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Books > Business & Economics > Industry & industrial studies > Civil service & public sector
Digital Government: Managing Public Sector Reform in the Digital Era presents a public management perspective on digital government and technology-enabled change in the public sector. It incorporates theoretical and empirical insights to provide students with a broader and deeper understanding of the complex and multidisciplinary nature of digital government initiatives, impacts and implications. The rise of digital government and its increasingly integral role in many government processes and activities, including overseeing fundamental changes at various levels across government, means that it is no longer perceived as just a technology issue. In this book Miriam Lips provides students with practical approaches and perspectives to better understand digital government. The text also explores emerging issues and barriers as well as strategies to more effectively manage digital government and technology-enabled change in the public sector. Digital Government is the ideal book for postgraduate students on courses in public administration, public management, public policy, political science and international relations, and e-government. It is also suitable for public service managers who are experiencing the impact of digital technology and data in the public sector.
This landmark publication addresses key governance issues in the management of development, drawing seminal papers from the 1999 Jubilee conference proceedings of the journal Public Administration and Development. It fills a major gap in the literature and provides a timely review of the state-of-the-art which is both historically-grounded and forward looking. The book is divided into three parts:
Every year the British government spends GBP80 billion outsourcing public services. Today, private companies are responsible for fulfilling some of the most sensitive and important roles of the state - running prisons and providing healthcare, transport, legal aid, even child protection. These organizations have been handed enormous amounts of power and yet for the most part they operate with no transparency or accountability. From deportations to NHS cutbacks, Alan White exposes what goes wrong when the invisible hand of the market is introduced into public services. Informed by exclusive interviews with senior managers, campaigners and whistle-blowers, Shadow State is the first book to examine the controversial phenomenon of government outsourcing. Not only does White provide the full story behind scandals involving G4S, Serco and ATOS, but he also reveals previously unknown cases of system failure in areas such as social care, welfare and justice. The picture that develops is deeply troubling.
The survival and success of public organizations depends on employee satisfaction and motivation to improve performance. New Strategies for Public Pay addresses one of the strongest motivators?compensation. The book outlines proven strategies, many of which are successfully used in private industry, that are also well-suited for government organizations. Specific programs are described and analyzed by experts from government, academia, think tanks, labor unions, and private business, running the gamut from merit pay to competency-based pay to gainsharing. New Strategies for Public Pay introduces a range of alternative pay systems that show public sector managers how they can: ? Set standards that match the unique needs of individual organizations ? Stimulate desired new behaviors necessary to overcome the fear of change and business as usual mentality ? Energize employees and provide a fresh incentive for continuing improved performance The decision whether or not to revolutionize pay systems is fundamental. The way compensation is addressed and managed can either hinder or help accomplish an organization's mission. New Strategies for Public Pay offers a useful framework for planning compensation programs that are in line with the times and that will help create more efficient, flexible, and responsive public organizations.
Highly successful in hardcover, this analysis of both the current
status of logistic and its future role in European business is now
available in paperback for students of logistic, distribution,
strategy and international business. Logistic in Europe is undergoing a period of unprecedented
change. The Single European Market, German unification and reform
in eastern Europe have together had a major impact on the
continent, with inevitable consequences for logistics. At company
level, there is also increasing petition from the newly
industrialized countries of the Pacific Rim, not to mention the
dismantle of trade barriers within Europe which have so far
afforded considerable protection to some European industries. The two main sections of the book consider demand and supply the market place for logistic services. In analyzing demand, the authors focus on the changing needs on manufacturers and retailers, the two principles users of logistics in advanced economies. On the supply side they examine a number of different kinds of provider of the logistics services, including carriers, freight forwarders and information technology companies. These providers are both responding to the needs on users, and initiating developments of their own. The rise of the mega-carrier is an especially important development, and one chapter is devoted to examining their prospects for success.
Why do some policies succeed so well while others, in the same sector or country, fail dramatically? The aim of this book is to answer this question and provide systematic research on the nature, sources and consequences of policy failure. The expert contributors analyse and evaluate the success and failure of four policy areas (Steel, Health Care, Finance, HIV and the Blood Supply) in six European countries, namely France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain and Sweden. The book is therefore able to compare success and failure across countries as well as policy areas, enabling a test of a variety of theoretical assumptions about policy making and government. The book also sheds more light on the legitimacy of governance in Western Europe and goes beyond understanding the concepts of success and failure to explaining their genesis empirically. Success and Failure in Public Governance will be of interest to academics and researchers of political science, public policy and public administration as well as to practitioners of public policy.
When environmentalists fail to persuade us that there is an imminent threat of environmental disaster, they typically invoke the "precautionary principle" in order to justify their calls for more regulation. This work challenges the claim that the precautionary principle (PP) is an appropriate guide to public policy decisions. The fundamental problem is that it is impossible to prove a negative, so the PP can be used to justify any regulation limiting emissions of any substance. Taken in its extreme form, the PP would end civilisation. In its more practical form, the PP is about taking a hyper-cautious approach to emissions of substances into the environment. This means imposing very strict controls on the licensing of new technologies and cutting back drastically on emissions of substances into the environment. Although not as devastating as Leggett's philosophically dubious proposal, this more practical approach has serious drawbacks The opening brace of papers discusses the dubious philosophical foundations of PP, and consider the consequences of applying it in various policy contexts relating to scientific controversies.
A comprehensive guide to public sector collaboration with private and nonprofit organizations for better service delivery Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration tackles the issues inherent in partnerships with nongovernmental actors for public service delivery, highlighting the choices available and the accompanying challenges and opportunities that arise. Based on research, interviews with public, private and nonprofit sector leaders, and considerable analysis of organizations involved in public-private-nonprofit collaborations, the book provides insight into cross-sector collaboration at the global, federal, state, and local levels. Through an examination of the primary modes of cross-sector collaboration, including collaborative contracting, partnerships, networks, and independent public services providers, the book presents a clear case for how public managers can assess the trade-offs and use these options to improve public service delivery. Nonprofit organizations, businesses, and third-party contractors are increasingly partnering with government to deliver public services. Recognizing the types of collaborative approaches, and their potential to solve public policy problems is quickly becoming a major task for public managers, with new methods and techniques constantly emerging. Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration provides specific examples and a framework for public managers to make strategic choices about how to engage private and nonprofit actors in delivering public goods and services while ensuring the public interest. The book provides effective methods for choosing, designing, governing, and evaluating networks, partnerships, and independent public-services providers, with in-depth discussion encompassing: * Analysis and engagement of cross-sector organizations * Fostering democratic accountability in the public interest * Collaborative approaches (including contracts, networks and partnerships) and the issues associated with each type of arrangement * Leadership and organizational learning in cross-sector collaboration Included case studies illustrate effective application of the concepts and methods described, providing both practicing public and nonprofit managers and public policy/administration students with insight into these emerging strategic alliances. The first comprehensive guide to public governance collaborations, Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration is an important and timely contribution to the field of public management.
Public services touch the majority of people in advanced and developing economies on a daily basis: children require schooling, the elderly need personal care and assistance, rubbish needs collecting, water must be safe to drink and the streets need policing. In short, there is practically no area of our lives that isn't touched in some way by public services. As such, knowledge about strategies to improve their performance is central to the good of society. In this book, a group of leading scholars examine some of the most pressing issues in public administration, political science and public policy by undertaking a systematic review of the research literature on public management and the performance of public agencies. It is an important resource for public management researchers, policy-makers and practitioners who wish to understand the state of the field and the challenges that lie ahead.
Bureaucratic cutbacks are in the air all over the world. Many people appear sure that taxes are too high and that there are too many bureaucrats. The British government under Margaret Thatcher is generally seen as having been most successful in this regard, particularly on staff reduction. Between 1976 and 1985 there was a drop of nearly 20 per cent, from three-quarters of a million to fewer than 600,000 civil servants in the United Kingdom central government. How were these cutbacks implemented? Did certain civil servants and policy programmes take the brunt, or was the misery shared equally? Or is the entire thing a cosmetic exercise in numbers manipulation? In addressing these issues, Professor Dunsire and Professor Hood set out existing theories on management cutbacks and then test them against what happened in Britain, thus providing a full-length historical study of what actually happened in a decade of cutbacks in one country.
Whether it's the Internal Revenue Service or the local police department, every person's life is affected by how public organizations handle information. New technologies are inundating us with data-agencies collect, store, analyze and disseminate information. How organizations manage this information is crucial to their effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability. It is becoming more difficult for public organizations to formulate clear messages. Political pressure from elected officials and public scrutiny make the task of managing communication even more daunting. By helping students see how communication networks must be treated within larger psychological, cultural, and mechanical contexts, Graber presents ways to construct effective channels so information is transmitted to the appropriate audiences, linking policy decisions and feedback from citizens. Blending the best of theory and practice, The Power of Communication helps both students and practitioners turn a flood tide of information into an asset, rather than a menace, to good government.
An examination of the effect of seventeen years of Conservative government on the Civil Service and the ramifications for future governments. The notion of politicization in the light of the sweeping reforms that have taken place is systematically addressed, and light is shed on how senior appointments are actually made.
Managing the Next Generation of Public Workers is a fresh and energetic look at the changing climate of diversity in the public and nonprofit workplace. The workforce of the twenty-first century represents unparalleled complexity: Baby Boomers, GenX, GenY, and Millennials. Although that diversity may be challenging and often overwhelming for public managers, Madinah Hamidullah emphasizes the potential strengths that can be drawn from complex multigenerational relationships. This handbook offers public and nonprofit managers the tools necessary to address generational differences and questions such as: * How do the newer generations in the workplace differ on such fundamentals as work ethic, family values, and retirement horizons? * Are they recruited differently and do they expect a different mix of benefits-perhaps a better work-life balance as a tradeoff for a lower salary? * How can diverse, generational perspectives in the workplace add value by questioning old, traditional assumptions? * Will approaches to organizational decision making necessarily change as new generations take over? The book is for public and nonprofit managers who recognize the challenges of managing a multigenerational workforce, and are therefore seeking helpful insights. This volume is a roadmap not only for human resource (HR) managers, but for all managers who must address the complexities of the human condition-complexities that are complicated by the most rapid succession of workforce generations that we have yet seen.
Hardbound. This volume is a comprehensive treatment of a variety of public sector applications of OR methods. The papers are directed at bridging the gap between theory and practice, with an emphasis on a clear statement of where these methods have been used and were useful. The technical level is appropriate for the general reader, with a specific interest in either a particular subject area (military, urban services, crime and justice, health and administration, air and water quality, natural resources management, apportionment), or methodology (hazardous facility siting, voting theory and paired comparisons, competitive bidding, and theories of measurement).
The New Public Service: Serving, not Steering provides a framework for the many voices calling for the reaffirmation of democratic values, citizenship, and service in the public interest. It is organized around a set of seven core principles: (1) serve citizens, not customers; (2) seek the public interest; (3) value citizenship and public service above entrepreneurship; (4) think strategically, act democratically; (5) recognize that accountability isn't simple; (6) serve, rather than steer; and (7) value people, not just productivity. The New Public Service asks us to think carefully and critically about what public service is, why it is important, and what values ought to guide what we do and how we do it. It celebrates what is distinctive, important, and meaningful about public service and considers how we might better live up to those ideals and values. The revised fourth edition includes a new chapter that examines how the role and significance of these New Public Service values have expanded in practice and research over the past 15 years. Although the debate about governance will surely continue for many years, this compact, clearly written volume both provides an important framework for a public service based on citizen discourse and the public interest and demonstrates how these values have been put into practice. It is essential reading fo students and serious practitioners in public administration and public policy.
"Strategic Planning for Public Service and Non-Profit Organizations" is the 12th volume in the "Best of Long Range Planning Series", and focuses on strategic planning for public and non-profit purposes such as government, public agencies and non-profit or voluntary organizations.;The book also addresses how strategic planning differs from other kinds of planning and how strategic planning for public and non-profit purposes can be tailored to fit differing circumstances.
Science councils have been tasked with complex new mandates, to achieve these they have to interact with knowledge users in the private and public sectors and be of benefit to communities, particularly to those that are vulnerable and marginalised. What are the diverse forms of interaction in science councils with distinct legacies, what are the diverse forms of partners and what are their outcomes? What are some of the successful strategic policy interventions, organisational structures and internal incentive mechanisms that science councils have created to channel and promote these interactions? Questions such as these are addressed in this timely and groundbreaking research as it investigates how scientists interact with actors in the informal sector, social development and community spaces, alongside their role in technology development for industry and government actors. Balancing multiple mandates: The changing role of science councils in South Africa is an important study – building an evidence base to inform the contribution of science councils to innovation, poverty reduction and inclusive economic development in South Africa.
Why do so many government policies fail to achieve their objectives? Why are our political leaders not held to account for policy failures? Drawing on his years of experience as a senior government policy maker, as well as on global research, Stephen Muers uses examples ranging from the collapse of the Soviet Union to Cold War Germany, the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit referendum to expose the crucial impact culture and values have on policy success and political accountability. This illuminating study sets out why policy makers need to take culture seriously, how culture and values shape the political system and presents essential, practical recommendations for what governments should do differently.
The application of complexity theory to management and the social sciences has been a key development in theory and practice over the last decade. This approach questions the possibility of finding universal methods of practice, and proposes a pragmatic and humanistic management style that evolves out of a reflective method. The focus is on practitioners observing patterns of similarity and being adaptable in decision-making. Bringing complexity theory into management reveals the importance of organizational culture and effective communication because people, their values and their objectives are at the heart of this method. Information technology provides a framework for complex communication and knowledge use, but it cannot replace highly developed professional negotiations and cooperation. This book argues that the complexity of the public service world limits the usefulness of classical and rational scientific management approaches such as New Public Management. Excessive marketization threatens a collaborative approach and overly rigid approaches to performance management and strategic management can be dysfunctional. Managing Complexity in the Public Services 2nd Edition advances a method of management practice that copes with the stark realities of the complex and unpredictable public policy world. It develops pragmatic management practices from action research that will be valuable to both academics and practitioners. The result is a new value-based practice for the post-crisis public service world.
Good governance is one of the UK's fundamental values, and citizens are entitled to expect that public officials, both elected and non-elected, behave according to the highest standards of ethical behaviour. However, such lofty aspirations are not enough to root out corruption. If integrity in public life is to be maintained, the core principles behind it must be constantly sustained and strengthened. This new Haus Curiosities volume, published in collaboration with Westminster Abbey Institute, looks at the place and meaning of integrity in the individual public servant, in public service institutions, and in the wider public they purport to serve. It tries to answer the fundamental questions of what integrity means in public life, what lasting value it has, and why it has such a critical part to play in the constitution of Britain. The book also explores how people in public service institutions can cease to behave with humanity when those institutions deny the individual human spirit. On the other hand, the authors argue for the critical importance of institutions in upholding values when fallible humans forget them, as we have witnessed in the Civil Service's steadfast and stabilising response to the Brexit referendum and its uncertain aftermath. Integrity in Public Life provides a critique of and an essential guide to integrity, leaving the reader with some hope for its continued place in public life.
..".this is going to be a very useful book. It provides an
authoritative overview of approaches to quality management
contextualised to health and social care." - Joe Walsh, Independent
Management Consultant, formerly Assistant Director of Social
Services at the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
To keep government operating smoothly, changes in public management
policy and strategy usually follow the old rule of change--that it
must evolve in a systematic and incremental fashion. But in today's
unpredictable world of shrinking budgets, demands for better
service, and greater accountability, playing by the old rules just
doesn't make sense.
Shows government agencies how to meet the needs of customers seamlessly, that is, in a smooth, effortless, responsive manner. Details a step-by-step approach to assess, design and implement significant change in all levels of government?and how to overcome resistance along the way.
In this revised and enlarged edition of their established textbook, Gavin Drewry and Tony Butcher bring their wide--ranging, critical survey of the Britsh civil service fully up--to--date, concluding with an examination of the nature and significance of the a Next Stepsa programme which is currently transforming the structure and management of the civil service. |
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