Essentials of Public Service
An Introduction to Contemporary Public Administration
Mary E. Guy and Todd L. Ely
576 pages, Paperback: $119.95 | eBook: $99.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923590-4
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
Essentials of Public
Service is the most accessible, student-friendly
introductory PA text on the market. The book prepares
students for careers in today’s public service, whether in government or
nonprofits. Each chapter teaches the public service context, essential public
service skills, and what it takes to do the job, whether managing or providing
direct service.
The book is written
for both today’s and tomorrow’s public service. In addition to standard
chapters on leading, organizing, budgeting, and staffing, this book offers
chapters on contracting, financial management in government as well as
nonprofits, legal issues, digital democracy, and public integrity, all within a
constitutional frame of reference. In our interconnected system of government,
nonprofits, and public/private partnerships, students will learn how all the
parts fit together.
Personal vignettes,
cases, discussion questions, and exercises bring the subject matter to life. A
unique Skillbox at the end of each chapter provides step-by-step instructions
on how to perform tasks expected of public administrators, from writing a memo
to hiring the right person to presenting data using spreadsheets. To add a “personal
touch” for readers, each chapter in Essentials of Public Service closes
with a biography and interview of a distinguished public servant. In the
interviews, entitled “Ask Me Why I Care,” each person explains what public service
means to them and how they view their role and their work.
Praise for the book:
“Essentials of Public Service is a thoroughly modern and fresh take on today’s public administration. While reinforcing classic questions of service to citizens and the fundamental distinctiveness of the public service context, the authors also comprehensively explore new challenges in the public service, such as accountability in a digital age, coproduction, contracting, and effective performance management. What makes this text truly new is how well designed it is to teach public service. These two leading scholars write in a voice that really speaks to those in the field, with innovative and illustrative cases and multimedia examples from real public administrators. I have no doubt this book will be used in PA programs across the globe very soon—I am definitely adopting it.” —Jessica Sowa, University of Baltimore
Table of Contents:
Introduction
PART I. THE CONTEXT FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
1. Running a Constitution
2. Citizen Engagement
PART II. MANAGING FOR PERFORMANCE: CAPITALIZING ON THE POWER OF PEOPLE, MONEY, AND INFORMATION
3. The Savvy Administrator
4. Organizing Principles
5. Human Resource Functions and Processes
6. Budgeting
7. Digital Democracy
PART III. CONTROL MECHANISMS
8. Public Economics and Policy
9. Public Financial Management
10. Transparency
11. Contracting
12. Legal Dimensions of Public Administration
13. Public Integrity
PART IV. PUBLIC PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE
14. Measuring and Managing for Performance
15. Public Services, Well Delivered
Appendix: U.S. Constitution and Amendments
Index | About the Authors
About the Authors:
Mary E. Guy is Professor of Public Administration in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research and teaching interests focus on the human processes involved in public service delivery. Author of numerous books and articles, she is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and past president of the American Society for Public Administration.
Todd L. Ely is Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver and Director of the Center for Local Government Research and Training. His research and teaching focus on the financing of state and local public services, municipal debt, education policy, and public and nonprofit financial management.
Performance Measurement for Managing Local Government Getting it Right David Ammons 344 pages, Paperback: $59.95 | eBook: $49.95 PB ISBN: 978-1-73393441-1
Out of their desire to move ahead with performance management—the use of performance information for management purposes—managers, analysts, and students sometimes skip too quickly through the intricacies of good performance measurement.
Performance Measurement for Managing Local Government answers the persistent questions confronting everyone who has ever tried to design measures, refine measures, or make measures the management tools they are supposed to be. This book describes the ins and outs of performance measurement, guides readers toward proper design of measures, illustrates common errors and ways to avoid them, offers tips, and even provides sets of suitable measures on which to build.
Praise for the book:
“David Ammons has spent his career teaching students and local governments how to design performance measures that drive innovation. Whether you are a graduate student first learning about how performance measurement increases local government success, or a chief innovation officer using measures to spot operational challenges that deserve greater scrutiny—Ammons’ thoughtful and practical book will become dog-eared and well-loved throughout your career.” —Kirsten Wyatt, co-founder and executive director, ELGL—the Engaging Local Government Leaders network
“Ammons new book is a delight that digs into many of the practical performance measurement details usually glossed over, or completely neglected, by most books and articles on performance measurement and performance management. The work should be highly helpful to those workingto improve the effectiveness and efficiency of local government by getting the right information to local public officials.” —Harry P. Hatry, Urban Institute
“A must read for public managers seeking to improve their organization’s performance, David Ammons' Performance Measurement for Managing Local Government is packed with valuable insights for better understanding the importance of this critical management practice. The book offers a practical framework and provides examples of techniques for successfully implementing a performance measurement system and the key metrics that can assist leaders and employees achieve the meaningful outcomes their organization seeks.” —Randall Reid, Southeast Regional Director/ Director of Performance Initiatives for the International City and County Management Association
Table of Contents: 1. Introduction
2. Performance Measurement in Local Governments Today
3. Performance Measures Suitable for Performance Improvement
4. Alignment with Objectives
5. Include a Focus on Results
6. How Many Measures Should We Have? How Frequently Should We Report?
7. Mostly Higher-Order Measures
8. Selecting Suitable Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion
9. Per Capita Measures and Similar Indicators Can Be Misleading
10. Avoiding Measures That Are Not Helpful
11. Measures of Responsiveness and Measures of Efficiency
12. Avoid Confusing or Misleading Labels
13. Camouflaged Targets
14. Measuring Only “What We Control?”
15. Overly Generous Acceptability Bands
16. Measuring the Success of Prevention Efforts
17. Disaggregated Performance Statistics
18. Considering the Difficulty of the Task
19. Credibility Issues
20. Performance Indices 21. Unintended Consequences
22. Relating Local Performance to Standards
23. Optimizing the Value of Citizen Input
24. Measures Suitable for Comparison to Other Governments
25. Selecting Measures That Will Be Used by Managers
26. Stability and Change Among Performance Measures
27. Public and Internal Reporting
28. Encouraging Colleagues to Give Performance Measurement the Attention It Deserves
29. Conclusion
Index of Sets of Suitable Performance Measures
Leading as a Public-Minded Manager People, Politics, Purpose John Clayton Thomas 256 pages, Paperback: $44.95 | eBook: $39.95 PB ISBN: 978-176696442-8 Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon. Request an exam copy or view a detailed flyer.
This
book offers a skills-based approach to being an effective managerial leader in
the public realm—someone who both leads and manages and does so with a sense of
stewardship for those with whom they work and the larger societal purposes they
seek.
To
assist in becoming such a leader, the author profiles a range of skills for
working with people to develop and implement solutions to achieve public ends.
These skills pertain to the three principal domains of the work of public-minded
managerial leaders:
- people, those who might be led or whose
support is needed,
- politics, how that support can
be gained, and
- purpose, the larger public
goals being sought.
Leading
as a Public-Minded Manager is written for anyone who desires to lead and manage with a sense of
stewardship for their organization, its people, and the public good–a
description that likely fits most managerial leaders regardless of sector.
Praise for the book:
“What strategies can public managers use to be effective public
leaders? Leading as a Public-Minded Manager brings a comprehensive
approach to the question, combining real-life examples and an encyclopedic
knowledge of research to offer practical and insightful advice relevant for public
managers at any level.” —Donald Moynihan, McCourt Chair, McCourt School
of Public Policy, Georgetown University
“This book is a significant and innovative contribution to
the body of literature addressing what it takes to be a successful leader in
public and nonprofit organizations. By specifically focusing on ‘people
skills,’ Thomas elucidates the necessary tools and skills for practicing as
well as aspiring managerial leaders–especially the affective skills that enable
managerial leaders to tap into the voices of peers, subordinates, superiors and
stakeholders. Thomas exquisitely bridges practice with theory, and this book is
a must read for masters and upper-level undergraduate students as well as
practitioners.” —Norma M. Riccucci, Board
of Governors Distinguished Professor, Rutgers
University, Newark
“In
Leading as a Public-Minded Manager, John Clayton Thomas makes clear that
governance has changed and you cannot be an effective leader, in any sector, if
you don’t acknowledge and engage the citizenry as an important and valued
stakeholder. This topic is long overdue and Thomas’s long-standing expertise in
citizen engagement makes him the perfect person to write on a topic that should
be on every leader’s reading list. Being attentive to public-mindedness will
strengthen each of our leadership skills.”
—David Van Slyke, Dean, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public
Affairs, Syracuse University Table of Contents:
Preface
1. Introduction: Thinking About Leading as a Public-Minded
Manager
2. What’s Different About the Public Realm?
3. Building the Personal Foundation
4. Preparing for a Political World
5. Becoming a Manager
6. Managing and Motivating People
7.
Developing Relationships with Subordinates
8.
Making Decisions—With and Without Others
9.
Leading Small-Group Teams and Meetings
10.
Looking Upward and Outward
11.
The Ultimate Challenge: Leading Organizational Change
12.
Conclusions: The Politically Skilled Public-Minded Managerial Leader
References
Local Government Administration Governance in Communities Phillip J. Cooper 296 pages, Paperback: $49.95 | eBook: $44.95 PB ISBN: 978-1-73393443-5 There are more than 90,000 units of local government
in the United States. Local Government Administration explains how and
why local governments operate the way they do and the challenges they face now
and in the future.Special Features:
- Local Government Administration assumes no prior knowledge of local government. It
is readable and won’t lose students, or even seasoned policy professionals, in
unnecessary technical detail.
- Chapters feature several mini-case studies to help illuminate key
points.
- The book covers the full range of local governments, including cities,
counties, special districts, and school districts.
- A glossary and an index of legal cases assist readers in locating key points and checking quickly on important terms.
Praise for the book:
“Cooper’s book is a fresh
approach to an introductory text on local government. Relying on his legal
acumen and his extensive experience in local government management, Cooper adds
legal foundations and constraints that affect local government managers each
day to the standard topics in an introductory text.” —Kurt Thurmaier, Northern Illinois University
“Who
among us doubts the wisdom of FDR’s warning that ‘The real safeguard of
democracy is education’? Phil Cooper’s new book is a splendid and thorough
treatise on de Tocqueville’s addendum that democracy itself begins with
locality properly administered.” —Frank Bryan, University of Vermont
Table of Contents:
1. Local Government Administration:
What is It and Why Does it Matter?
2. The Changing Face of Local
Government Administration: Foundations of Contemporary Local Government
Dynamics
3. Professional Management, Policy,
Law, Money, and Society: Key Forces Driving Local Government Administration in
Today’s Reality
4. Legal Foundations of Local Government
Administration: Options, Mandates, and Limits
5. Local Government Forms,
Functions & Challenges
6. Intergovernmental Relations:
Mandates, IGAs, and Governance Regimes
7.
Governing in Communities: The Local Government Organization and Its
Engagement with the Community
8.
Inside the Local Government Organization: Leadership within the
City/County/Special District Organization
9.
Managing in Challenging Times: Crisis, Transition, and Community Change
Glossary | Bibliography | Opinions
Cited | Index
Ethics and Professionalism in the Public Service
Thomas D. Lynch and Cynthia E. Lynch
272 pages, Paperback: $59.95 | eBook: $49.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923598-0
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
Ethics and Professionalism in the Public
Service is written for
current and future practitioners and is an important resource for managers and
students in public policy, public administration, and nonprofit management. It
embraces the significance of self-control, critical thinking, moral leadership,
and values as essential knowledge to more fully understanding ethics in the
public and nonprofit sectors.
Praise for the book:
“Tom and Cynthia Lynch have written a textbook that provides students with the historical and philosophical context needed to develop a genuine ethical worldview. The tone is both realistic and optimistic, confronting corruption and administrative evil while offering a positive vision for ethical and effective administration. Not only will students learn from this text—it will help them keep ethics at the forefront throughout their public service careers.” —Danny L. Balfour, Grand Valley State University (co-author, Unmasking Administrative Evil)
“Ethics and Professionalism in the Public Service is a valuable new resource for practitioners at all levels of government. It examines ethics using a sound theoretical base coupled with practical applications that those in the profession will find very useful. I plan to use it in my university’s public ethics classes.” —Peter L. Cruise, Executive Director, The LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy, Florida Atlantic University
Table of Contents:
Consciousness and Ethics
1. Ethics for Public Administrators
2. Ethics, Corruption, and Administrative Evil
3. History of Ethics
4. Contemporary Ethics
5. Virtue Ethics
6. Ethics and Self Control
7. Tools for Critical Thinking
8. Moral Leadership
9. Values and The Professional Context
10. Creating a Personal Ethics
11. Creating Public Organizational Ethics
Appendix: U. S.
Constitution
Real Research for Public and Nonprofit Managers
Jone L. Pearce and Jessica E. Sowa
352 pages, Paperback: $69.95 | eBook: $59.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923597-3
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
This is a different
kind of textbook. Organizational Behavior: Real Research for Public and Nonprofit Managers addresses
the practical problems managers face
in
doing their day-to-day organizational work in a variety of public and nonprofit
organizations. It looks to systematic research on organizations, seeking to discover which actions and practices
actually do and do not work. Unlike other
textbooks, Organizational Behavior:
Real Research for Public and Nonprofit
Managers actually
translates this scholarly
research for those managers seeking to
understand and successfully manage their public or nonprofit organization and provides useful guidance, cases,
and tools for making sense of working in the public service.
Praise for the book:
“This is an exciting text for
faculty who teach organizational behavior to public and nonprofit managers. The
authors have designed a book that is comprehensive, pedagogically advanced,
practical and research-based. It will be my choice next time I teach
this course.”
—James L. Perry, Indiana University, Bloomington
“Managing
public service organizations is hard work. Beset by multiple missions, changing
political priorities, the gravitational pull of discrete performance measures,
and, oh yes, complications due to human behavior and group dynamics, MPA
students must learn how to harness organizational behavior and make it work for
mission-accomplishment, not against it. This book is designed to do exactly
that. It marries two subjects – management and organizational behavior – to
provide a great textbook for students learning how to lead public service
organizations.” —Mary E. Guy, University of Colorado Denver
Table of Contents:
List of Applications | List of Cases | Preface 1. Why Organizational Behavior 2. Why Managers 3. How to Hire 4. Making Sense of Feelings in Public Service Work 5. Managing Performance 6. Encouraging and Rewarding Performance 7. Understanding the Social Environment in Public Service Organizations 8. Creating and Managing Effective Teams 9. Understanding Cultures in the Public Service 10. Using Power Effectively in Public Service Organizations 11. Leading Others in the Public Service 12. Final Dilemmas: How To Fire, Retain, and Give Honest References Endnotes | What the Research Says: True or False? | About the Authors
Reframing Nonprofit Organizations
Democracy, Inclusion, and Social Change
Angela M. Eikenberry, Roseanne M. Mirabella, and Billie Sandberg, Editors
254 pages, Paperback: $49.95 | eBook: $44.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923596-6
Now, more than
ever, with growing economic and social inequalities and ethno-nationalisms
around the world, students of nonprofit and voluntary organization management
need tools, methods, and case studies that enable them to critically think about how to not only cope, but also challenge and change the environments in which they work. This book serves as a
critical companion to standard nonprofit management textbooks by providing
students with an opportunity to rethink unquestioned assumptions about
nonprofit and voluntary organizations and their management and to challenge the
status quo.
Each chapter of Reframing Nonprofit Organizations, authored by
scholars from around the world, addresses a key topic or area of practice
related to nonprofit and voluntary organization management, such as governance,
planning, evaluation, financial management, and volunteer management—always
applying critical theory to very practical application.
Praise for the book:
"Eikenberry,
Mirabella, and Sandberg have filled a long-standing void in the literature with
Reframing Nonprofit Management, the first nonprofit management
text written from a critical perspective. Without question, it should be the second text in any
thoughtful course about nonprofit management.
In addition to providing alternative insights that will help future
managers and volunteers understand the realities of nonprofit organizations, Reframing Nonprofit Management will make
class discussions and assignments far more interesting and useful. An
enthusiastic ‘thank you’ to Eikenberry, Mirabella, and Sandberg.” —Steven Ott,
University of Utah
“This
is a much-needed and potentially eye-opening book for scholars and
students of nonprofit and voluntary organization management. Its critical
perspective approach helps us be more aware of alternative
assumptions, pathways, and outcomes and be more cautious adopters
of management theories and tools.” —Mary Tschirhart, The Ohio State University
Table of Contents:
Foreword by David O. Renz
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. Critical Perspectives on Nonprofit and Voluntary Organization Management: Introduction to the Textbook, Billie Sandberg, Angela M. Eikenberry, and Roseanne M. Mirabella
2. A Critical Perspective on Counting and Mapping Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations, Susan Appe
3. Critical Perspectives on the History and Development of the Nonprofit Sector in the United States, Billie Sandberg
4. The Social Construction of Accountability in International Nongovernmental Organizations, Paloma Raggo
5. Mutuality, Equality and Participation: Practicing Critical Ethics in Philanthropy, Ki Joo Choi and Roseanne M. Mirabella
6. Addressing Racial Bias in Nonprofit Human Resources, Maureen E. Feit
7. Nonprofit Governance from Critical and Democratic Perspectives, Barbara A. Metelsky, Chao Guo, and Angela M. Eikenberry
8. Reading Nonprofit Leadership from a Gender Perspective, Charlotte Holgersson and Johan Hvenmark
9. Pursuing Community Change Through Radically Democratic Practice, Margaret Stout
10. A Pawn in Their Game? A Critical Perspective on Collaboration, Linda Milbourne
11. The Promise of Qualitative and Participatory Approaches to Performance Assessment: A Critical Perspective, Margaret Post and Jennifer Dodge
12. A Critical Fundraising Perspective: Understanding the Beneficiary Experience, Abhishek Bhati and Angela M. Eikenberry
13. Financial Accounting and Financial Management for Transformative Change, Florentine Maier
14. A Critical Analysis of Social Enterprise, Simon Teasdale and Pascal Dey
15. Volunteering: From Social Control to Prefigurative Participation, Jon Dean, Carissa Honeywell, and Andy Price
16. The Power to Control Our Story: A Critique of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organization Advocacy, Jennifer Alexander
About the Editors and Contributors | Glossary | Index
Policy Tools in Policy Design
Phillip J. Cooper
444 pages, Paperback: $69.95 | eBook: $59.95
PB: ISBN: 978-0-99923594-2
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
Policy
Tools in Policy Design is a book that explores the tools that are
available to those who design public policy, how those tools operate, their
upsides and challenges, and the tradeoffs to be considered in developing policy
to address critical issues on today’s policy agenda.
Public policy
most often comes in the form of a policy mix made up of a variety of important
policy tools, including both the policy mechanisms (tools that operate
in different ways such as regulation, incentive systems, or other means), and
the instruments used to put those mechanisms into operation (ranging
from legislation, to administrative rules, to executive orders, to contracts
and grants). If policy is to be effective and avoid serious adverse
consequences, it is critical for those designing policies to understand the
full range of tools, their strengths, their limitations, and the tradeoffs
among them as they go about their work.
This book
explores these policy tools and their uses and possible misuse. It is designed
to equip students of public policy and public administration for policy work,
but is also a useful resource for public service professionals in the field and
academics who study policy. It is part of a necessary ongoing discussion about
the tools of public policy and the task of policy design.
Policy
Tools in Policy Design assumes
no prior knowledge of the field or of any given policy. It is clearly written
and does not lose the reader, even a seasoned policy professional, in unnecessary
technical detail while capturing the critical characteristics of policy tools
and the process of policy design. In addition, the chapters feature a number of
mini-case studies to illuminate key points and provide discussion points for
class use.
Praise for the book:
"Phillip
Cooper, one of the foremost scholars of public policy and administration,
brings together his formidable knowledge as well as his practical, real world
experience in this comprehensive analysis of the design and implementation of
public policy. For graduate or undergraduate students, Policy Tools in
Policy Design provides a thorough and insightful analysis of the ways in
which public policy can most effectively be implemented. I highly recommend
it." —James Pfiffner, Schar School of Policy & Government,
George Mason University
”All too often, policy makers insist on jamming the wrong tool into the wrong
problem--and then wonder later why the result is such a mess. They do that
because they think about what they want to do and very little about how best to
get it done. In this important new book, Phillip Cooper explores the tools in
government's toolbox and provides an invaluable guide to what works where.
Students, scholars, and policy makers alike will be richly rewarded by this
sharp analysis about how government can best do the people's work.”
—Donald
F. Kettl, Lyndon B.
Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Table of Contents
1. The Challenge, the
Setting, the Tools, and the Task of Policy Design
2. Policy Mechanisms: The
Appliances Available and How They Work
3. Tools Based on Direct
Government Authority: Direct Action and Regulation
4. Economic and
Market-Based Policy Tools: Incentives, ax Expenditures, Vouchers and Rebates,
Subsidies, Government Corporations, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
5. Broad Based Tools
that Work Differently: Contracting, Grants, Corrective Taxes, Charges, Tradable
Permits, and Public Information
6. Courts and Judicial
Process in Public Policy: Liability, the Civil Rights Policy Model, and More
7. Policy Instruments:
Tools that Put Policy on the Ground and Why That Matters
8. The Art and Craft of Legislation:
From Local Ordinances to Congressional Action
9. Executive Direct
Action: Executive Orders, Proclamations, and Memoranda
10. Presidential Direct
Policy Making II: Presidential Signing Statements, National Security
Directives, and Executive Agreements
11. Interstate,
Intergovernmental, and Cross-Sectoral Tools: Interstate Compacts, Contracts,
Intergovernmental Agreements, and Grants
12. Administrative Rules,
Judicial Decrees, Injunctions, and Opinions: Key Elements of Policy Design but
Part of Implementation as Well
13. Policy Tools in
Policy Design: A Professional Checklist
Bibliography | Opinions Cited | Index
E-Government and Information Technology Management
Concepts and Best Practices
Marc Holzer, Aroon P. Manoharan, and James Melitski
264 pages, Paperback: $59.95 | eBook: $52.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923595-9
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
E-Government
and Information Technology Management is an essential textbook for graduate and
undergraduate programs across the world that are taking steps to incorporate
courses on e-government/IT as they prepare their students to join the public
sector workforce. The book also serves as a comprehensive guide for the growing
body of researchers and practitioners in e-government.
The text is comprised of 12 chapters from e-government
experts, all written in a clear writing style that balances theory and
practice. Each chapter provides background information, critical resources, and
emerging trends. Along with questions for class discussion, each chapter
includes cases to demonstrate the importance of these areas to practitioners,
researchers, and students of technology management and public affairs
administration.
Praise for the book:
“This new book highlights important areas of information
technology critical to today’s public administration students, like privacy and
security, usability, digital service delivery, and social media
management—topics I always want covered in my IT courses. The chapters are
accessible, even to students with little technological background. In
addition, the authors include helpful glossaries, exercises, and discussion
questions which can be used in the classroom. A definite addition to my
course!” —Genie Stowers, San Francisco State University
“The strategic use
of data and information technologies has become essential for many governments
around the world; not only to improve organizational performance, but also to
engage with citizens and other stakeholders. This book nicely covers concepts
and best practices related to digital governance with a primary focus on
privacy and security, usability, content, services, and citizen and social
engagement. E-Government and Information Technology Management
represents a comprehensive and well-balanced collection of foundational and
emergent topics, trends, and practical recommendations and, therefore, I highly
recommend it.” —J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, State University of New York at Albany
Table of contents:
Preface
1. Introduction
to E-Government
2. Privacy and
Security
3. Improving
Usability
4. Content for
an Informed Citizenry
5. Digital
Governance Services
6. Citizen
Participation
7. Social Media
Management in Local Government
8. M-Government
9. Big Data and
Open Government
10. The Digital
Divide
11. The
Functionality and Future of E-Government
About the
Authors and Contributors | Index
Why Research Methods Matter
Essential Skills for Decision Making
Susan T. Gooden and RaJade M. Berry-James
156 pages, Paperback: $39.95 | eBook: $32.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923593-5
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
This concise resource provides practical
applications of why research methods are important for public
administrators, who do not routinely perform data analysis, but often find
themselves having to evaluate and make important decisions based on data
analysis and evaluative reports they receive. It is also intended as a
supplemental text for research methods courses at the graduate level and upper
division undergraduate level. Why Research Methods Matter is essential
reading for current and future managers in the public sector who seek to become
savvy consumers of research.
Praise for the book:
"Why do research methods matter? Gooden and Berry-James have answered the question with a book that is readable, understandable, and motivating. Well done!” —Joseph Wholey, University of Southern California
“Public administration professors connect theory to practice. In so doing, we prepare students to make good decisions based on analysis of data. However, connecting these two can be an arduous task. Gooden and Berry-James have done yeoman’s work in bringing to life a subject that is not intuitive for all students. The book offers an excellent and indispensable guide to research methods for first timers. I highly recommend it.”
—Charles E. Menifield, Rutgers University–Newark
Table of Contents:
1: Introduction: The Art of Research Methods
2: Evidence-Based Decision Making: Programs, Practices and Approaches
3: Research Ethics: Important Considerations for Practitioners
4: Practical Considerations in Research Designs
5: Variable Definition: Are We Really Talking About the Same Thing?
6: Questionnaire Construction
7: Data Collection Strategies
8: Significance of Findings and the Relationship to Practitioner Decision
Making
9: Onward! Linking Research to Action
Getting Things Done with Courage and Conviction
Principles and Cases in Public Management
Dwight Ink and Kurt Thurmaier
367 pages, Paperback: $49.95 | eBook: $42.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-9992352-8
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
The cases in Getting Things Done with Courage
and Conviction are extracted from the experiences of Dwight Ink, whose
career has spanned more than 50 years (and counting…), including key roles in
helping advance important initiatives of seven presidents.
The book is specifically designed for flexible
in-class assignments. Each of the nine cases provides insights into key
government operations that are relevant to public administrators today. Each
chapter highlights enduring issues in public administration theory and practice
(e.g., political control of the bureaucracy, ethical procurement and personnel
processes, intergovernmental management, several others).
The timelessness of the strategies and the
authors’ strong desire to motivate the best and brightest to careers in public
service compelled them to produce this book as both a management guidebook and
a source of encouragement and inspiration for getting things done today.
Praise for the book:
“Public servant extraordinaire, Dwight Ink has
spent nearly a century completing seemingly impossible tasks with grace,
intelligence, creativity, integrity, and true grit. Dwight and Kurt Thurmaier
have superbly captured these experiences in a book that should be required
reading for every public administration student and practitioner. These
cases demonstrate how to use all the levers of government to achieve positive
outcomes.”
—Diane M. Disney, Chair Emerita, National Academy of Public Administration, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Table of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. Management Strategies for Effective Public Service 2. Opening the Closet Doors in Fargo: Using Transparency and Collaboration with Integrity 3. The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: Personal Risk, Personal Engagement, and Transparent Collaboration 4. The Impossible Alaska Recovery 5. Building a New Department 6. Building Nixon’s New Federalism 7. Fighting Petty Corruption in the General Service Administration 8. Creating the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 9. Closing the Community Services Administration 10. Implementing Foreign Aid Reforms Amid Civil Wars, 1984–1988 11. Getting Things Done . . . Today! Index
Preface to Public Administration
Its Study, Scope, and Substance
Third Edition
Richard J. Stillman II
240 pages, Paperback: $34.95
PB 978-0-99730848-8
Preface
to Public Administration is a brief introduction to the underlying theories
and concepts of PA—a necessary complement to the “nuts and bolts” approach
favored by traditional textbooks. Concise, inexpensive, and beautifully
written, it tackles crucial issues facing public administration, including:What is public administration
-
How
did it originate as a distinctive study and a unique set of institutions?
-
What
is the relationship between its ideas and its institutions?
-
What
are its basic doctrines?
-
Is
it a discipline, a profession, or what?
From
the author’s Preface: “This book is not written for specialized academic
theorists. Instead, it seeks to be an introduction to introductory texts—hence,
the “preface” in its title—for students new to the field who may wish to gain a
better insight into their future occupation before they embark on careers in
public administration."
Praise for the book:
“A
superbly crafted book that lends itself to courses that inquire into the foundations
of public administration in the United States. Stillman has taken great pains
to keep the quality of writing at a clear, direct level.” —James Stever,
University of Cincinnati
“This
is an excellent book. It should be used widely in public administration courses
at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It fills the need for a
comprehensive, readable, and interesting intellectual history that can be
adopted for class use.” —David Rosenbloom, The American University
Essential History for Public Administration
Richard C. Box
200 pages, Paperback: $32.95 | eBook: $24.95
PB 978-0-99923591-1
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
Essential History for Public Administration offers public affairs faculty and students a concise introduction to crucial elements of American history, creating a foundation for stronger discussion of current conditions in governance and management. It is designed as a brief supplemental text for use in public affairs courses rather than as a replacement for core assigned readings. The premise of the book is that enhanced knowledge of the history of the public sector can help students of public affairs design and manage successful programs.
Praise for the book:
"Richard
Box’s new book, Essential History for Public Administration, is the most
exciting development I have seen in readings for public administration students
in some time! It is a compelling and accessible read, perfect for busy
in-service students, pre-service, and those within all stages of the Digital
Age. ...
The book is organized
brilliantly, weaving common themes through four eras of change, from the
Founding Era to the present time. This narrative format is pedagogically sound,
allowing the reader to grasp the relevance to our twenty-first-century
realities, as well as to understand that some of the issues wrestled within the
Founding Era are reflected in today’s discourse. ...
Many of us bemoan the lack of U.S. history and civic
education in our country. Box’s book successfully addresses that situation,
providing much needed historical context in an engaging fashion. I expect
this book to enjoy wide appeal to PA faculty in a variety of PA courses, at the
baccalaureate level as well as the advanced degree level.” —Laurie DiPadova-Stocks, Park University
“Since the founding, Americans have been wary about
government and unelected bureaucrats. This book provides a nuanced
understanding of the role and position of government in American society,
showing how much people actually benefited from public services. It shows how
issues about balancing the public and private sectors, the size and cost of
government, the distribution of economic and political power, and of migration
have played out from Independence up to the present day. This well-written and
accessible book will make good reading for students, citizens, and those who
work in the public sector.” —Jos C.N.
Raadschelders, The Ohio State University
Student praise for the book:
Students recently assigned the book at Rutgers University had these very positive reactions:
"The Essential History in particular was a very succinct, and interesting read. I enjoyed learning different aspects ( political, historical and economic) of the eras discussed, and the relevant articles that tied the course material to real world implications."
"One component of the course I appreciated was the Essential History book. I expected the course to provide a brief overview of how public administration came about but I was pleasantly surprised with the detailed historic background we received on this concept. Not being born in this country, the Essential History reading provided me with valuable information that honestly clarified a lot of misconceptions from my perspective and for that I am very appreciative."
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: The Meaning of the Past for the Present
2. Creating a Nation: The Founding Era
3. Beginnings of Modern America: The Progressive Era
4. Government and the Economy: The New Deal
5. Confronting Injustice and Inequality: The Great Society
6. From Past to Present: The Current Era
Public Budgeting in America
Thomas D. Lynch, Jinping Sun, and Robert W. Smith
500 pages, Paperback: $129.95 | eBook: $99.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99730844-0
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
The Sixth
Edition of Public Budgeting in America
explains budgetary theory and practice, with a linkage to financial management,
at all levels of government in the U.S. It is designed as a primary text for
students in public administration and policy, and also serves as an invaluable
reference for scholars, practitioners and other readers interested in public
budgeting and financial management.
Each chapter
begins with a budgeting scenario and an introduction of major topics, followed
by detailed discussion of each topic, and concludes with a revisit of the
opening scenario, a list of review questions, additional case exercises, and
references, all of which are integral to the book. Readers are encouraged to
apply what they learn in each chapter, analyze the cases, answer the review
questions, and expand their research based on the references provided at the
end of each chapter.
Praise
for the book:
“A thorough
knowledge of budgeting is a sure path to advancement in the public and
non-profit sectors. Lynch, Sun, and Smith provide students with an excellent
foundation. Public Budgeting in America is easy to understand and
provides useful real-world exercises.” —James Douglas, University of North
Carolina at Charlotte
“This is a classic—maybe the classic
book on US budgeting. If I had to pick one book to give to a person wanting to
know how budgeting works, it would be this one. Not only does it give practical
guidance, it gives a rich context so the reader will really understand our
system.”
—John R. Bartle, Dean, College
of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of Nebraska Omaha
Foundations of Public Administration
Edited by Jos C.N. Raadschelders and Richard J. Stillman II
380 pages, Paperback: $59.95
PB ISBN: 978-099730842-6
What
do the leading scholars in the field of public administration have to say about
the most important areas in the field?
Foundations
of Public Administration answers this question by providing academics and students with a rich
supply of knowledge on the scope, methods, and theoretical foundations of the
field. The result is a definitive, comprehensive framework for the study of
public administration that no student or scholar should be without.
Praise for the book:
“An assemblage of authoritative discussions of major
topics in public administration, by an impressive cast of accomplished
experts. Scholars and students who want to be well-informed about the
field will need to read this book.”
—Hal G. Rainey, Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor,
School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia
“For those of us in
the business of fostering the next generation of PA scholars and teachers, this
volume brings together insightful material by an outstanding group of authors
who know and appreciate what it means to understand and advance the ‘study’ of
public administration. It is a much needed and welcome addition to the field.” —Melvin J.
Dubnick, Professor of Political Science, University of New Hampshire
“This book provides an excellent comprehensive overview of the foundations of
U.S. Public Administration, written by many of the top experts in the
field. Scholars, graduate students, undergraduates, and practitioners
alike will benefit from the up-to-date analyses as well as the insightful
research questions.” —Rosemary O'Leary, Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor, School of Public
Affairs, University of Kansas
The
Case for Management
Second
Edition
Richard
Clay Wilson, Jr.
176 pages, Paperback: $29.95 | eBook: $19.95
PB ISBN:
978-09786638-4-1
Purchase the paperback and eBook from Amazon.
When
we think about government, our thoughts are almost invariably about politics.
Politicians deserve the attention they get, serving as they do at the top of
federal, state, and local government. But there is a downside to focusing on
politics, which is that we pay little attention to the management of our public
institutions.
Author
Richard Clay Wilson, Jr., a former city manager, argues that the career
managers who actually operate the entities of government have the capacity to
significantly upgrade governmental performance, Before that can happen, though,
we musty rethink the roles of elected officials and career managers. This book
points the way.
Praise
for the book:
“The
reaction of my MPA students (mostly in-service professionals) to Wilson’s book
was immediate and positive. They found it more than readable — it was
insightful and right in tune with their experience. Rethinking Public
Administration had a greater impact on the course than all the other readings I
assigned.” —Melvin
J. Dubnick, University of New Hampshire, Fellow,
National Academy of Public Administration
“Wilson’s
provocative book provides the best description I've seen of the respective
roles of elected officials and administrators—a topic I believe is understated
if discussed at all in PA courses. His discussion of the political
context of public organizations provides instructors with content that is not
readily available in other sources—content that is critical to preparing
students for the ‘real world’ situations they will be working in.”
—Mary
R. Hamilton, Senior
Executive in Residence, University of Nebraska Omaha School of Public
Administration,
Fellow,
National Academy of Public Administration
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