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.

While the field of public management has become increasingly international, research and policy recommendations that work for one country often do not work for another. Why, for example, is managerial networking important in the United States, moderately effective in the United Kingdom, and of little consequence in the Netherlands[unk] Comparative Public Management argues that scholars must find a better way to account for political, environmental, and organizational contexts to build a more general model of public management. The volume editors propose a framework in which context influences the types of managerial actions that can be used effectively in public organizations. After introducing the innovative framework, the book offers seven empiricalchapters-cases from seven countries and a range of policy areas (health,education, taxation, and local governance)-that show how management affects performance in different contexts. Following these empirical tests, the bookexamines themes that emerge across cases and seeks to set an agenda forfuture research. Intended for students and scholars of public administration and public policy, this book will be the first to provide a comprehensive comparative assessment of management's impact on organizational performance.

While the field of public management has become increasingly international, research and policy recommendations that work for one country often do not work for another. Why, for example, is managerial networking important in the United States, moderately effective in the United Kingdom, and of little consequence in the Netherlands? Comparative Public Management argues that scholars must find a better way to account for political, environmental, and organizational contexts to build a more general model of public management. The volume editors propose a framework in which context influences the types of managerial actions that can be used effectively in public organizations. After introducing the innovative framework, the book offers seven empirical chapters-cases from seven countries and a range of policy areas (health,education, taxation, and local governance) - that show how management affects performance in different contexts. Following these empirical tests, the book examines themes that emerge across cases and seeks to set an agenda for future research. Intended for students and scholars of public administration and public policy, this book will be the first to provide a comprehensive comparative assessment of management's impact on organizational performance.