Using former cabinet minister and senator Allan J. MacEachen's career in public service as the organizing focus of the collection, contributors contrast the current retreat of government with the activist approach advocated by Allan MacEachen and his generation. They examine whether the public good will be enhanced by continuing retreat or whether that trend is the consequence of policy mistakes that can and should be corrected. In Pursuit of the Public Good addresses a wide range of fields, including politics, economics, social welfare, and public administration, in an engaging and straightforward style. Scholars and general readers alike will find this collection accessible and stimulating.