Public management literature has often debated the usefulness of transactional leadership. Some scholars are concerned that transactional leadership strategies will harm public employees' perceived competence (ie: their self-efficacy), but in fact there are also arguments for the opposite result - that feelings of competence are strengthened by conditional rewards, because they provide feedback about performance. This study explores how 91 high school principals' reported use of rewards and sanctions affect perceived professional competence among their 1,921 teachers. The results show that the use of rewards strengthens self-efficacy, and that the use of sanctions does not seem to have negative effects. Furthermore, the teachers' self-efficacy can be linked positively to organisational performance. This suggests that rewards can be an important tool for managers in the public sector.

Capitalism in Europe is transformed as a result of liberalisation, privatisation and regulatory reform. Unravelling the state as service provider and employer has posed significant social policy challenges to the emerging regulatory state. The book examines how these challenges have been addressed in different varieties of capitalism and across sectors. It compares change in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, takes stock of the reform movement in Europe and internationally, and discusses policy approaches in telecoms and electricity. It pays special attention to falling mail volumes as a driver of change and a new wave of privatisation triggered by the European sovereign debt crisis. The analysis reveals whether and how social policy goals have been addressed by means of regulation and redistribution. The book explains why liberal market economies have been postal reform latecomers and why the regulatory state benefits consumers, but is likely to leave employees' interests behind. -- .

Since the third edition of this authoritative volume, most of Western Europe and North America have entered an era of austerity which has pervasive effects on programmes of public management reform. Even in Australasia extensive measures of fiscal restraint have been implemented. In this fourth edition the basic structure of the book has been retained but there has been a line-by-line rewriting, including the addition of extensive analyses and information about the impacts of austerity. Many new sources are cited and there is a new exploration of the interactions between austerity and the major paradigms of reform - NPM, the Neo-Weberian State and New Public Governance. The existing strengths of the previous editions have been retained while vital new material on developments since the Global Economic Crisis has been added. This remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, widely-cited academic text on public management reform in Europe, North America and Australasia.

The seventh edition of the bestselling Public Sector Management is a rich and insightful description, analysis and critique of the management of the public sector by the UK government. NEW to the seventh edition: Now set in an international context with comparative global examples throughout Three new chapters covering: strategy and planning in the public sector; transparency, accountability and ethics; and non-profit management, including the role of social enterprise and the voluntary sector Examines the impact of the continuing financial crisis on public spending An updated companion website with tutorial videos, free access to full-text journal articles, policy documents, links to useful websites and social media resources Public Sector Management is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public sector management as part of a business, management or politics degree.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been widely derided as a failed state, unable to meet the basic needs of its citizens. But while state infrastructure continues to decay, many essential services continue to be provided at the local level, often through grassroots initiatives. So while, for example, state funding for education is almost non-existent, average school enrolment remains well above average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This book addresses this paradox, bringing together key scholars working on public services in the DRC to elucidate the evolving nature of governance in developing countries. Its contributions encompass a wide range of public services, including education, justice, transport, and health. Taking stock of what functions and why, it contributes to the debate on public services in the context of 'real' or 'hybrid' governance beyond the state: does the state still have a function, or is it no longer useful and relevant? Crucially, how does international aid help or complicate this picture? Rich in empirical detail, the contributors provide a valuable work for students and scholars interested in the role played by non-state actors in organizing statehood - a role too often neglected in debates on post-conflict reconstruction.

Public-private collaborations are central to the functioning and provisioning of most essential ecosystems. Ecosystems such as security, healthcare, education, and the environment face challenges of governance, diverse constituencies, numerous advocacy organizations, incompatible outcome metrics, and persistent media attention, to name a few. There is a wide range of public and private players involved in operating, sustaining, and investing in these ecosystems, including stakeholders from government, industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the general public. Fundamental change requires understanding a wide range of interests and accommodating change strategies accordingly. The challenges of transforming these ecosystems would easily qualify as "wicked problems"; social or cultural problems laced with incomplete or contradictory knowledge, large numbers of people and opinions, substantial economic burdens, and inextricable connections with other issues. Transforming Public-Private Ecosystems addresses these challenges for the four important ecosystems of national security, healthcare delivery, higher education, and energy and climate, and provides an integrated perspective for understanding and enabling change.

We all negotiate every day, professionally and socially, yet few of us have had any training in how to do so more effectively. For professionals in health, social care and children's services, an ability to negotiate successfully is vital. Commissioning, contracting and negotiating new partnerships for delivering better services are now part of everyday life. Arguing that in the health and social services a different, less aggressive approach is required to that advocated by negotiators in the commercial sectors, Keith Fletcher explains how to prepare for and deal with negotiation situations more confidently so that settlements can be reached which satisfy all parties.

Nonprofit community-based social services teams deliver programs and resources to communities facing the greatest symptoms of inequality in this country. We are fortunate that front-lines professionals triage high-risk situations and cultivate opportunities for generational healing. Yet their work has not been comprehensively explored in the science on workplace chronic stress and vicarious trauma (CSVT). Few know that among tested teams, 52% of individuals face work-based chronic stress and 24% experience vicarious trauma. This work starts a public and transparent conversation about nonprofit community-based social services professionals, their important work, their suffering and the need to mitigate CSVT. In order to make a change, this book contextualizes why CSVT is left primarily unmitigated and unacknowledged in community-based organizations. The science covered in this book demonstrates that the very job duties that require highly adept and empathetic skills pull the professionals closest to the stress and trauma of those who they serve. Social science research also directs attention to nonprofit sector culture and norms that perpetuate inequality internally, further creating an employment context of suffering. Shedding light on the factors that create unmitigated and unacknowledged CSVT allows for the implementation of both short-term and long-term solutions.

There are numerous publications available to help current or aspiring academic faculty members enhance their professional abilities. However, there is a distinct shortage of works that cover the several soft skills junior faculty must possess to be promoted to tenure. This text discusses conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation, time management, understanding the politics of academia and many other vital skills. This book was written to emphasize the significance of these skills and to help junior professors acquire and implement them to improve their chances of getting promoted and tenured. It also covers the promotion and tenure processes, as well as how to remain competitive even after achieving this coveted goal.