One cheer for hierarchy: accountability in disjointed governance', Political Science 55(2), (2003)6-18

  • 'Public accountability of provider agencies: the case of the Australian 'Centrelink'', International Journal of Administrative Sciences 68 (1) (2002), 45-59

  • 'On ministerial resignations (and the lack thereof)', Australian Journal of Public Administration 61(2) (2002), 121-7

  • 'Auditors-General: Cuckoos in the managerialist nest?', Australian Journal of Public Administration 60 (2), 24-34 (2001)

  • 'The accountability of community sector agencies: a comparative framework', Third Sector 7 (1), 89-105 (2001)

  • 'Auditors-General: Cuckoos in the managerialist nest?', Australian Journal of Public Administration 60 (2), 24-34 (2001)

  • 'The accountability of community sector agencies: a comparative framework', Third Sector 7 (1), 89-105 (2001)

  • (with J. Uhr), 'Accountability and governance' in G. Davis and P. Weller (eds), Are You Being Served? (Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2001), 152-74

  • 'Comparing accountability in the public and private sectors', Australian Journal of Public Administration 59(1) (2000), 87-97

  • 'The "Mandate": a response to Goot', Australian Journal of Political Science 35 (2000), 317-22

  • '"Accountability"', an ever-expanding concept?', Public Administration 78 (2000), 555-74

  • 'Was Aristotle an Aristotelian social democrat', Ethics 111 (2000), 79-101

  • 'Comparing accountability in the public and private sectors', Australian Journal of Public Administration 59(1) (2000), 87-97

  • 'Constitutions and the purpose of the state' in O. Hoeffe (ed), Aristoteles' Politik (Tubingen: Akademie Verlag 2000), 93-106

  • 'The electoral system: have we got it right' in C. James (ed), Building the Constitution (Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies 2000), 358-63

  • Aristotle, ethical diversity and political argument', Journal of Political Philosophy 7 (1999), 191-207

  • 'The role of friendship in Aristotle's political theory', Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 2 (4) (1999), 15-32

  • 'Defeating defeatism' in J. Uhr (ed), The Case for Yes (Federation Press, Sydney, 1999), 174-86

  • (with B. Galligan), 'Assymetric political association: the Australasian experiment' in R. Agranoff (ed), Accommodating Diversity: Asymmetry in Federal States (Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, Baden-Baden, 1999), 57-72

  • 'The politicisation of senior appointments in the Australian Public Service', Australian Journal of Public Administration 57 (3) (1998), 3-14

  • 'Citizenship and legitimacy in post-colonial Australia', in N. Peterson and W. Sanders (eds),Citizenship and Indigenous Australians (Cambridge UP, Melbourne, 1998), 179-95

  • 'Processes of Accountability', Australian Journal of Public Administration 56 (1) (1997), 25-36

  • 'Accountability and Contracting Out', Australian Journal of Public Administration 56 (4) (1997), 106-17

  • 'Parliament' in R. Miller (ed), New Zealand Politics in Transition (Auckland University Press, Auckland, 1997), 62-71

  • 'State and democracy in New Zealand', in C. Rudd and B. Roper (eds), Political Economy in New Zealand (Oxford UP, Auckland, 1997), 256-72

Non-refereed articles (since 1997)

  • 'Policy versus administration: the Auditor-General's clash with Finance and the Minister', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration 101, 38-40m (2001)

  • 'Public servants and the public interest', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration 97 (2000), 1-4

  • 'Perspectives on "the public interest" ', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration 95 (2000), 5-12

  • 'Identifying the "core" public service', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration 87 (1998), 1-7

  • 'Negative and simplistic or positive and nuanced? [the Reith white paper]', Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration 83 (1997), 25-28

Teaching

  • Theories of Governance
  • Comparative Public Sector Management
  • Policy Processes

Contact Details

Telephone: 61 2 6125 4765
Fax: 61 2 6125 5570
Email: richard.mulgan@anu.edu.au
Mailing address:Crawford School of Economics and Government ,
The Australian National University,
Canberra ACT 0200, Australia

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