This innovative Handbook offers a wide-ranging overview of the multi-faceted field of public administration and management. It provides a broad approach to the discipline, addressing the range of descriptive, normative and critical theories required to diagnose public service issues and prescribe administrative action. Chapters assess the state of the field, presenting a comprehensive roadmap for future theoretical development. Featuring contributions from top international experts, the Handbook considers the key theories on the role, function and organization of public administration. It further offers critical insights on the people who work in public management, and a broad range of significant perspectives on the field. Interdisciplinary and comprehensive, it applies leading and emerging theories in public administration and management and applies them to latent and developing issues of public service and the relationship between government and society. This Handbook provides a far-reaching analysis of the field for scholars, researchers and graduate students of public administration and management, particularly those interested in an international or comparative approach to the field. Its theoretical insights will also benefit policymakers and practitioners working in public service provision in need of both trusted and innovative public management solutions.

This innovative book sheds light on two key questions at the forefront of government-nonprofit partnerships: How are nonprofits performing? And does the involvement of nonprofits in a public service add public value? International contributors approach these questions through the conceptual lens of the "hollow state", highlighting the diminished role of government and the implications of the growing reliance on nonprofits in delivering public service. Through a set of empirical studies in public education, public health, urban sustainability, public parks and public social welfare services, chapters identify contributing factors to the success of nonprofits in mitigating public problems through performance measurement. Identifying challenges encountered by nonprofits in their roles as government partners, as well as the challenges posed to public organizations in generating nonprofit accountability, this insightful book takes stock of performance and public value of the hollow state. This methodologically-rigorous book is critical reading for scholars, researchers and students of public governance and public management, particularly those focusing on the long-term effects of the New Public Management. Its practical insights will also benefit policymakers, as well as managers of nonprofits interested in the implications of new partnerships with government bodies.

This important book focuses on particular aspects of the development and implementation of community partnerships based in - and focused on - neighborhoods, municipalities, and regions. Throughout the book, David J. Maurrasse stresses the importance of philanthropy and representation from different types of organizations across public, private, and nongovernmental spectrums. In observing these collaborative efforts both in the US and various countries including Colombia, Malawi, England, India and Australia, two dynamics are emphasized: the role of private philanthropic institutions and their resources in facilitating the creation and continuation of these partnerships, along with the role of nongovernmental organizations as important enduring institutions in localities that are not, historically, considered as agents of community and economic development. It provides an evolving perspective on community partnerships particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and racial and income inequity, introducing the geographical, historical and cultural context behind these. Furthermore, the author defines and describes various roles in community partnerships and offers suggestions to help leverage these. Providing insightful case studies on the topic, this book will be key reading for practitioners in the field of community engagement at nonprofit institutions, such as universities, hospitals and philanthropic organizations. It will also be of use for academic researchers focusing on community studies and strategic partnerships.

This timely Handbook examines performance management research specific to the public sector and its contexts, and provides suggestions for future developments in the field. It demonstrates the need for performance management to be reconceptualized as a core component of business both within and across organizations, and how it must be embedded in both strategic decision-making and as a day-to-day leadership and management practice in order to be effective. Addressing multiple levels of analysis, the Handbook shows how performance management can enable high performance if governance, systems, organization and individual components are aligned. Written by an international team of both academics and practitioners, chapters offer insights into why changes in practice need to occur, how to make such changes possible, and what these changes require from a practical standpoint. The Handbook also highlights current limitations in public sector performance management and suggests new initiatives for performance management frameworks. Scholars of public policy in human resources, administration and management looking for exemplary current research in these fields will find this Handbook invaluable. It will also be of interest to public administration and human resources practitioners looking to develop new practice and create new ways of thinking and behaving in the aftermath of global upheaval.

The growing intensity and complexity of public service has spurred policy reform efforts across the globe, many featuring attempts to promote more collaborative government. Collaboration in Public Service Delivery sheds light on these efforts, analysing and reconceptualising the major types of collaboration in public service delivery through a governance lens. Featuring careful analysis with a global scope, this book unpacks the concept of collaborative service delivery and its practice, drawing from the fields of public policy, public administration, and management. Chapters by leading authors in these areas address service delivery arrangements including co-production, co-management, consultations, contracting-out, commissioning and certification. With a keen focus on conditions that are critical for the success of such collaborative arrangements, as well as their different pathways and pitfalls, the authors suggest ways to improve the analytical, managerial and political capacities needed for successful collaboration in public service delivery. This timely and comprehensive book is useful for students at all levels interested in public policy, governance, administration and management, as well as researchers investigating the governance of collaborative service delivery. Policymakers and practitioners working to re-evaluate and improve public service provision, especially, will also benefit from its insightful discussions of the conditions and mechanisms under which collaborative arrangements operate and fail or succeed.

'The practice of regulatory impact assessment has long needed a critical Better state regulation is a key component of economic reform. This is the first book to comprehensively explore international experience in the use of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), which involves assessing the potential benefits and costs of any regulatory change. The contributors reveal that RIA is being adopted by an increasing number of countries as a route to better regulation with varying degrees of success. The book includes contributions from leading experts on regulatory reform and introduces a range of case studies from developed, developing and transitional economies. Comprehensive in its approach, this book contributes to the literature on evidence-based decision making as part of the new public management. By rigorously examining the principles of better regulation and focusing on the problem of applicability and adoption of RIA practices around the world, it will greatly aid understanding of regulatory policy design and implementation. The book will be invaluable for academics and researchers of public policy and management in developed, developing and transitional countries. It will also be of great practical relevance to government administrators and policymakers challenged by the need to understand the scope and limitations of RIA.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of dynamic networks and evolutionary variational inequalities, a topic of growing prominence in the study of networks. The extraordinary importance of networks in finance, mathematics, computer science and other areas is well known but the relatively new concept of 'dynamic' networks is less well understood. They become dynamic when the constitutive elements of the phenomena associated with the fixed geometry of networks are considered to be evolving over time. Patrizia Daniele offers many numerical examples to illustrate the issues discussed and provides a broad appendix to enrich this challenging but deeply informative book. Researchers, students and practitioners in the areas of finance, economics, computer science, and mathematics will find this volume an indispensable resource in understanding the use and development of networks in their disciplines.

Worldwide, postal and delivery economics has attracted considerable interest as the delivery sector undergoes rapid change and the debate on liberalization rages. This compendium of original essays has been selected from papers presented at the Rutgers University CRRI 14th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics, May 31-June 3 2006. It explores the important new trends and issues in this rapidly changing field. The European Union's plan to open postal markets completely in 2009 has raised questions about t he role of regulation, funding for the Universal Service Obligation, the future of national Postal Operators and the principles that should govern the introduction of competition. The contributors - researchers, practitioners, lawyers and senior managers from around the world - address these questions in chapters that cover postal markets, pricing, efficiency and cost analysis, labor relations, and demand drivers. Examples are drawn from around the world. This timely book will be illuminating to practitioners and managers in the postal, express and delivery industry, as well as economists, regulators, competition lawyers, and marketers.

Regulation is on the rise across the world as the state steps back from public ownership. However, as the authors highlight, the style of political delegation to regulatory authorities has not followed a uniform trajectory but rather institutional endowments, administrative traditions, market structure and business culture have all influenced the creation of regulatory authorities and implementation styles. Noting these variances, the focus of this book is to consider the impact of liberalisation and the introduction of new regulatory structures on three utility sectors - telecommunications, energy and the railways - using Germany and the UK as case studies. With regulation seeking to foster competition at the same time as also having to protect essential services, the authors investigate regulatory styles, costs of new regulatory functions and how firms in the new regulatory landscape access and influence regulatory authorities. The authors consider how EU pressures may hinder or help the functioning of new regulatory markets and the establishment of business-regulator relationships, as well as the broader policy implications for these new regulatory environments. The book also determines how regulatory authorities emerge and evolve under different state traditions and assesses, over time, the degree to which there is potential for convergence, divergence and continued differences as regulatory functions mature. This book will be warmly welcomed by researchers and academics of comparative public policy, politics and regulation. It will also appeal to policy makers and the business community in Europe.

Citizenship and Management in Public Administration is an exciting journey into the nexus between two separate but close worlds: citizenship orientations and citizenship behavior as reflected in political science theory on one hand, and organizational sciences, work studies, management, and public administration on the other. The authors have combined theoretical thinking with empirical findings to support their theories, and the data presented has been collected over almost a decade of field studies and surveys of public organizations. Dealing with the nature and meaning of citizenship, this book looks at behavior and involvement in modern public worksites. The interdisciplinary studies are all concerned with achieving better integration of the theories and ideas on citizenship and bureaucracies, which are more frequently treated as independent domains in the social sciences. However, the authors suggest that they are closely related and should be analyzed in relation to one another. This unique book will appeal to academics of management and organizational behavior, public administration and those involved in researching the not-for-profit, or third, sector.

From ancient times, the conduct of human beings, and what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, has been an intriguing and much-debated topic for people from all walks of life. This is even more so for public officials, both appointed and elected, who by nature of the public duty they fulfil, are held to a higher moral standard by the broader society. Unethical conduct not only impacts negatively on the social contract that government has with the public but also affects the rights of citizens, who are taxpayers. Ethics in the public sector is being published at a time when the South African public sector is grappling with serious issues relating to ethics, with startling revelations of conduct by government officials that directly contradicts the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which prescribe high standards of ethical behaviour. Ethics in the public sector is arranged in such a way as to provide a unique understanding of public sector ethics. It includes discussions of two other African countries, Botswana and Namibia, to provide perspective. Main themes include the theory and philosophical foundation of public sector ethics, the African context of ethics, the policy framework for ethics, role players in ethics, causes of unethical behaviour and remedies for unethical behaviour. It also comes at a time when most universities across South Africa are reconsidering curricula for alignment and relevance to the challenges that public officials and politicians deal with daily. Ethics is an area that has thus far received insufficient attention both at universities and in practice. Ethics in the public sector is aimed at students, officials and politicians.

Internationalization and demands for more democratic influence at the local level have undermined the traditional methods of policy analysis. This path-breaking book is an institutional analysis of the new networks in public governance. Traditional policy analysis takes as its starting point national legislation and then traces the public policy process through the hierarchical chain of agencies which implement directives. In this book, Peter Bogason takes a postmodern approach which recognizes increasing fragmentation within institutional organizations, and offers an alternative 'bottom-up' approach to the analysis of local governance. He discusses collective action at the local level and describes how it is linked to the public sector through the need for financial, expert and legal resources, and thereby creates a link where 'public action' becomes 'public policy'. The analysis disregards which agencies have formal responsibilities for action and instead focuses on who actually makes public policy, regardless of formal status - public or private, international, central or local. This book will prove interesting reading for all students and scholars of public policy and public administration, as well as political scientists.

This unique book offers a comprehensive survey of the privatization and deregulation of the public sector in a number of important developed and developing economies. The first part examines the privatization and deregulation process in Japan, Korea, India, Latin America, the US and the UK. The authors examine the costs and benefits in each country and describe the private initiatives and ongoing government intervention in the new markets. Wide country coverage allows readers to compare and contrast the different regimes in each country, particularly in the less studied Asian and Indian regions. The authors also describe the regime in the US and UK, the forerunners of privatization initiatives, from which useful policy lessons can be learnt in terms of ownership, price setting, universal service and welfare implications. The second part offers sector surveys from important industries, including telecommunications in Japan, India and Latin America, electricity in the UK and US, and the banking sector in Japan. Privatization, Deregulation and Economic Efficiency will be useful supplementary reading for scholars and students of the theory and practice of public economics, as well as for governments and NGOs interested in the policy implications of the privatization and deregulation process.

Within political and administrative sciences generally, trust as a concept is contested, especially in the field of regulatory governance. This groundbreaking book is the first to systematically explore the role and dynamics of trust within regulatory regimes. Conceptualizing, mapping and analyzing trust between regulators, regulatees and citizens, expert contributors systematically review the existing empirical research on the role of trust within these relations. Further chapters offer new empirical material, with in-depth case studies covering different regulatory relations, regulatory issues and geographical areas. After scoping the field of inquiry and significantly adding to it, the book concludes with a proposal for a challenging and encompassing agenda for future research on trust in regulatory governance. Comprehensive and forward thinking, this book will be of interest to academics working in the fields of regulation, sociology, law, political science, public administration and trust. It will also offer a compelling read for practitioners working in the field of regulation. Contributors include: E. Baekkesko, G. Bouckaert, B. Carter, R.W. Mills, L. Naslund, P. Oomsels, D. Reiss, F. Six, K. Tamm Hallstroem, H. van der Voort, H. van Ees, K. Verhoest

This book provides the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the emerging civil service systems in 9 Central and East European states. Its comparative nature provides a fascinating insight into the emerging patterns of administrative development in the region since the beginning of the transition period. The authors apply the same methodological framework developed by the Civil Service Research Consortium to all the country case studies, which gives the book a high level of coherence and enhances the comparability of the country case studies. This methodological framework provides a solid background for the in-depth analysis of the history of the civil service system, internal labour market, public opinion, relations between politicians and administrators and civil service reform and development. Special attention is given to topical issues such as the influence of the European Union on the emerging civil service systems and possibility of European Union candidature. Civil Service Systems in Central and Eastern Europe will be warmly welcomed by academics and advanced level students in public administration, law, political science and transition studies as well as policymakers and international organizations helping to develop civil services in former communist countries.

We live in an increasingly interconnected and highly sophisticated society, where the Internet has led to tremendous improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of public services. The Handbook of Research on E-Services in the Public Sector: E-Government Strategies and Advancements illustrates how technology in e-government saves individuals significant amounts of time and money, while adding value to citizens' experiences with government, thus better serving their needs. This handbook provides comprehensive coverage of the issues facing managers, consultants, and practitioners in e-government and assists them in formulating ICT strategies for use within their field. These new strategies will enable them to implement collaborative policy initiatives within the private, public, and non-profit sectors to ultimately eliminate the global digital divide.

This volume focuses on what many see as an iminent crisis in the public sector, and particularly in the federal government-the possibility that, due to the realities of workforce demographics, poor leadership, lack of competitiveness in the labor market, and demotivating worker conditions, the public service will not maintain its capacity to manage programs, execute laws, and effectively deliver services for the American people. Larry Lane and James Wolf examine the significant human resource problems now confronting federal agencies, addressing these issues from a demographic, organizational, political, and cultural perspective. Arguing that the revitalization of the public service demands an effective, responsible, energetic, and committed workforce, they recommend concrete solutions and strategies aimed at stabilizing the current situation and contributing to a stronger and more effective public service over the long term. Following an introductory statement of major issues, Lane and Wolf explore the crucial roles of the public service in a democratic system of governance and assess the factors that now put the system at risk. They then introduce four conceptual lenses that can be used as an analytical tool to understand the problems of the public service and to develop solutions for assuring the supply, preparedness, productivity, and dedication of government employees. The authors first look at employment flow-the problem of maintaining workforce cadres over time. They examine problems of attraction and retention, inadequacies in system personnel policies, and the necessity for workforce planning. Turning to a discussion of competence in the workforce, the authors examine systemicblocks to the development of competence and offer strategies for addressing the competence issue. The next two chapters treat the concepts of energy and commitment, exploring ways to foster an organizational culture that encourages productivity, continuous improvement, and a long-term commitment to public service. The final chapter presents a detailed set of proposals, options, and initiatives for rebuilding the public service. Administrators, policy-makers, personnel officers, and students of public administration will find this work a significant contribution toward understanding and resolving the public sector's intensifying human resource problems.

Over the past decade, putting public services on-line has been a focus of huge policy and financial investments aimed at providing more joined-up service delivery. For some this is part of a transformation that is bringing about a new era of integrated digital government. For others digitalization means threats to privacy and security and a strengthening of bureaucracy. In the UK and beyond, front-line service providers and citizens have been slow to take up digital services whilst major projects have floundered. This book takes a fresh look at this vital area for public policy and practice. Informed by over ten years of original research on the 'inside' of projects to put local services on-line, the authors combine cross-disciplinary insights to provide a new social informatics perspective on digital government. Experiences in areas such as health and social care are used to illustrate the dangers of 'over-integration' when key decisions are left to system designers, as they seek to integrate information in centralized systems. The authors argue for a new 'architectural discourse' to change the way that systems are deployed, evolve, and are governed. This leads to the conclusion that increased coordination of public services in a digital economy is better achieved through federated rather than integrated services that recognize the infrastructural nature of information systems and the essential role of co-production in their future evolution

At a time when there is growing concern in many countries over the funding of expanding public sectors, this important new book brings together leading specialists in public finance to re-examine the economics of public sector growth. Several chapters document changes in the size of the public sector over recent decades for major OECD and Third World economies. Subsequent chapters then explore prominent explanations including public choice perspectives, bureaucracy models, relative price effects and Wagner's Law, and assess their contribution to current knowledge. The book also provides a number of new case studies of specific government activities - education, health and social security.

This major book reviews and analyses the changes that have taken place in public administration in Britain and North America over the last ten years and which will continue to have a profound impact on central and local bureaucracies well into the next century.Managing the Public Sector provides a critical introduction and successfully combines a review of the literature with original research. It relates theory to practice and highlights the problem of implementation. It covers all the major issues including privatization, and the importance of the business sector both as a partner and a powerful lobby for efforts to use market mechanisms to devolve power. This thoroughly modern, up-to-date book will be essential reading for all courses on public administration and policy analysis and the management of the public sector.

A Prospect Book of the Year 'Never before, in years of reviewing books about buildings, has one brought me to tears. This one did.' Rowan Moore, Observer Book of the Week On 14 June 2017, a 24-storey block of flats went up in flames. The fire climbed up cladding as flammable as solid petrol. Fire doors failed to self-close. No alarm rang out to warn sleeping residents. As smoke seeped into their homes, all were told to 'stay put'. Many did - and they died. It was a disaster decades in the making. Peter Apps exposes how a steady stream of deregulation, corporate greed and institutional indifference caused this tragedy. It is the story of a grieving community forsaken by our government, a community still waiting for change.

"The first edition of Municipal finance and accounting was published in 2007, and was the first comprehensive text on the principles and best practice of municipal finance and accounting to appear since Dr Jack Cowden's 1968 treatment of more or less the same subject matter. The first edition was revised in 2011, the main changes being the inclusion of considerable additional material on the legislative framework governing municipalities, an extensive revision of the chapter on municipal budgets in order to incorporate the approaches introduced by the 2009 regulations on budgets and reporting requirements, and various amendments to chapters 3 and 4 to reflect the advent of further GRAP standards and changes in important local government statutes. The example of the annual financial statements contained in Chapter 5 was entirely redone to accord with the requirements of GRAP, and the chapter itself amended to include summaries of most of the prescribed GRAP standards. The many changes in municipal finance that occurred since 2011 have now necessitated a second revision. All new enacted legislation and amendments to existing legislation have been included, as well as important impending legislation and new regulations, particularly those issued in terms of the Municipal Systems Act and Municipal Finance Management Act. Important MFMA circulars are also covered, as are other significant guidelines issued by the National Treasury. Various other matters of importance in relation to the financial administration and governance of municipalities are also dealt with, including municipal public accounts committees (MPACs), new approaches to grants, the supply chain management reporting framework and several significant court cases. An updated version of the annual financial statements has also been prepared. As with the original edition, this revised version deals holistically with all the key features of municipal finance and accountancy, with emphasis on the principles of sound financial governance in municipalities. It is designed for use in tertiary education and also for regular consultation by accounting officers, financial and non-financial officials and councillors in the performance of their duties. Municipal finance and accounting should be useful to anyone involved with, or interested in, the financial administration and governance of municipalities."

Web 2.0 can create value for political processes by decreasing costs and increasing opportunities for civic engagement, and, as a result, will likely affect the future of governance. Public Service, Governance and Web 2.0 Technologies: Future Trends in Social Media investigates the effects of Web technologies and social media on interaction and the political process. Researchers, government administrators, and policymakers will benefit from the book's examination of e-governance in an increasingly complex and interdependent world. Readers will learn to use Web technologies to address local and global problems and improve systems of governance, social equity, economic activity, sustainability, service delivery, transparency, and the ethical and legal dimensions of public service.

As emerging trends and research threads surface in the area of e-government, academicians, practitioners, and students face the challenge of keeping up-to-date with new and innovative practices. ""Current Issues and Trends in E-Government Research"" provides a complete synopsis of the latest technologies in information policy, security, privacy, and access, as well as the best practices in e-government applications and measurement. ""Current Issues and Trends in E-Government Research"" presents the most current issues in e-government hardware and software technology, adoption and diffusion, planning and management, and philosophy.

Little has been said about South Africa's current administrative transformation. This title addresses the changes from a predominantly white bureaucracy to a democratic one, and provides a basic guide to the new public administration system in South Africa. The authors have steered away from a theoretical, unintelligible academic style, and have used simple language and informative diagrams. The title is intended for practitioners, students and laypersons alike.