The American Constitutional Legacy and the Deliberative Democracy Environment of New Public Governance

The majority of 32,406 municipal governments and independent school boards in the United States are local entities that are overseen by part-time elected officials who have little understanding of the theory and practice of the America constitutional legacy. This public administration problem has significant consequences for the New Public Governance, which requires leaders who have a sophisticated institutional understanding of their community, are skilled in deliberative approaches to decision making, and have a clear understanding of government’s legal and constitutional role in a networked governance system. The article analyzes the causes of the problem and makes some practical suggestions for increasing the capacity of local elected officials to govern more effectively in NPG systems.