When introduced, reinventing government promised significant changes in government performance. Juxtaposed against that theory is one presented by rebounderss," which demands a return to a constitutional grounding in governance. This article suggests that each has significant limitations that can best be understood by examining the other. Accordingly, we seek to establish the central or core theoretical concepts of each theory and the underlying assumptions on which each theory rests. We then proceed to examine them critically as "theories" and compare them to empirical evidence. We argue each is vague, internally inconsistent, and contradicted by known empirical evidence. However, we argue that by integrating the two, the weaknesses of each can be overcome, permitting the evolution of a more fully informed theory, one that addresses both the "means" and the "ends " of government.
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