The author has taken the concept of organizational culture from corporate literature and applied it to two unique government programs the Peace Corps and VISTA. The book traces the ongoing conflict between partisan ideology and the organizational culture formulated during the Kennedy and Johnson years. It follows an often intense struggle between political appointees on one side and career employees, volunteers, and returned volunteers on the other. Political ideologies may vary depending upon which political party controls the presidency, but the contest for control of the agencies continues.

T. Zane Reeves is Professor and Director, Division of Public Administration, The University of New Mexico.

“This book will be an addition to the policy and public administration literature, both as an interesting set of longitudinal case studies and as an argument for improving political leadership of public agencies.” –Charles T. Goodsell, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University