Creating Human Value is a powerful public management theory that places the person at the centre of all decision making. It is founded on millennia-old natural law philosophy, updated to cope with contemporary problems. At the heart of Creating Human Value is the ideal of human flourishing – this is achieved through pursuing the common good, via public policy, in a way that respects human dignity. To paraphrase Socrates, it is about caring for the city, rather than merely the city’s possessions.

This book is the product of almost a decade of research and teaching of this compelling alternate public management theory to government decision-makers in Australia and abroad. In sum, Creating Human Value is a much-needed antidote to currently popular public management approaches that have unduly prioritised the common good over dignity with catastrophic consequences for the lives of many people.

This book will appeal to readers interested in public management, public policy and government.