Ferrel (emeritus, public administration, U. of New Mexico, Albuquerque) assesses the state of the comparative study of public administration and characterizes the administrative systems of a wide range of present-day nation-states. He begins by introducing public administration as a field of study. Subsequent chapters discuss, for example, historical antecedents of national administrative systems, administration in more developed and less developed nations, and bureaucratic-prominent and party-prominent political regimes. The sixth edition covers recent developments in various national systems of public administration, including those of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)