This publication was prepared by the Governance and Public Administration Branch (GPAB), Division of Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations, as one of the Branch's activities under paragraph 10.36 (Governance and Public Administration) of the programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995. It connotes the continuance of the practice of the United Nations programme in public administration to provide sources of information on public administration. Rethinking Public Administration: an Overview is a successor to three earlier publications issued by the United Nations: Standards and Techniques of Public Administration (1951), Handbook of Public Administration: Current Concepts and Practices with Special References to Developing Countries (1961), Development Administration: Current Approaches and Trends (1975). These three publications served as useful sources of information for public administrators worldwide.