Governments worldwide struggle to remove policy deadlocks and enact much-needed reforms in organizational structure and public services. In this book, Jacob Torfing explores collaborative innovation as a way for public and private stakeholders to break the impasse. These network-based collaborations promise to multiply the skills, ideas, energy, and resources between government and its partners across agency boundaries and in the nonprofit and private sectors. Torfing draws on his own pioneering work in Europe as well as examples from the United States and Australia to construct a cross-disciplinary framework for studying collaborative innovation. His analysis explores its complex and interactive processes as he looks at how drivers and barriers may enhance or impede the collaborative approach. He also reflects on the roles institutional design, public management, and governance reform play in spurring collaboration for public sector innovation. The result is a theoretically and empirically informed book that carefully demonstrates how multi-actor collaboration can enhance public innovation in the face of fiscal constraint, the proliferation of wicked problems, and the presence of unsatisfied social needs.

As the study of public administration becomes more theoretically aware, researchers need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical perspectives. This volume examines seven theoretical perspectives of public budgeting: incrementalism, the budget process model, the organizational process model, the median voter model, the 'greedy bureaucrat' model, a post-modern model, and the transaction cost model. Major research from each perspective is examined and critically reviewed. The development of each model is examined in detail, its strengths and weaknesses identified, and the potential for future research discussed, allowing the reader to understand the place of the model and its applicability to their own research. This volume will be a vital resource for researchers in public budgeting, public finance, public administration, and political science.

In building resilience to face the complexities of the twenty-first century, seven critical essays explore the governance challenges facing companies and governments. The book examines alternate models of societal governance, the information concerns of the electorate, redesign of citizen participation, interrelationship between enterprise and state, payment considerations for essential public services, travel towards oligarchic style government and why the role of Minister of State requires re-examination. This collection offers a unique overview of the governance of citizenship, enterprise and government.

Public education is suffering attacks that are well funded and extraordinarily complex and multifaceted. These conditions make it difficult for educators and citizens to gather the information they need to mount meaningful resistance, especially since mainstream media tends to be uncritically supportive of neoliberal reforms. The Orwellian language of reforms is adopted and promoted through news outlets, politicians, and film; thus, arguments against these reforms must bubble up through social media and alternative outlets. By providing a coherent, comprehensive description of contemporary neoliberal initiatives and analyzing their effects on students, teachers, administrators, and teacher education, this book will allow educators, parents, students, and citizens to strengthen their resolve to save public education and, potentially, work to preserve the promise of democracy. This book examines and uncovers the effects of standardization and privatization on public education. Contributors consider the how of standardized curriculum and assessment, coupled with philanthropic and corporate pressure, have influenced the experiences of students, parents, and teachers. Divided in sections entitled Testing, Testing; Privatization and Militarization: Redefining Schools; Alienation: Displacing Students and Teachers; and Resistance: Opting Out and Hope for Change, this text offers a combination of information and inspiration for teachers, teacher educators, policymakers, parents and anyone interested in understanding the current state of public education.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th IFIP WG 5.5 Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises, PRO-VE 2014, held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in October 2014. The 73 revised papers were carefully selected from 190 submissions. They provide a comprehensive overview of identified challenges and recent advances in various collaborative network (CN) domains and their applications, with a particular focus on the following areas in support of smart networked environments: behavior and coordination; product-service systems; service orientation in collaborative networks; engineering and implementation of collaborative networks; cyber-physical systems; business strategies alignment; innovation networks; sustainability and trust; reference and conceptual models; collaboration platforms; virtual reality and simulation; interoperability and integration; performance management frameworks; performance management systems; risk analysis; optimization in collaborative networks; knowledge management in networks; health and care networks; and mobility and logistics.

This book brings together a selection of June Pallot's most significant work. Written from a country (New Zealand) that led the world in many aspects of its financial management reforms, this work provides thoughtful comment on matters that remain of crucial importance today, especially the constitutional need to carefully monitor and respond to the reform initiatives and motives of executive government. Revisiting accounting issues and developments in the public sector, and reminding readers that the fundamental purpose of government accounting is different from that for the business sector, this book provides a timely reminder of the need for caution when considering the application in the public sector of accounting techniques devised for business purposes. June Pallot's legacy challenges accountants in the public sector to find better ways of addressing "collective decision-making under new governance approaches," proposes ways forward and offers suggestions for future research. This book, prepared by her colleague Susan Newberry, is a tribute to June's work.

This book is a translation and celebration of Slovenian politician France Bucar's seminal work. Divided into two parts, the book first contains several studies of Bucar's arguments. As Bucar applied his system theory to a variety of issues, so too the conglomerate of scholars and issues critically assessed is interdisciplinary, ranging from political science and economics, to law and philosophy, as well as to natural sciences. The contributors and the questions of their essays in the edited volume are as follows. Peter Verovsek (University of Sheffield) examines different branches of Critical Theory and classifies Bucar within them. Mark Hamilton (Inter-American Defense College) discusses system dynamics of Bucar's system theory. Urska Velikonja (Georgetown University) applies Bucar's system theory to the question of the ethics, rules, and regulations in financial economics. Finally, Matej Drev (Georgia Institute of Technology) connects Bucar to the issue of artificial intelligence and inequality. The second part is the English translation of Bucar's book At A New Crossroads, which addresses the role of ethics in society. Bucar normatively redefines national identity as the crux of his novel understanding of ethics. Using system theory, he addresses the problems of globalization and governance, presenting a post-modern synthesis of the logic of free flow of capital and global citizenship, with national and cultural identity. Speaking to contemporary society, he shows how society and ethical life are reproduced. Bucar provides the reader with new tools to think about national identity and global politics. Bringing an important work on ethics, government, and identity to an entirely new readership, this book will appeal to a broad academic audience, namely students and practitioners in the fields of economics, social sciences, and humanities.

Analyses the impact of the managerial reforms of the European Commission. In 1999 the resignation of the College of Commissioners triggered the implementation of a White Paper which listed 98 measures to overhaul the way the Commission did business. Ten years later what impact have the reforms had on the European Commission and European governance?

This book explores new forms of private, mutual municipal, public-private and "reverse" state funding of public investments, co-payments and shared contributions, vouchers, and pooled public risk-financing. It includes case studies taken from the Nordic countries, UK, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey and South Korea.

The study of urban governance provides a valuable insight into economic, social, and political forces and how they shape city life. But who and what are the real drivers of change? This innovative text casts new light on the issues and re-examines the state of urban governance at the start of the twenty-first century. Jon Pierre analyses four models of urban governance: 'management', 'corporatist', 'pro-growth' and 'welfare'. Each is assessed in terms of its implications for the major issues, interests and challenges in the contemporary urban arena. Distinctively, Pierre argues that institutions - and the values which underpin them - are the driving forces of change. The book also assesses the impact of globalization upon urban governance. The long-standing debate on the decline of urban governance is re-examined and reformulated by Pierre, who applies a wider international approach to the issues. He argues that the changing cast of private and public actors, combined with new forms of political participation, have resulted in a transformation - rather than a decline - of contemporary urban governance.

Governments across the world have recognised the potential of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to bring about fundamental renewal in not only government and public sector processes, but also their relationship with civil societal groups, the private sector, citizens, and various other actors. ICT provides enormous opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness in all kinds of policy sectors, and promises a real dialogue between policy makers and the public. This second edition of the prescient and influential work first published in 2001 includes updated texts of several chapters from the earlier edition as well as various chapters, among them a number of country reports written for the e-government session of the of the 17th World Congress of Comparative Law. In addition to visions of the concept of electronic government, it provides examples of already active electronic governance by including various chapters on developments in the United States (both federal and state), the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and the Netherlands. It draws valuable lessons (cross-national, between policy sectors and across administrations) from the design of electronic government and from evaluations of electronic government in practice. Aspects of e-government covered in the second edition include the following: government initiatives such as e-publication, online filing (including e-procurement and courts e-filing); 'e-democracy' features such as e-voting, e-participation, e-consultation and e-petitioning; benefits of government use of such expanding technologies as global positioning systems, smartcards, and biometrics; benefits to citizens services such as social security and services in the health care sector; applications to the judicial system and law enforcement; differences between developments and policy initiatives in various countries; and, obstacles and dilemmas touching upon security, surveillance, identity fraud, liability, intellectual property, free access, national security, equality, and privacy. Especially in its close attention to the interaction between legal, practical, public administration and ethical obstacles and dilemmas, "Designing E- Government, Second Edition" is of enormous value to practitioners, officials, and policymakers concerned with the legal implications related to the design and implementation of e-government, and with the present and future challenges of this endeavour.

"Offices in Brussels representing the interests of regional actors in the EU have carved out a niche position within Europe's expanding multi-level political system. They are now the most visible indicators of the growing role played by EU regions. How can we understand their contribution to EU governance? What do they deliver to Europe's regions? This book covers these issues"--

This book is a valuable resource for the increasing body of researchers and practitioners in the field of geospatial technologies. Written by leading researchers and experts it is designed in such a way that technical achievements and challenges of geospatial computing applications are followed by various applications developed for society. As such, they serve as a bridge between technologists and solution developers, which is critical in the context of developing countries. There have been significant advances in geospatial technologies in India in the last decade, including advances in spatial data infrastructures, geocomputation and spatial databases, and innovative applications in natural resource development. Ranging from LIDAR standards, to data integration using ontologies, and mobile computing, such progress enhances the utility of the technology for both urban and rural development. This book discusses these achievements and considers the way forward.

Practicing E-Government: A Global Perspective presents a variety of chapters covering many of the important topics in e-government, and is intended to elicit comments, raise concerns and open dialogue as e-government programs for mainstream society are continually implemented. This book also responds to e-government's present shortcomings, while exploring a renewed understanding of e-government's visions and responsiveness. In Practicing E-Government: A Global Perspective, professionals collaborate and share best practices in an effort to take the basic concept of digital government and continue to enhance the frameworks that encourage innovation and adoption, moving e-government toward its goal of easy access for the masses. This valuable collection of contributions in this vital emerging technology area is instrumental in broadening our understanding of e-government technologies and potential.

Walter A. Rosenbaum's classic Environmental Politics and Policy, Twelfth Edition, provides definitive coverage of environmental politics and policy, lively case material, and a balanced assessment of current environmental issues. The newly streamlined first half of the book sets needed context and describes the policy process, while the second half covers specific environmental issues such as air and water, toxic and hazardous substances, energy, and global policymaking on issues like climate change and trans-boundary politics. The Twelfth Edition includes updated case studies and a look at the transition in environmental policies between the Trump and Biden administrations, offering students a current and relevant look at the continuing challenge of reconciling sound science with practical politics.

E-government research has flourished as a way of disseminating information and providing services to citizens ever since the popularization of the Internet. Although there have been tremendous advancements in the world of e-government, critical evaluations on the effectiveness of such methods have yet to be determined. Citizens and E-Government: Evaluating Policy and Management examines the role that citizens play in the development of electronic government or e-government, specifically focusing on the impact of e-government and citizens while exploring issues of policy and management. This book not only focuses on the adoption of e-government and its impact on citizens, but it also discusses the effectiveness of this technology as a way of improving citizen access and engagement with their government. Overall, this book is essential for those interested in the importance of citizens in information technology adoption and development of electronic government.

The International Directory of Government is the definitive guide to people in power in every part of the world. All the top decision-makers are included in this one-volume publication, which brings together government institutions, agencies and personnel from the largest nations (China, India, Russia, etc.) to the smallest overseas dependencies (Guadeloupe, Guernsey and Christmas Island, etc). Institutional entries contain the names and titles of principal officials, postal, e-mail and internet addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and other relevant details. Key features: - comprehensive lists of government ministers and ministries - coverage of state-related agencies and other institutions arranged by subject heading - details of important state, provincial and regional administrations, including information on US states, Russian republics, and the states and territories of India.

Expectations about the contribution that volunteering can make are at a new high. This book aims to meet this interest by bringing together in one volume what is known about the phenomenon of volunteering; the principles and practice of involving volunteers; and the enduring challenges for volunteering in todays world.

As places face increased competition for human and capital resources, public managers turn toward corporate-like governance strategies and branding practices to shape places and organizations. However, for better or worse, these organizations begin to resemble highly competitive, private-sector public relations and marketing firms. Place branding is taking hold within many organizations, including city governments, yet very few scholars take a public administration approach when exploring the causes and effects of branding practices. In Place Branding through Phases of the Image, Zavattaro explains how city promotional strategies can take the place of corporate governance structures through phases of the image. She examines how city government entities are undertaking place branding practices, with the realization that relying too much on image rather than a balance between image and substance has serious implications for democratic, collaborative governance. This book creates a workable framework that simultaneously serves as a cautionary tale for building a promotional campaign focused exclusively on image.

A systematic and engaging new text that analyses accountability and transparency in contemporary public services, and examines how open government can be both a challenge and an aid to more effective public management. This text is an ideal guide for both practical and conceptual understanding of the possibilities of open government.

Based on a survey of more than 6,700 top civil servants in 17 European countries, this book explores the impacts of New Public Management (NPM)-style reforms in Europe from a uniquely comparative perspective. It examines and analyses empirical findings regarding the dynamics, major trends and tools of administrative reforms, with special focus on the diversity of top executives' perceptions about the effects of those reforms. Resulting from research funded by the European Commission, this book is an ambitious, comprehensive portrait of public administration in the central European bureaucracies after more than three decades of NPM reforms and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The chapters present extensive data on single countries but invaluably take a comparative approach, presenting a broad, explorational perspective. Public Administration Reforms in Europe is an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners and students in a variety of social science areas, especially public administration, public policy and public management. Contributors include: J. M. Alonso, R. Andrews, P. Bezes, R. Boyle, M.E. Cardim, J. Clifton, D. Diaz-Fuentes, J. Downe, N. Ejersbo, F. Ferre, D. Galli, C. Greve, V. Guarneros-Meza, G. Hajnal, G. Hammerschmid, K. Huxley, G. Jeannot, S. Jilke, P. Laegreid, S. Leixnering, F. Longo, R.E. Meyer, L. Mota, V. Nakrosis, S.A. OEberg, E. Ongaro, A. Oprisor, L. Pereira, T. Randma-Liiv, R. Rauleckas, L.H. Rykkja, K. Sarapuu, L. Sarkute , R. Savi, A. Schikowitz, R. Snapstiene, T. Steen, V. Stimac, S. Van de Walle, J. van der Voet, T. Virtanen, U. Weske, H. Wockelberg

Instead of private gain or corporate profits, what if we set public values as the goal of leadership? Leadership means many things and takes many forms. But most studies of the topic give little attention to why people lead or to where they are leading us. In Public Values Leadership, Barry Bozeman and Michael M. Crow explore leadership that serves public values-that is to say, values that are focused on the collective good and fundamental rights rather than profit, organizational benefit, or personal gain. While nearly everyone agrees on core public values, there is less agreement on how to obtain them, especially during this era of increased social and political fragmentation. How does public values leadership differ from other types of organizational leadership, and what distinctive skills does it require? Drawing on their extensive experience as higher education leaders, Bozeman and Crow wrestle with the question of how to best attain universally agreed-upon public values like freedom, opportunity, health, and security. They present conversations and interviews with ten well-known leaders-people who have achieved public values objectives and who are willing to discuss their leadership styles in detail. They also offer a series of in-depth case studies of public values leadership and accomplishment. Public values leadership can only succeed if it includes a commitment to pragmatism, a deep skepticism about government versus market stereotypes, and a genuine belief in the fundamental importance of partnerships and alliances. Arguing for a "mutable leadership," they suggest that different people are leaders at different times and that ideas about natural leaders or all-purpose leaders are off the mark. Motivating readers, including students of public policy administration and practitioners in public and nonprofit organizations, to think systematically about their own values and how these can be translated into effective leadership, Public Values Leadership is highly personal and persuasive.