Here are some books and articles which illuminate ideas behind ‘a new civic bureaucracy’:
Republicanism: A theory of freedom and government, Philip Pettit, 1999, Oxford University Press. Pettit translates concepts of civic republicanism to the modern day. His idea of freedom as non-domination provides a basis for the legitimacy of the active societal role envisaged for a civic bureaucracy. He also emphasizes the importance of focusing on detailed bureaucratic structure and practice.
Metric Power, David Beer, 2016, Palgrave Macmillan. Beer details the ways in which the metrics used by public administration to measure, plan and assess delivery and policy constrain what is possible and exercise a directional power in themselves.
The New Public Service: Serving, not Steering, Janet and Robert Denhardt, 2015 (4th edition), Routledge. Denhardt and Denhardt argue for an enabling not controlling public bureaucracy which serves civil society and civic democratic life. The book sets out the key elements to implementing the approach.
The Green State: rethinking democracy and sovereignty, Robyn Eckersley, 2004, MIT Press. Eckersley considers how the liberal democratic state could embrace a wider ecological understanding and sets out steps and barriers to realizing a ‘green state’.
Foundations and Frontiers of Deliberative Governance, John Dryzek, 2013, Oxford University Press. Dryzek explores issues and ideas for deliberative or discursive democracy as a means of strengthening civil society, building consensus and challenging the controlling power of government.
Who is in Charge here? Governance for Sustainable Development in a Complex World, James Meadowcroft, 2007, Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, PDF. Meadowcroft sets out the nature of governing for sustainable development and what it means for forms of governance.