Debating Public Administration: Management Challenges, Choices, and Opportunities

357 Pages·2012·4.6 MB·English

by  Robert F. Durant

Public Administration D D
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In the following chapters, thanks to the immense talent and hard work of the R R
editors, authors, and commentators, readers can catch a rare, insightful glimpse of A A American Society for Public Administration
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innovative minds at work within modern public administration—even by whom,
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Series in Public Administration and Public Policy
why, what, where, and how creative innovation is accomplished throughout
the field. And maybe, just maybe, they will draw the conclusion that right now
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American public administration lives in an incredible golden age. DEBATING
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—From the Foreword by Richard Stillman, Editor-in-Chief and Jos C. N.
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Raadschelders, Managing Editor, Public Administration Review, 2006–2011
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Dialog between practitioners and academics has increasingly become the exception PUBLIC
rather than the rule in contemporary public administration circles. Bridging the gap I
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between theory and practice, Debating Public Administration: Management
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Challenges, Choices, and Opportunities tackles some of the major management
challenges, choices, and opportunities of the twenty-first century facing public ADMINISTRATION
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managers across various subfields of public administration.
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Informed by contemporary pressures on public managers to reconceptualize
purpose, redefine administrative rationality, recapitalize human assets, reengage L
Management Challenges, Choices, and Opportunities
resources, and revitalize democratic constitutionalism, the book offers students, I
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practitioners, and researchers an opportunity to take stock and ponder the future

of practice and research in public administration. Organized by three sets of A
major management challenges facing the field—Rethinking Administrative D
Rationality in a Democratic Republic, Recapitalizing Organizational Capacity,
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and Reconceptualizing Institutions for New Policy Challenges—the book takes
an uncommon approach to the study of these topics. In it, leading practitioners and I
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academics comment on condensed versions of articles appearing in the Theory to
Practice feature of Public Administration Review (PAR) from 2006 through 2011. I
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The authors and commentators focus on some of the best current research, draw
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lessons from that literature for practice, and identify gaps in research that need
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to be addressed. They expertly draw out themes, issues, problems, and prospects,
providing bulleted lessons and practical takeaways. This makes the book a unique T
one-stop resource for cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, and cross-professional I
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exchanges on contemporary challenges.
N EDITED BY
ROBERT F. DURANT
K14434
JENNIFER R.S. DURANT
ISBN: 978-1-4665-0236-9
90000
www.crcpress.com
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K14434 cvr mech.indd 1 9/13/12 1:25 PM

DEBATING
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Management Challenges, Choices, and Opportunities
American Society for Public Administration
Book Series on Public Administration & Public Policy
Evan M. Berman, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief
Mission: Throughout its history, ASPA has sought to be true to its founding principles
of promoting scholarship and professionalism within the public service. The ASPA Book
Series on Public Administration and Public Policy publishes books that increase na-
tional and international interest for public administration and which discuss practical
or cutting edge topics in engaging ways of interest to practitioners, policy-makers, and
those concerned with bringing scholarship to the practice of public administration.
PUBLISHED TITLES
The Facilitative Leader in City Hall: Reexamining the Scope and Contributions
by James H. Svara
ISBN: 978-1-4200-6831-3
American Society for Public Administration
American Society for Public Administration
Book Series on Public Administration & Public Policy
David H. Rosenbloom, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
Mission: Throughout its history, ASPA has sought to be true to its founding principles of
promoting scholarship and professionalism within the public service. The ASPA Book
Series on Public Administration and Public Policy publishes books that increase national
and international interest for public administration and which discuss practical or cut-
ting edge topics in engaging ways of interest to practitioners, policy-makers, and those
concerned with bringing scholarship to the practice of public administration.
Recent PuBlicAtionS
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GPRA’s First Decade
by Jerry Ellig, Maurice McTigue, and Henry Wray
Practical Human Resources for Public Managers:
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by William Sims Curry
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Series in Public Administration and Public Policy
DEBATING
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Management Challenges, Choices, and Opportunities
EDITED BY
ROBERT F. DURANT
JENNIFER R.S. DURANT
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
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In memory of Frederick C. Mosher

Contents
Foreword.........................................................................................................xi
Preface:.Theory.to.Practice.............................................................................xv
Contributors..................................................................................................xxi
SeCtion i RetHinKinG ADMiniStRAtiVe
RAtionALitY in A DeMoCRAtiC
RePUBLiC
1 Managing.Successful.Organizational.Change.in.the.Public.Sector........7
AuthOrS:.SErGIO.FErNANDEZ.AND.hAL.G..rAINEY
CoMMentators: PatrICK e. Connor, FreD tHoMPson,
J. CHrIstoPHer MIHM, anD MarY tsCHIrHart
2 Back.to.the.Future?.Performance-related.Pay,.Empirical.
research,.and.the.Perils.of.Persistence..................................................27
AuthOrS:.JAMES.L..PErrY,.trENt.A..ENGBErS,.AND.SO.YuN.JuN
CoMMentators: DaVID J. HoUston, sanJaY K. PanDeY, anD
HoWarD rIsHer
3 From.“Need.to.Know”.to.“Need.to.Share”:.tangled.Problems,.
Information.Boundaries,.and.the.Building.of.Public.Sector.
Knowledge.Networks............................................................................67
AuthOrS:.ShArON.S..DAWES,.ANthONY.M..CrESSWELL,.AND.
thErESA.A..PArDO
CoMMentators: LIsa BLoMGren BInGHaM anD
sHaron L. CaUDLe
vii
viii  ◾  Contents
4 toward.“Strong.Democracy”.in.Global.Cities?.Social.Capital.
Building,.Theory-Driven.reform,.and.the.Los.Angeles.
Neighborhood.Council.Experience.......................................................89
AuthOrS:.JuLIEt.MuSSO,.ChrIStOPhEr.WEArE,.thOMAS.BrYEr,.
AND.tErrY.L..COOPEr
CoMMentators: BrIan J. CooK, tIna naBatCHI, anD
JoHn CLaYton tHoMas
5 reinventing.Administrative.Prescriptions:.The.Case.for.
Democratic-Constitutional.Impact.Statements.and.Scorecards.........111
AuthOr:.DAVID.h..rOSENBLOOM
CoMMentator: JoHn M. KaMensKY
SeCtion ii ReCAPitALiZinG oRGAniZAtionAL CAPACitY
6 Betting.on.the.Future.with.a.Cloudy.Crystal.Ball?.how.Financial.
Theory.Can.Improve.revenue.Forecasting.and.Budgets.in..
the.States.............................................................................................137
AuthOrS:.FrED.thOMPSON.AND.BruCE.L..GAtES
CoMMentators: roY t. MeYers anD
KatHerIne G. WILLoUGHBY
7 Managing.Public.Service.Contracts:.Aligning.Values,.
Institutions,.and.Markets....................................................................155
AuthOrS:.trEVOr.L..BrOWN,.MAtthEW.POtOSKI,.AND.
DAVID.M..VAN.SLYKE
CoMMentators: rUtH H. DeHooG, sUZanne J. PIotroWsKI,
tHoMas F. reILLY, anD anDreW B. WHItForD
8 A.return.to.Spoils?.revisiting.radical.Civil.Service.reform.in.
the.united.States.................................................................................177
AuthOrS:.StEPhEN.E..CONDrEY.AND.r..PAuL.BAttAGLIO,.Jr.
CoMMentators: FranK D. FerrIs, norMa M. rICCUCCI, anD
FranK J. tHoMPson
9 A.Solution.in.Search.of.a.Problem?.Discrimination,.Affirmative.
Action,.and.the.New.Governance........................................................201
AuthOr:.SALLY.COLEMAN.SELDEN
CoMMentators: DoMonIC a. BearFIeLD, LaeL r. KeIser, anD
sHaron H. MastraCCI