Public Administration Literature Research Articles

Modelos organizacionais e reformas da administração pública

Este artigo foi elaborado a partir de uma pesquisa bibliográfica em livros e artigos científicos clássicos ou recentemente publicados na literatura de administração pública na Europa e nos Estados Unidos, e faz uma comparação dos quatro modelos organizacionais e relacionais que vêm inspirando o desenho das estruturas e processos nas recentes reformas da administração pública. Os modelos analisados são o burocrático, a administração pública gerencial, o governo empreendedor e a governança pública. Recentemente, reformas administrativas vêm pregando a substituição progressiva do modelo burocrático weberiano por novos modelos de gestão e de relação do Estado com a sociedade. Este artigo mostra que os novos modelos compartilham características essenciais com o modelo tradicional burocrático e, portanto, não são modelos de ruptura. Também é argumentado que reformas da administração pública transformam-se facilmente em políticas simbólicas, e que políticos e burocratas tentam manipular a percepção do público em relação ao desempenho dos governos. Não são raros os esforços de reforma da administração pública que avançam mais em autopromoção e retórica do que em fatos concretos. Por último, são feitas sugestões para uma agenda de pesquisa àqueles interessados em temas de reformas da administração pública.

The student as co‐producer: learning from public administration about the student–university relationship

The dominant metaphor/model used to characterise the relationship of the student to the university, that is, the ‘student as consumer’, is partial and not appropriate to the realities of contemporary higher education. This article suggests that co‐production, a concept drawn from the public administration literature, offers a more appropriate metaphor. In this metaphor, the student, lecturers and others who support the learning process are viewed as being engaged in a cooperative enterprise focused on the production, dissemination and application of knowledge, and on the development of learners rather than merely skilled technicians.

Public and private sector entrepreneurship: similarities, differences or a combination?

PurposeWhile the term “entrepreneurship” is not exclusively a private sector phenomenon, it is usually associated with private sector business activity and more specifically with small to medium enterprises. However, over the last two decades it has appeared in the public administration literature with increasing frequency. The recent research in public sector entrepreneurial activity makes an exploratory comparative analysis of the key components that are applicable from private sector entrepreneurship timely as the topic is emerging as an area of academic inquiry and research. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of private and public sector entrepreneurship using an analytical model from private and public sector entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachA clear understanding of the research issues involved requires an appreciation of the nexus between private sector entrepreneurship and the more limited research field of public sector entrepreneurship. The paper identifies and examines the historical and evolutionary research on entrepreneurship as a basis for analysis of public and private sector entrepreneurship.FindingsThe paper provides a comprehensive analysis that highlights key similarities, differences or a combination between public and private sector entrepreneurship and develops an existing model and framework for a systematic approach to the public sector entrepreneurial process.Originality/ valueBased on this exploration, new insights about public sector entrepreneurship are developed, practical implications for public sector entrepreneurs on how to approach public sector entrepreneurship more systematically and effectively are presented and opportunities for further research are identified.

The Effects of Administrative Professionals on Contracting Out

An often‐debated subject in the public administration literature concerns why some units contract out more than others. The present article decomposes the influence of public employees on municipal contracting as different types of employees have different skills and incentives and must be treated accordingly. First, the analysis shows that the apparent negative relationship between public employees in general and municipal contracting is partly reflecting the fact that the number of public employees is endogenous to contracting. Second, we suggest that administrative professionals and not bureaucrats in general have a positive impact on contracting. This is because administrative professional skills are vital for carrying out a tender and because contracting is essentially a part of administrative professionals' bureau‐shaping interests. Finally, we find support for two often‐discussed claims in the literature, namely, the influence of prosperity and ideology.

Discerning The Motivational Basis For Trade Unionism In Public And Private Sectors Of Business: An Imperative For Institutionalizing Industrial Peace And Progress

Even though the motives for managing public and private businesses are very clear to the actors of industrial relations; those of their respective unions seem to oscillate between improving only members' welfare and facilitating socio-economic policies that can ameliorate the plight of the common man in various societies. Hence the ambiguity surrounding the motivational orientations of unions in the public and private sectors makes it difficult to predict the nature of labour relations that ensues when government owned enterprises are privatized. However, given the fact that the public administration literature has established that those who choose to work in the public sector should be altruistically motivated towards serving members of society, while those who select the private sector are motivated by their own selfish interests; unions in the public sector ought to function as uplift unions, while their counterparts in the private sector should have inclinations towards a business orientation to trade unionism that aligns with the ethos of capitalism. This article therefore sets out to create the conditions under which public and private unions can function in these ways. It is believed that for the purpose of institutionalizing industrial peace and progress in today's mixed economies, governments must enact labour laws that reflect the rationale for trade unionism in the two different sectors. This would help induce a self functioning motivational system of labour relations that minimizes the incidence of industrial conflicts; which in turn would give some credence to the unitary frame of reference of industrial relations that assumes that employment relationships are conflict free. IFE PsychologIA Vol. 16 (2) 2008: pp. 47-61

Employment Equity and Institutional Commitments to Diversity: Disciplinary Perspectives from Public Administration and Public Affairs Education

Are racism and discrimination forgotten issues in public administration research on the promotion of diversity in graduate education and faculty employment? Studies touching on diversity and employment equity usually address subjects such as education and training—the competencies needed by professional administrators, for example—as well as best practices in diversity management, persistent problems such as the lack of racial or gender diversity in upper management positions in public sector agencies, and the enduring challenges of minority recruitment and retention in public administration programs. The subjects of racism and discrimination as such—or of underlying factors generally—are seldom addressed centrally. Consequently, questions such as the following arise: What role might racism play in academic as well as public sector employment? What about other lines of causation impacting discrimination? How do individual, group, and institutional predispositions and actions affect employment equity? How have such questions been addressed in the public administration literature? In other research and research applications in the social, behavioral, and management sciences? And, finally, what can be learned from successful and failed diversity-promotion practices among academic programs?A significant body of empirical research is uncovering patterns of action that have the intended or unintended effect of excluding candidates of color from recruitment pools, interview short-lists, and faculty hiring and advancement opportunities. This essay reviews and analyzes some of this literature, particularly as it relates to public affairs education. On that basis, it suggests the following: (1) new directions for diversity-related research, (2) changes in the articulation of diversity commitments, particularly by public administration departments and programs, and (3) ways to successfully realize those institutional commitments (assuming that they are more than rhetorical), pointing to research that specifiesproven practices.

The Scientific Study of Public Administration: A Short Essay on the State of the Field

This essay examines the development of a substantial social science data base in support of two major fields in public administration-public management and the interface of bureaucracy and democracy. Within public management several long term research projects involving government performance, public versus private sector organizations, network management, and managerial strategy have made great progress in creating a unique public administration literature. In terms of the bureaucracy and democracy question, the essay argues that the work done in public administration can correct the limitations of work done in political science and other social sciences.

E-Government and Anti-Corruption: Empirical Analysis of International Data

Case studies demonstrate that e-government is an effective tool to reduce corruption by promoting good governance and strengthening reform-oriented actors. Specifically, e-government can reduce corrupt behaviors externally by enhancing relationships with citizens and internally by more effectively controlling and monitoring employees' behaviors. This study examines the impact of e-government on corruption using national level data. The impacts of other traditional factors—bureaucratic professionalism, bureaucratic quality, and law enforcement—proposed by the public administration literature are also examined. Statistical analysis reveals that e-government has a consistently positive impact on reducing corruption, as do the traditional anti-corruption factors.

Beyond Dichotomy: Dwight Waldo and the Intertwined Politics–Administration Relationship

Dwight Waldo’s conception of the politics–administration question might be better understood as a “relationship” that contains elements of separation and intermixture rather than a “dichotomy,” according to this author‐commentator.To suggest that Waldo came to support the dichotomy presumes agreement about the meaning of the concept that is missing in Waldo’s writings and in the public administration literature.

The Politics–Administration Dichotomy: An Empirical Search for Correspondence between Theory and Practice

The politics–administration dichotomy has been one of the most disputed theories of public administration. Despite serious critiques, neither the theoretical utility nor the normative power of the dichotomy has totally disappeared over the past decades. The dichotomy has been advocated on the grounds that the dichotomous division of labor and authority between elected and administrative officials increases the democratic accountability and planning ability of public administrators. This article first builds a theoretical model of the politics–administration dichotomy and then evaluates the model using empirical data collected from a nationwide sample of city managers serving in council‐manager local governments. Results of structural equation modeling illustrate that the politics–administration dichotomy fails to obtain its predicted tendencies in actuality. The authors interpret the findings in light of the contemporary public administration literature. The article aims to make a theoretical‐empirical contribution to one of the most challenging questions in public administration.

RESTRUCTURING WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY: COMPARING MANAGERIAL REFORMS IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES

In much of the international public administration literature, New Public Management (NPM) already appears to be bogged down in a quagmire of critical revisions and assessments. Although some criticisms are well founded, there can be no doubt that NPM represents a trend which has considerably affected public‐sector decision‐making worldwide. This article takes the examples of the Southern European bureaucracies, where NPM‐inspired reforms were introduced later than in the English‐speaking world, but have nevertheless played a decisive role in the political agenda of both socialist and conservative governments. The paper presents the results of a comparative study of administrative reforms in five European countries as well as the USA during the 1980s and 1990s. The comparison is based on three specific dimensions (central bureaucracies’ formal structure; civil service organization; administrative processes), enabling us to systematically measure and compare the progress of the various countries subsequent to the cycle of managerial reforms.

Examining Perceived Honest Performance Reporting by Public Organizations: Bureaucratic Politics and Organizational Practice

The credibility of performance information provided by government agencies to their stakeholders is critical to performance-based accountability and policy learning. However, the public administration literature has rarely paid attention to the determinants of honest performance reporting. This study draws on the multi-actor principal-agent model and examines how bureaucratic politics (external and internal) and organizational practice (participation and culture) affect an organization's performance reporting. Based on survey data from Taiwan, the results show that supportive external environments and harmonious internal environments are likely to enhance stakeholder participation and innovation culture, which, in turn, encourage honest performance reporting.

Collaborative Partnerships for Urban Development: A Study of the Vancouver Agreement

Collaborative partnerships—featuring intergovernmental and/or public–private sector cooperation—have been identified as a leading organisational expression of the ‘new urban governance’. The paper examines the Vancouver Agreement—an urban development compact between the governments of Canada, British Columbia, and the City of Vancouver. Signed in March 2000 for a five-year term, and renewed in April 2005, the Vancouver Agreement has been widely acclaimed as an example of successful collaborative working, addressed to the revitalisation of the city's Downtown Eastside. The origins of the agreement are explained in the context of an urban crisis in the Downtown Eastside, where established policies were seen to be failing. High-level political support for a new governance approach led to the adoption of an urban development partnership, and the paper sets out its structure and strategic programmes of action. Benchmarked against conditions for effective intergovernmental working posited in the public administration literature, the paper then analyses five procedural attributes of the partnership: resource sharing, leadership, community involvement, mutual learning, and horizontal accountability. Concluding observations are offered on the long-term prospects for the Vancouver Agreement.

Pessimism, Computer Failure, and Information Systems Development in the Public Sector

The majority of information systems developments are unsuccessful. The larger the development, the more likely it will be unsuccessful. Despite the persistence of this problem for decades and the expenditure of vast sums of money, computer failure has received surprisingly little attention in the public administration literature. This article outlines the problems of enthusiasm and the problems of control, as well as the overwhelming complexity, that make the failure of large developments almost inevitable. Rather than the positive view found in much of the public administration literature, the author suggests a pessimism when it comes to information systems development. Aims for information technology should be modest ones, and in many cases, the risks, uncertainties, and probability of failure mean that new investments in technology are not justified. The author argues for a public official as a recalcitrant, suspicious, and skeptical adopter of IT.

Managerial autonomy: does it matter for the performance of water utilities?

AbstractThe public administration literature asserts that autonomy is central to performance. In this article we develop a managerial autonomy index, which we apply to 22 water utilities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The 16 items that underlie our composite autonomy index display a high degree of internal consistency. This speaks for the validity of the autonomy concept. We find that the autonomy scores of the 22 utilities vary widely. We also find strong and positive associations between autonomy scores and six out of eight key performance indicators. Our results support the idea that autonomy is central to the performance of water service providers. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Public Administration and the Life Sciences

Biopolitics applies methodology from the life sciences to study human behavior and policy related to living things. Although Gulick introduced the concept to public administration more than 25 years ago, it remains nearly absent in the public administration literature. This article reintroduces the origin, concepts, and methodology of biopolitics and explores its application to public administration but also suggests that a public administration perspective would be a valuable contribution in return.

The Role of Management and Representation in Improving Performance of Disadvantaged Students: An Application of Bum Phillips's “Don Shula Rule”1

AbstractScholars and practitioners within the U.S. education system have focused considerable attention on developing new programs aimed at raising educational achievement for disadvantaged students. New programs are only one way to improve student performance, however; recent work in public administration suggests that public management and implementation practices might also have a large impact on student performance. Existing research shows that managerial networking, managerial quality, and effective personnel management can significantly improve the quality of the education received by disadvantaged students. Additional work highlights the contribution of representative bureaucracy. Because these research agendas have targeted the public administration literature rather than the education policy literature, this article seeks to bring this research back to education policy. Using data from several hundred Texas public school districts, spanning 1995 to 2002, and focusing on disadvantaged student performance (Latinos, blacks, and low‐income students), this article illustrates how both management and processes to enhance the representativeness of teaching faculty produce benefits for disadvantaged students.

Whither Fema? Hurricane Katrina and FEMA's Response to the Gulf Coast

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 placed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) directly in the public spotlight. The agency came under tremendous criticism for its response, and its director resigned shortly after the hurricane. This article identifies and develops four themes (organizational location, organizational leadership, organizational emphasis, and federalism) drawn from the general literature in public administration and emergency management to provide a framework with which to analyze FEMA's post-Katrina responses and to place criticisms of the agency into a broader context.

Implementation of Diversity Management Programs in Public Organizations: Lessons from Policy Implementation Research

The U.S. workforce is becoming more diverse, particularly in the public sector. As a result, a number of public-sector employers have initiated diversity management programs aimed to assist different types of employees in their needs at work. While much of the public administration literature has focused on these programs and what makes them work, it has largely ignored a cognate area of study that has much to say about the success of such programs: the policy implementation literature. This article uses policy implementation research to develop five guidelines for public managers who wish to develop a successful diversity management initiative.

Setting the Standard in Performance Measurement Systems

ABSTRACT A fundamental challenge in the design of performance measurement and incentive systems is the establishment of appropriate benchmark levels of performance, also known as performance standards. Drawing from the information economics, contract theory and public administration literatures, we derive theoretical implications for the construction of performance standards. We then assess alternative methods that are commonly used to construct performance standards and consider their application in performance measurement systems in public programs. We draw out important lessons for the establishment of performance benchmarks and other implications for performance standards system design in public organizations.