Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
|||
Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Public administration
This timely book argues that the overcrowding of national parks in the United States represents a social problem in need of public sector action and a policy solution, as no systematic means to address this problem has been implemented either nationally or on a park-by-park basis. Throughout the book, Albert N. Link provides an innovative pricing solution to the overcrowding of the parks which will help to change the existing status quo. Utilizing a methodology grounded in economics, and expanding the use and policy relevance of the concept of public sector entrepreneurship, the author illustrates how individuals respond to prices and offers a method to estimate the impact of a seasonal entrance fee based on calculated price elasticities of demand. Chapters also provide recommendations for increases in seasonal entrance fees individually for each of the national parks that currently have an entrance fee. Public Sector Entrepreneurship will be a key resource for academics and students in the fields of entrepreneurship, public management and resource management who are looking to use economics as a framework for analyzing tourism topics, as well as environmental researchers and public policy officials responsible for national parks.
Public diplomacy has become one of the central instruments of foreign policy and national security; this crucial Research Agenda provides a new outline for its investigation. Aiding the comprehension of the broad boundaries of the field, it proposes a clear starting point for contemporary research into important areas of public diplomacy. This enlightening Research Agenda is divided into three parts which thoroughly explore the actors, disciplines and instruments involved in the process of public diplomacy. Rich in innovative analysis, chapters offer insights from many of the most prominent scholars and practitioners in the field to cover existing research, gaps, and future directions. A Research Agenda for Public Diplomacy will be invaluable for researchers and students interested in political science, international and public relations, communication, and digital media. It will also be beneficial for practitioners and officials working in areas relevant to foreign policy and national security employed by both governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Engaging with the key debates and issues in a continuously evolving field, Lavinia Bifulco and Vando Borghi bring together contributions from leading social scientists to debate the enduring relevance of public sociology in light of ongoing changes in the social world. This incisive Research Handbook explores the critical authors, texts, and research perspectives foundational to the discipline of public sociology. Multidisciplinary in approach, it advances dialogues between diverse scientific and environmental perspectives and considers how best to design and conduct research in different scientific fields. Chapters discuss current teaching and critical thought within the discipline, identify promising analytical approaches through which to research key aspects of social transformation, and investigate the relationship between sociology and its various publics. Rather than reproducing an already-fixed analytical programme, the Research Handbook explores the potential of public sociology to collaborate and hybridise with novel research paths. Pushing the frontiers of public sociology, this insightful Research Handbook will prove an engaging and invaluable resource for social scientists and sociological communities, as well as for students in the social sciences. Its exploration of the applications of public sociology in empirical research and teaching will further benefit professionals working within public organisations.
Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. This Advanced Introduction presents a focused narrative about political decision-making based on the work that has defined public choice as a discipline. Randall G. Holcombe emphasizes the theoretical foundations of Public Choice, examining the way that voter preferences are aggregated through democratic decision-making, the way that political exchange leads to the production of public policy, and the way that the constitutional framework within which political activity takes place is designed. He provides a concise discussion of the main models of Public Choice in an engaging manner, giving readers a foundation for understanding the theoretical and empirical work in the field. Each chapter ends with a Notes section that discusses the research on which the chapter is based, with an emphasis on the pioneering work that has shaped the development of Public Choice. Undergraduate and graduate level students in economics, political science and public administration will find this introduction an essential resource for understanding political decision making. Instructors in those fields will find this book a useful and affordable text and an indispensable resource for teaching Public Choice.
This incisive book presents a critical compilation of empirical studies assessing local government performance in Latin America. Analysing original administrative data from municipalities in the understudied countries of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru, Claudia N. Avellaneda and contributors pose the titular question: what works in Latin American municipalities? Chapters operationalize municipal performance across six different dimensions and policy areas, including: fiscal inputs, effectiveness in grant acquisitions, education outcome quality, financial efficiency, participatory decision-making, and responsiveness to climate change. The six studies test different theoretical frameworks derived from political science, public policy, and public administration literature, focusing on the variety of individual, organizational, and contextual factors affecting municipal performance across the region. Examining a diverse range of factors, from mayoral characteristics and bureaucratic expertise to guerrilla presence and intergovernmental cooperation, the book highlights the complexity of identifying what works in Latin American municipalities and ultimately makes the case for how future research should be undertaken. Timely and original, the book will be an essential read for public administration, public management, and local government practitioners. Its original empirical research will also prove beneficial to students and scholars of government, public policy, political science, and public administration across Latin America and the rest of the world.
This detailed Commentary provides an authoritative interpretation of each provision in the main EU Directive on public procurement - Directive 2014/24/EU, and is rich in its critical analysis of the provisions of the 2014 Directive and the case-law. The Commentary also highlights the application problems and interpretative issues being raised in EU Member States, which in due time will make their way up to the CJEU or even require further legislative interventions. Key features include: Updated to include the most significant CJEU case law as of end-2020 Analysis that is informed by the practical issues arising across the EU Member States, as well as in the UK Written by a diverse pool of specialists in each of the aspects of the Directive upon which they comment, with the Commentary underpinned by their collective knowledge of public procurement law in the old 28 EU Member States. Providing a practice-oriented analysis that allows for a problem solving approach, European Public Procurement will be particularly relevant to practising lawyers including within the civil services in all EU jurisdictions and the UK. The depth of analysis offered in the Commentary will also be of great benefit to academics and postgraduate students with an interest in public procurement and, more generally, public law, administrative law and public administration.
Examining the increasingly relevant topic of public sector efficiency, this dynamic Handbook investigates the context of constrained fiscal space and public funding sources using cross-country datasets in areas including China, India, sub-Saharan Africa and OECD economies. Expert contributors evaluate public sector efficiency for both national and sub-national governments, analysing important sectors such as education, health, public-private enterprises and state-owned enterprises. Given voters' requirements to be more educated and for greater accountability on the use of public spending, chapters describe methodology and measurement issues alongside the allocation of resources to ensure better efficiency and effectiveness. Forward-thinking, the Handbook provides insights into how improving efficiency can greatly assist governments when dealing with unforeseen events such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. This Handbook will be an important read for academics and students of public sector economics and public administration and management. It will also provide an excellent background for the policy makers of international institutions looking to help the general public have a better understanding of how public spending works in order for them to make informed decisions when voting.
This cutting-edge Research Handbook brings together international scholars to provide a comprehensive overview of motivation within and beyond the field of public administration. Discussing the implications of contemporary research for theory and practice, it offers suggestions for the development of future research in the field. Contributions offer cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary insights into the theories that underpin motivation research and how motivation drives decisions across public, nonprofit, and private sector settings, highlighting key sector differences that influence decision-making. Covering a wide range of core motivational topics and subfields relevant to the study of public and nonprofit administration, chapters emphasize the key motivational factors that affect employee recruitment, selection, and retention and how they affect - and are affected by - employee behavior. Providing a wide-ranging coverage of the field, this Research Handbook is critical reading for scholars, researchers, and upper-level students of public administration and policy. It will also benefit practitioners in public and nonprofit organizations in need of a deeper understanding of the links between motivation and employee behavior.
Teaching Federalism presents innovative ideas for teaching a wide variety of key concepts of federalism and federal-country cases. Each chapter introduces a topic, explains its place in federalism research, and provides learning objectives, pedagogical tools, and questions for class discussions, student essays, and examinations. Evaluation and reading suggestions are included as well. The book covers twenty substantive facets of federalism important for understanding contemporary issues of federalism and federation, such as power distribution, second chambers, high courts, intergovernmental relations, fiscal federalism, multinational federalism, conflict resolution, indigenous peoples, gendered federalism, and secession. Also included are case-study examples for teaching about federalism in Germany, India, Nigeria, Switzerland, and the United States. Educators around the world who teach federalism or wish to do so will find this a wonderful resource for lesson plans on a wide variety of issues related to federalism. Students studying federalism will also find it invaluable as an introductory resource for important topics and readings on the subject.
Exploring the manifold relationships between religion and public administration, this topical book conceptualises and theorises the diverse influence of religions on the functioning of public administrative systems across the globe. International and comparative in approach, this book analyses the social and public dimensions to religion and its interplay with public administration as a field of social scientific inquiry and an area of professional activity. Taking methodological agnosticism as its sociological perspective to the study of the religious experience, chapters focus on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to examine diverse religious compositions across both secularised and non-secularised societies and political regimes. The book uses a distinctive theoretical lens to analyse the influence of religions on organisational fit, public service motivation, individual and organisational behaviours and values, bureaucratic discretion, government funding, the delivery of public services, and the dynamics of social cohesion overall. It provides a fresh perspective on religion as a source of legitimacy and basis of accountability, responsibility, and delegation of power in public administration, institutional quality, and ethics. Students and scholars interested in the religious dimensions to public administration, policy, governance and management will find use in this book’s theoretical analyses. Its empirical findings will also be valuable to policymakers working in public administration and leaders of faith organisations engaged in public services.
Based on original empirical data collected from three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, this engaging book offers comprehensive insights into the institutional environment of public-private partnership (PPP) from a unique and under-explored context. Drawing on ideas from the fields of project management, neo-institutional theory and research on the Gulf rentier states, this book unpacks how individual and organizational actors engage in several strategies to either enable the implementation of PPPs or to resist them. It explores why and how individual and organizational actors in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar seek to disrupt or maintain existing forms of project organizing. Chapters from this book highlight both the macro- and micro-dynamics of initiating, implementing or resisting new forms of project organizing, and offer several theoretical contributions to project management, PPP literature and neo-institutional theory. This book will be an essential read for academics and policymakers interested in broader questions of how the institutional context affects public sector reforms and the introduction of New Public Management ideas to non-western contexts. Public policy and management students and practitioners will also find this book to be a valuable resource.
Organisations affect all aspects of human existence. They operate under immense pressure to offer their goods and services efficiently, economically and at the right time, all within the confines of the domestic and international laws which govern their trading. To meet these challenges in today's ever-changing global environment, the dealings within and between organisations need to be constantly monitored. Organisational analysis and intergovernmental relations: a South African perspective discusses how organisations work, how to conduct organisational analysis and how organisations can benefit from the advantages of intergovernmental relations in order to maximise productivity, effectiveness and profitability. Organisational analysis and intergovernmental relations: a South African perspective provides an overview of organisations, and the organisational design and structures applicable to both the private and public sectors. It equips managers with the knowledge to analyse the status of their organisations and decide what approaches to employ in responding to change (whether planned or unplanned). The book also explores how the relations between the spheres of government are affected by the shifting political environment in South Africa.
This insightful Handbook presents readers with a comprehensive range of original research within the field of Collaborative Public Management (CPM). As a central area of study and practice in public administration, the Handbook explores the most important questions facing collaboration and provides future research directions and new areas of study. Featuring expert contributions from a diverse range of scholars, this Handbook showcases the emergence of collaborative governance research and charts connections among the multiple arenas of CPM; including public/private partnerships, emergency management and climate change management. Chapters cover the fundamental practices and limitations of CPM as well as future possibilities. Reflecting on leading theories and research, the Handbook argues that CPM is both an evolving field, as well as a varied and maturing one that is worthy of continued exploration. The Handbook will be a valuable resource to scholars and graduate students in subjects such as public administration and public policy, who are interested in examining current research and approaches within the field. The examination of collaborative initiatives will also be beneficial to administrative leaders in public services who want to understand how to lead and manage more dynamic arrangements.
This timely book questions the premise that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have a performance advantage over traditionally procured projects, an assumption that motivates policymakers worldwide to enter into such contracts. Taking stock of novel research comparing the differences in performance between PPP and traditionally procured infrastructure projects and services, the chapters in this book thoughtfully scrutinise this supposed advantage. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the book advances the evidence base on the performance advantage of PPPs. Insightful contributions from renowned scholars undertake an in-depth investigation of three key performance dimensions: cost, time, and service quality. Broad in scope, studies span countries in Asia, Europe, and South America, as well as a diverse range of policy sectors, including transport, healthcare, road safety, education, and sporting facilities. This comprehensive assessment produces several conclusions, but ultimately determines that evidence for a cost performance advantage remains mixed, while PPPs are proven to clearly outperform traditional alternatives in terms of time and service quality. Empirical in focus and spanning multiple policy sectors, this incisive book will be an invaluable resource not only for PPP scholars, but also for researchers and practitioners involved in public administration, public management and policy, and infrastructure planning and delivery worldwide.
A holistic and extensive exploration of both the dynamic and incremental changes in EU public policy and the decision processes surrounding them, this Elgar Encyclopedia is the definitive reference work in the field of EU public policy. Unifying theoretical insights with empirical phenomena, this pioneering Encyclopedia begins by engaging with the multi-level structure of the EU's polity and identifies how this affects public policy, considering the role of various non-state actors in EU policymaking, and the concepts of Europeanization and policy diffusion. Offering a theoretical introduction to policy integration, it examines intergovernmentalism, neofunctionalism, and postfunctionalism, alongside an innovative analysis of policy styles and the effects of recent crises on EU public policy, including COVID-19 and populism. Chapters conclude by reflecting on policy implementation and dynamics, and the impact of feedback on public policies and institutions. Ultimately demonstrating that the study of public policy in the EU has produced a set of EU-specific analytical perspectives, this timely book will guide further research avenues into EU public policy for students and scholars interested in (EU) public policy, public administration and comparative politics, alongside informing the decision-making of policymakers globally. Key Features: Accessible format split into 9 thematic parts Fully cross-referenced with select bibliographies for further reading Entries written by an international and interdisciplinary group of over 90 preeminent experts in the field of public policy
This comprehensive textbook explores the policy process from a multitude of perspectives, including rationalism, culturalism, institutionalism and from a political point of view. This allows students to discover key concepts from the policy science literature and gain a deeper understanding of how public policy is discussed academically and shaped empirically. Public Policy in Action gives a detailed breakdown of all stages of the policy process by discussing the emergence of policy problems affecting the agenda, the formulation of policy alternatives, the decision-making process, the implementation of policies and the progression to evaluation, learning and policy change. The authors also outline the sets of factors which influence the steps of the policy process internally and externally. The book is supported by a wide variety of case studies from a number of national and international contexts of relevance to an international audience. Key features include: Up-to-date review of the literature on the policy process Coverage on all key elements of the policy cycle Insight into the complexity of policy making in practice Multiple perspectives of the policy process Critical reflections on the roles of policy analysts Multiple case studies including water management, migration and social policies. This extensive and detailed textbook will be an invaluable resource for undergraduate and masters students of public policy, policy analysis and public administration, by providing an insight into the complexity of policy making in the real world.
The thoroughly revised and updated Handbook on Theories of Governance brings together leading scholars in the field to summarise and assess the diversity of governance theories. The Handbook advances a deeper theoretical understanding of governance processes, illuminating the interdisciplinary foundations of the field. Chapters review key concepts and ideas that form the backbone of modern governance studies, offering vital insights into how this contributes to the development of social science research. The comprehensively updated second edition provides new insights on governance in the contemporary political landscape of global authoritarian populism, emergent progressive movements and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Delivering a foundational conceptual toolkit for research, this Handbook reveals the diversity of contemporary governing practices as changing political dynamics lay the groundwork for the next generation of theories of governance. Sketching a comprehensive map for governance research, this Handbook is a crucial resource for scholars and researchers of governance, as well as those in political science, public policy and public management in need of a solid understanding of core governance theories. It also offers policymakers and practitioners an agenda for navigating the future of governance in a rapidly changing global political order.
This Handbook comprehensively explores research methods in public administration, management and policy. Exploring the richness of both traditional and contemporary methods and strategies for making progress in the field, it provides an advanced toolkit for understanding the science of public administration and management in the 21st century. Bringing together leading international academics and experts, contributors focus on innovative research architectures, useful research techniques and best practices for the study of modern bureaucracy and the behaviour of its agents and stakeholders. Chapters look for new frontiers of the discipline with quantitative and qualitative tools and explore empirical studies to support theoretical insights. Each chapter of the Handbook provides specific examples of how these methods are used, enabling a practical understanding of a variety of intellectual paths and techniques for improving the study of modern governance. Comprehensive and enlightening, this Handbook will be essential for academics of public policy and administration looking to enhance their research methods, as well as students learning the basics of research in this field. It will also benefit government experts, civil servants and policymakers who need to better understand how the public sector can benefit from public administration methodologies.
This ground-breaking Handbook on Gender and Public Administration brings together leading experts in a rapidly growing field of study to explore the emerging contexts of gender and public administration. Capturing the many facets of this dynamic trend, the book explores gender equity and further examines masculinity, intersectionality and beyond binary conceptions of gender. Chapters written by expert contributors provide an in-depth analysis of the history, theory and context of gender equity alongside the intersection of gender and traditional public administration topics such as budgeting, personnel, organizations, ethics, performance and representative democracy. Furthermore, it investigates gender dynamics in international, governmental, non-profit, policy and academic contexts, highlights the progress made, and identifies the ongoing challenges. This timely Handbook will be an excellent resource for scholars in public administration who wish to explore gender and the broader questions of social equity, as well as scholars new to the field of public administration and gender. Following a growing movement to incorporate gender into public administration curriculum, this book will also prove a useful guide for faculty providing these courses.
Truth and power have a difficult relationship. Decision makers are often required to make judgements that depend upon specialized knowledge and thus reluctantly surrender power. They are apt to reject advice inconsistent with their perceived interests, experiences and cognitive capacities. Speaking Truth to Power aims to guide the reader through the tangled relationship between truth and power, manifesting as the interplay between experts and decision-makers in society. Through a combination of careful observation and original analysis, the authors draw out the incentives and tensions that drive the relationship between these actors. They review some of the history of expertise, consider the values of experts and decision-makers, and analyze what has succeeded and what has failed as truth and power have worked together and against one another, primarily in the U.S. but also drawing on international examples. Policymaking professionals, academic experts interested in evidence-based policymaking and graduate and undergraduate students in public policy, government, or political science will value this assessment of truth and power.
What is the point of introducing and executing a policy, programme or project in the lifecycle of an organisation if no forethought has been given to how the success, failure or progressof the exercise will be periodically examined? Both private and public sector organisations need to be responsive to the expectations of their internal and external stakeholders to demonstrate that their performance not only yields the desired results in terms of the "bottom line" but also that those results have integrity, i.e. what was planned is reflected in their processes and in what was eventually achieved. Monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects examines the key concepts and practices involved in performance tracking and evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects has drawn from the diverse experiences and expertise of the authors as well as from practical insights gained from practitioners and teaching students at various training courses, nationally and internationally. The balance between theory and practice makes it easy to understand and apply in the workplace, for the achievement of improved results. In this second edition, chapters have been expanded and re-focused to address emerging trends, and new chapters have been added to address institutionalising monitoring and evaluation to make it more participatory. Monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects remains both a conceptual text and an academic resource for university students, particularly those in management and public administration, as well as a reference work for practitioners and decision-makers in public and private sector organisations.
This comprehensive Encyclopedia is an essential reference text for students, scholars and practitioners in public management. Offering a broad and inter-cultural perspective on public management as a field of practice and science, it covers all the most relevant and contemporary terms and concepts. Organised into six thematic sections for ease of reference, the Encyclopedia comprises 78 entries written by nearly 100 leading international scholars. Entries provide a concise and accessible overview of key ideas as well as highlighting current issues and emerging areas of study. This Encyclopedia will be an important resource for students and scholars of public management as a starting point for research. It will also be useful for practitioners looking for a deeper understanding in their everyday work, as well as explanations of terms used by consultants and scholars. Key Features: Over 70 entries Accessible explanations of key concepts Cross-referenced to facilitate further reading Organised into thematic sections for ease of reference
Megaprojects for Megacities is a collection of 14 international case studies of transportation, urban development, and environmental megaprojects completed during the last ten years in North America, Asia and Europe. It goes beyond the previous megaproject literature to look at how and why each project was conceived, planned, engineered, financed, and delivered, and how particular planning and delivery practices shaped successful and unsuccessful outcomes. With individual chapters on high-speed rail, urban metro systems, bus rapid transit, roadway tunnels and bridges, new and improved airports, waterfront redevelopment projects, new towns, urban parks and renewable energy projects, this book is unparalleled in its coverage, depth and takeaways for practice. It incorporates current examples from across the world, including North America, Asia, the UK, and Europe. This collection of case studies is presented in an approachable way that will prove valuable to academics, researchers and students as well as practicing professionals, financiers and senior government officials interested in infrastructure planning, financing, project management and delivery. |
You may like...
Saving South Africa - Lessons From The…
Chris Pappas, Sandile Mnikathi
Paperback
Public Administration & Management in…
Christopher Thornhill, Isioma Ile, …
Paperback
(2)
Social Norms, Gender and Collective…
Indranil De, Shyam Singh, …
Hardcover
R1,852
Discovery Miles 18 520
South African municipal government and…
C. Thornhill, J. Cloete
Paperback
Handbook of Public Policy and Public…
Xiaowei Zang, Hon S. Chan
Hardcover
R6,454
Discovery Miles 64 540
Public-Private Collaborations for…
Veronica Vecchi, Francesca Casalini, …
Hardcover
R1,983
Discovery Miles 19 830
|