Public Administration

Essentials of Public Service
An Introduction to Contemporary Public Administration
Second Edition
Mary E. Guy and Todd L. Ely
452 pages, Paperback: $99.95 | eBook: $99.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73604022-5 (2022)

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Essentials of Public Service is the most accessible, student-friendly introductory Public Administration 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. 

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. 

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.

Key Enhancements in the Second Edition:
• Cases have been updated to reflect recent major events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, election administration challenges, the Capitol mob, and contemporary social justice movements.
• New feature: "In My Own Words." Each chapter concludes with a profile of a recent MPA graduate. These profiles provide readers broad exposure to public service career opportunities, professional advice, and recommended resources.
• A comprehensive Glossary of key terms is now included 
• We have reduced the student price by $20  

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 Delaware  

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

Comprehensive Instructor Support Materials:
The authors have prepared a comprehensive instructor support package for adopters of the  text, including:
 • Chapter overviews
 • Case discussions
 • Comments on the end-of-chapters questions
 • PPT Slides
 • Test questions

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 and public and nonprofit financial management. Todd earned his PhD in public administration from New York University and MPA from the University of Arizona.

Human Resource Essentials for Public Service
People, Process, Performance
Mary E. Guy and Jessica E. Sowa
328 pages, Paperback: $94.95 | eBook: $94.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73604021-8 (2022)

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Written for today’s public service environment, this text explains human resource management in government and nonprofit organizations. Designed to teach the importance of a well-built HRM infrastructure, each chapter connects mission, public service values, and outcomes by using a three-dimensional framework of  people, process, and performance. Both government and nonprofit sectors are covered extensively so that students learning about HR will be prepared for careers in both contexts.

Chapters include cases that ground the topic in practice and demonstrate the reality of everyday challenges. Case law is also provided in each chapter to show the legal dimension to HR practice, and all processes are discussed in regard to social equity considerations.

From an adopting instructor, Sean McCandless at the University of Illinois—Springfield, in direct correspondence with the authors:

Long story short, the book is a hit in my class, and the book makes the class better. I had been using another textbook, but it was getting quite out of date in several key regards.

 

What I and students most like about your book are how:

 

1) Performance (both individual and organizational) is a key consideration throughout, and you link everything to the importance of performance

 

2) non-profits are not an after-thought of the book, and equity is shown to be central to everything

 

3) the chapter summaries give MEANINGFUL takeaways that bring the small and big pictures into focus (not all textbooks have this)

 

4) the figures in particular nicely link concepts, and when figures are combined with the more specific elements in tables, students are better able to use concepts to analyze the causes/effects of and solutions to HR issues

 

5) the book consistently features both nuts-and-bolts and big picture information.

 

In short, this book makes my teaching life better, and students are loving it. Thank you!

From a student assigned the book at Eastern New Mexico University:


This was a great class, and I really appreciated the textbook. The opening sentence in the introduction spoke to me and I knew I would identify with the writer's intent throughout the text: "It is people who breathe life into public service and the pursuit of public purposes." The first thing I really gained was the "mission first, principles always, accountability to both" concept in chapter one. This resonated with me and is articulated so well. This principled leadership is something worth following in my mind and maintains the integrity of the organization. This is how all departments should be run. I also liked the definitions and expansion on recruiting in chapter six. I didn't know about some of the strategies listed and I think they could be effective in us attempting to implement, like "targeted hiring programs.” Lastly, I really enjoyed Chapter 8; I'm a training guy and there was so much to offer here. Organizational intelligence: "The collective knowledge the workforce has, and the organization relies one, to get things done" is a term I never knew but I love the concept of how that links training to the mission. Overall, I feel way better equipped as a leader, and I relish the opportunity to use these concepts in my organization.


Table of Contents:
Preface
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1: Human Resource Management in Public Service
2: Strategic Human Resource Management
3: Merit System Principles and Practices
4: Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations
PART II: HR FUNCTIONS
5: Job Design, Analysis, and Descriptions
6: Recruiting the Right Person with the Right Skills
7: Compensation and Benefits
8: Training, Developing, and Retaining;
9: Performance Management
PART III: THE CONTEMPORARY WORKPLACE
10: Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining
11: Fair and Inclusive Public Service Workplaces
12: Workplace Safety
13: Work/Life Balance
PART IV: FORECASTING THE FUTURE
14: HR Reforms and Innovations
15: Looking Forward

Instructor’s Manual:
This valuable and comprehensive resource for adopters includes, for each chapter:
 • A detailed guide to chapter content
 • Sample exam questions
 • Teaching PPT slides

Organizational Behavior and Management

Real Research for Public and Nonprofit Managers

Second Edition

Jone L. Pearce and Jessica E. Sowa

392 pp. Paperback: $79.95 | eBook: $79.95

PB ISBN: 978-1-7360402-5-6 (2024) 


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This is a different kind of textbook. Organizational Behavior and Management: Real Research for Public and Nonprofit Managers addresses the practical problems managers in public and nonprofit organizations face in doing their day-to-day work. 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 and Management actually translates this scholarly research for those managers seeking to understand and successfully manage their public or nonprofit organization.

The Second Edition represents a significant expansion and updating of the earlier version:
• Every chapter has been updated with the latest scholarly research; this book reflects knowledge in organizational behavior and management through 2023.
• There’s a new chapter on conflict and negotiation, and also expanded sections on nonstandard workers, creativity, innovation, and organizational change.
• This edition was written in the context of the global pandemic of COVID-19 that has dramatically altered many behaviors and organizational practices we often took for granted. Where relevant, the authors acknowledge the significant impact COVID-19 has had (and continues to have) on how we organize to pursue public service goals and produce public value. 

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 every 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:
Preface
1. Why Organizational Behavior
2. Why Managers
3. How to Hire and Fire
4. Making Sense of Feelings in Public Service Work
5. Managing Performance and Encouraging Innovation
6. Encouraging and Rewarding Performance
7. Understanding the Social Environment in Public Service Organizations
8. Creating and Managing Effective Teams
9. Managing Conflict and Negotiation
10. Understanding Cultures and Change in the Public Service
11. Using Power Effectively in Public Service Organizations
12. Leading Others in the Public Service
13. Looking Forward: Managing Decisions, References, and Retention
Endnotes
What the Research Says: True or False?
About the Authors

Achieving Social Equity
From Problems to Solutions
Mary E. Guy and Sean A. McCandless, Editors
208 pages, Paperback: $44.95 | eBook: $44.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73393446-6 (2020)

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Using the most up-to-date information available, and with chapters written by rising experts in the field, Achieving Social Equity offers a go-to guide on what administrators really need to know about social equity—definitions, major equity issues facing the field, future concerns, and ways public service professionals can take responsibility for and achieve social equity.

Regardless of how and where the book is used—whether as a secondary text in overview courses or as the primary text in a capstone course, diversity & inclusion course, or social equity course—the material prompts students to see how concepts and theories are actionable, how they inform practice, and how each public service professional can make a difference. The wide range of courses in which the book has been adopted so far in 2020 attests to the book's versatility: Social Equity and Public Administration, Administrative and Public Policy Development, Leading in Diverse Environments, Urban Political Economy, Human Resource Management, and Introductory PA (both undergraduate and MPA level). 

The authors recognize that courses focusing on Social Equity are fairy new in many programs, so to help, they have prepared an exceptionally useful Companion Instructor's Guide that provides suggestions for additional readings, videos, exercises and cases—along with PowerPoint slides that capture the main points in every chapter.

Praise for the book:

“Achieving Social Equity offers a robust and expanded discussion of social equity in public administration. It offers critical engagement of the demographic dimension of social equity, as well as its important administrative challenges and actions. As Guy and McCandless champion, ‘What could have been still can be.’ This impressive volume captures adept voices on how our field can move toward the realization of this goal.”      
—Susan T. Gooden, Virginia Commonwealth University (author, Race and Social Equity)

Table of Contents:

List of Figures

Preface | Contents

1. The Social Equity Imperative, Sean A. McCandless and Mary E. Guy 

Part I: Social Equity and Demographics

2. Gender Equity in the Workforce, Sebawit G. Bishu

3. LGBTQ Persons, Allies, and the Pursuit of Social Equity, Jennifer Hooker  

4. Bringing First Nations Into the Fray: Indigenous Americans and Social Equity, John C. Ronquillo

5. At the Intersection of Identities, Nuriel Heckler and Anthony Starke  

PART II: Achieving Social Equity in Policy Domains and Administrative Structures

6. Layers of Inequity: The Challenge of Homelessness, Vanessa M. Fenley  

7. Race, Ethnicity, and Social Equity in Policing, Andrea M. Headley 

8. How Transit Matters for Social Equity, Samantha June Larson 

9. Exploring Social Equity in Child Welfare, Ida Drury 

10. Immigrants and Their Inclusion, Pamela S. Medina     

11. Social Equity and Environmental Justice, Jennifer A. Kagan 

12. How Administrative Rulemaking Can Advance Social Equity, Maren B. Trochmann  

13. In Pursuit of Social Equity, Mary E. Guy and Sean A. McCandless 

Index | About the Editors and Contributors

Reframing Nonprofit Organizations
Democracy, Inclusion, and Social Change
Angela M. Eikenberry, Roseanne M. Mirabella, and Billie Sandberg, Editors
254 pages, Paperback: $54.95 | eBook: $54.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923596-6 (2019)

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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

Managing Nonprofit Organizations in a Policy World
Second Edition
Shannon K. Vaughan and Shelly Arsneault
432 pages, Paperback: $94.95 | eBook: $94.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73393449-7 (2021)   

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The Second Edition includes updated discussions of coronavirus and pandemic-related policy implications; regulations, sector statistics, and social media fundraising; new and updated case studies; and a new chapter on Philanthropy and Foundations. 

Key Features:  

Praise for the book:

“Nonprofits play a critical role in the policy process in the US, from advocacy through implementation. Vaughan and Arsnault’s textbook is the most comprehensive treatment of this role and offers a detailed how-to for nonprofit students and practitioners to build strong and sustainable nonprofits that successfully navigate the policy process to make real, lasting change. Managing Nonprofit Organizations in a Policy World should be first on the list for consideration in teaching nonprofit management in MPA programs.” 
—Jessica Sowa, University of Delaware

“Nonprofit management can only be learned in relation to public policy and administration—and vice versa. Professors and students seeking to integrate these fields will find no more thorough resource than Managing Nonprofit Organizations in a Policy World.”         —Christopher Horne, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

“Managing Nonprofit Organizations in a Policy World is a much-needed book for all leaders and students of the nonprofit sector. Emphasizing the connection between nonprofit organizations and policy, the book covers core operational basics while offering key perspectives for organizational success. It should be on every nonprofit leader’s bookshelf.” 
—Dorothy Norris-Tirrell, Vice President of Programs and Research, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance

Table of Contents:

Preface

Part I. Fundamentals and Environment of the Voluntary Sector

1. What is the Nonprofit Sector?

2. Philanthropy and Foundations

3. Collaboration and Conflict Between the Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Sectors

4. Theories of the Nonprofit Sector and Policy Change

5. Regulating Not-for-Profit Organizations

Part II. Strategies of Not-for-Profit Organizations

6. The Role of Mission and Strategic Planning 

7. Lobbying and Advocacy: Politics, Policy, and Possibilities

8. Ethics and Accountability

9. Marketing the Nonprofit Organization

10. Resource Development: Capacity, Campaigns, Commercial Ventures, and Grants 

Part III. Management Issues

11. Administration and Management

12. Nonprofit Governance and Leadership

13. Managing Human Resources: Volunteers and Staff

14. Evaluating Success

15. Looking Forward: Emerging Trends for Managing Nonprofits

Index

Performance Measurement for Managing Local Government
Getting it Right
David Ammons
344 pages, Paperback: $59.95 | eBook: $59.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73393441-1 (2020)

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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: $49.95 | eBook: $49.95
PB ISBN: 978-176696442-8 (2020)

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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:

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:

“The arrival of John Clayton Thomas' Leading as a Public-Minded Manager has elevated substantially the discourse on leading in public and non-profit organizations. This volume combines a thorough knowledge and understanding of the literature on leadership, both public and private, with a highly relevant, skills-based set of purposive, political and people-oriented strategies and behaviors. One can easily envision this very useful book resting on many managers’ desks within easy reach for frequent consultation. This fine contribution should find widespread adoption in public and non-profit classrooms at all levels.”       
—Guy B. Adams, Professor Emeritus, Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs, University of Missouri

“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: $49.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73393443-5 (2020)

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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:

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

Local Elected Officials
Guardians of Good Governance
Douglas F. Morgan and Mike Gleason
240 pages, Paperback: $42.95 | eBook: $42.95
PB ISBN: 978-1-73393445-9 (2020)

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This book is a practical handbook for local elected officials and those interested in understanding the multiple roles they perform and what it takes to be successful. The book draws on the authors’ nearly 75 years of collective experience in working with local elected officials, serving on governing bodies, and undertaking research on local governing best practices.

Good governance at the local level should be a partnership between career administrators and elected officials. The book provides elected officials with governing tools needed to perform their partnership responsibilities in carrying out the following five roles: representing citizens, collegial deliberation and decision making, policy making, organizational oversight and community-wide leadership.

Local Elected Officials concludes with an exceptionally helpful and comprehensive Glossary of key terms and concepts—a handy resource that readers will utilize often.

Praise for the book:

“Combining deep experience with robust and informative theory, Morgan and Gleason deliver remarkable insights into the local government structures, processes, and leadership dynamics that constitute most of the day-to-day governing that happens in the United States. More than that, they deliver meaningful guidance to students and practitioners on how to make local governance stronger and better.”        
—Brian J. Cook, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

“This book fills a huge hole in the literature on public administration and local governance. Its subject is local elected officials, and it is a ‘must read’ for anyone holding local public office, including the professional managers who work under these officials, as well as stakeholders and citizens who interact with them on a regular basis. The authors address every facet of the elected official's role, whether in a city government or in a special district, and describe in rich detail the types of challenges and responsibilities they face while in office.  Academics teaching courses on state & local government, public administration with a local focus, nonprofit management, and local government planning and development will find this book indispensable.”             
—Richard T. Green, University of Utah

Table of Contents:

Preface

1:  Why Local Government and Elected Officials Matter

2:  The Democratic Stewardship Role of Elected Officials

3:  Leadership Roles and Values

4:  The Public Policy Role of Elected Officials: Steering without Rowing

5:  The Organizational Oversight Role of the Board

6:  Tools for Effective Collegial Deliberation and Decision-Making 

7:  Polity Leadership: Elected Officials as Community Leaders 

8:  Conciliatory Leadership Practices  

Glossary | Bibliography | About the Authors

Ethics and Professionalism in the Public Service
Thomas D. Lynch and Cynthia E. Lynch
272 pages, Paperback: $64.95 | eBook: $64.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923598-0 (2019)

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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 

Policy Tools in Policy Design
Phillip J. Cooper
444 pages, Paperback: $74.95 | eBook: $74.95
PB: ISBN: 978-0-99923594-2 (2018)

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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: $64.95 | eBook: $64.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923595-9 (2019)

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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: $44.95 | eBook: $44.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-99923593-5 (2018)

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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: $49.95
PB ISBN: 978-0-9992352-8 (2018)

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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: $39.95
PB 978-0-99730848-8  (2018)

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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

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: $34.95 | eBook: $34.95
PB 978-0-99923591-1 (2018)

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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
Sixth Edition              
Thomas D. Lynch, Jinping Sun, and Robert W. Smith
500 pages, Paperback: $129.95 | eBook: $120.00
PB ISBN: 978-0-99730844-0 (2017)

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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 (2016)

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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

Rethinking Public Administration
The Case for Management
Second Edition
Richard Clay Wilson, Jr.
176 pages, Paperback: $34.95 | eBook: $34.95
PB ISBN: 978-09786638-4-1 (2016)

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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