Public administration / Public policy Books

Book SynopsisThe best-selling Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere provides a comprehensive introduction to the growing field of environmental communication. This groundbreaking book focuses on the role that human communication plays in influencing the ways we perceive the environment. Authors Phaedra C. Pezzullo and Robert Cox examine how we define what constitutes an environmental problem and how we decide what actions to take concerning the natural world. The Sixth Edition explores recent events and research, including fast fashion, global youth climate strikes, biodiversity loss, disability rights advocacy, single-use plastic ban controversies, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Table of ContentsPreface to the Sixth Edition Introduction: Speaking for/About the Environment About the Authors Part I: Communicating for/About the Environment Chapter 1: Defining Environmental Communication Studying Environmental Communication Communication, the Environment, and the Public Sphere Diverse Environmental Voices in the Public Sphere Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 2: Contested Meanings: A Brief History Turtle Island Learning to Love Nature Wilderness Preservation Versus Natural Resource Conservation Public Health and the Ecology Movement Environmental Justice: Linking Social Justice and Public Health Contemporary Movements for Sustainability and Climate Justice Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 3: Symbolic Constructions of the Environment A Rhetorical Perspective Dominant and Critical Discourses Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 4: Environmental Media and Sustainability The Environment and Popular Culture Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Approach Sustainability Discourses Corporate Sustainability Communication: Reflection or Deflection? Greenwashing Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Part II: Environmental Campaigns and Movements Chapter 5: Environmental Advocacy Campaigns Environmental Advocacy Environmental Advocacy Campaigns The Campaign to Protect Zuni Salt Lake Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 6: Digital Environmental Organizing Grassroots Activism and Digital Media Environmental NGOs and Digital Campaign Dilemmas Multimodality and Networked Campaigns Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 7: Visual and Market Advocacy Visual Rhetoric and Nature Advocacy Moving Images of Disasters Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 8: Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Movements Environmental Justice: Challenges, Critiques, and Change Honoring Frontline Knowledge and Traveling on Toxic Tours The Global Movement for Climate Justice Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Part III: Environmental Discourses and Public Spheres Chapter 9: Environmental Journalism Environmental Journalism in the Public Sphere Breaking News and Environmental Journalism Media Effects and Influences Digital Storytelling and Environmental News Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 10: Science and Climate Communication Scientific Argumentation Early Warners: Environmental Scientists and the Public Resisting (Climate) Science Communicating Climate Science Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 11: Public Health and Environmental Risk Communication Dangerous Environments: Assessment in a Risk Society Communicating Environmental Risks in the Public Sphere The Precautionary Principle Citizens Becoming Scientists Voices of Environmental Risk Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Part IV: Green Governance and Legal Spheres Chapter 12: Public Participation and Democratic Rights Rights of Public Participation Right to Know: Transparency and Access to Information Right to Comment: Involvement SLAPP: Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Growth of Public Participation Internationally Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Chapter 13: Voice and Public Dissent Right of Expression and Right of Assembly Right of Standing: Who Legally Can Speak? Landmark Cases on Environmental Standing Reversing, Slowing, or Reducing Global Warming as Injury Who Should Have a Right of Standing? Summary Suggested Resources Key Terms Discussion Questions Epilogue: Imagining Stories of/for Our Future Glossary References Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on declassified documents and extensive firsthand research, The Politics of Cocaine takes a hard look at the role the United States played in creating the drug industry that thrives in Central and South America. Author William L. Marcy contends that by conflating anti-Communist and counternarcotics policies, the United States helped establish and strengthen the drug trade as the area’s economic base. Increased militarization, destabilization of governments, uncontrollable drug trafficking, more violence, and higher death tolls resulted. Marcy explores how the counternarcotics policies of the 1970s collapsed during the 1980s when economic calamity, Andean guerrilla insurgencies, and Reagan’s anti-Communist struggle with Nicaragua and Cuba became conflated as part of the War on Drugs. The book then explores how the U.S. invasion of Panama and narcotics related violence throughout Andean region during the 1990s led to the militarization of the War on Drugs as a way to confront narcotics production, narco-traffickers, and narco-guerrillas alike. Marcy brings to the reader up to the end of the George W. Bush administration and explains why to this date the United States remains unable to control the flow of cocaine into the United States and why the War on Drugs appears to be spiraling out of control. The Politics of Cocaine fills in historical gaps and provides a new and controversial analysis of a complex and seemingly unsolvable problem.

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Book SynopsisThe Business of Government is your guide to a new breed of business planning that meshes private sector strategies with a methodology designed exclusively for the public sector. No other strategic planning guide offers this hands-on, public sector focus. The Business of Government provides guidance, tools, and real-world examples you can use right away to analyze where you stand and what specific steps are needed to take you to the "managing for results" platform that is the centerpiece of the Results Act of 1993 – and your springboard to a whole new level of performance. It explains how to initiate, manage, measure and sustain a remarkable transformation - an approach proven to produce a dramatic impact on public policy and service to the citizen. Plus, the book includes model documents ready to adapt for your own program, including an actual business plan, sample financials, and sample performance report. Learn how to define and deliver a new era of results as you: • Dramatically improve critical thinking and innovation • Develop a business strategy proven to work in government • Overcome implementation obstacles - including "old culture" • Align support organizations • Establish a senior management council • Oversee strategy implementation teams • Write annual performance reports explaining your results Profit from expert advice on applying today's best "smart government" tools, including these: 1. Strategies: Transformational leadership strategies that address change-resistance, skills gaps and other challenges. 2. Gap analysis methodology: A proven model for assessing how your organization may have drifted from mission — and how to get back on track. 3. Tactics: Specific technology, human resource, and process solutions for adjusting and invigorating your programs. Case studies: Real-world "lessons learned" to help you apply the most successful solutions

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Book SynopsisToday's Best Performance Improvement Practices Tailored to Government Performance-Oriented Management: A Practical Guide for Government Agencies will help you make a smooth transition from a management philosophy that is reactive and task-oriented to one based on a vision of accomplishment. With this practical, authoritative, and comprehensive guidebook, you'll have a tested framework and process for making the change to performance improvement. The method is based on the acclaimed Malcolm Baldrige Assessment Criteria for performance improvement, which are regarded as a national benchmark. Performance-Oriented Management will give you a solid understanding of the basics of performance improvement. With this must-have resource, you'll: • Get a detailed method to position your organization for major change • Understand the benefits of performance-oriented, rather than task-oriented, management • Learn how to determine your destination (vision) and your starting point (assessment) • Discover why top management must initiate and drive the change • Learn why assessment and strategic planning are of paramount importance — not add-on programs for an already-overloaded workforce • Find out why it's critical that planning drives the budget, rather than the budget driving planning. Develop a step-by-step, comprehensive, top-down method for implementing performance improvement

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Book SynopsisReduce risk and improve the overall performance of IT assets! Federal IT Capital Planning and Investment Control is the first book to provide a comprehensive look at the IT capital planning and investment control (CPIC) process. Written from a practitioner’s perspective, this book covers a range of topics designed to provide both strategic and operational perspectives on IT CPIC. From planning to evaluation, this valuable resource helps managers and analysts at all levels realize the full benefits of the CPIC process.•Explore the full range of IT investment principles and practices •Learn CPIC project management techniques including earned-value management, integrated baseline review, cost-benefit analysis, and risk-adjusted cost and schedule estimates•Identify strategies to improve how your organization manages its IT portfolio and selects, controls, and evaluates investments •Discover how to leverage scarce IT resources and align investments with program priorities •Benefit from the in-depth coverage—excellent for the experienced as well as those new to the CPIC process

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Book SynopsisTake the First Step Toward Building a Strong Foundation in Federal Acquisition! This book is an essential guide to understanding and working within the complex world of federal government contracting. It offers brief but comprehensive explanations of the major phases and essential tasks in the contracting process. Written in a clear and easy-to-understand style, this resource provides the perfect foundation for building a thorough understanding of federal contracting. Author Paula Compton focuses on the most problematic areas of federal contracting, highlighting the deficiencies cited most often by the Government Accountability Office and Inspector General audits and reports, such as:• Not performing market research • Inadequate independent government cost estimates • Violation of the bona fide needs rule • Insufficient statements of work • Inadequate price or cost analysis Anyone new to government acquisition will find that reading this book is the ideal first step on the path to understanding the federal acquisition process. Seasoned contract professionals will find it an excellent quick review.

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Book SynopsisYour Go-to Resource for Government Contract Source Selection! From planning to protest and all the steps in between, Understanding Government Contract Source Selection is the one reference all government acquisition professionals and contractors should keep close at hand. This valuable resource provides straightforward guidance to ensure you develop a firm foundation in government contract source selection. Government acquisition professionals can reference this book for guidance on: • Preparing the acquisition and source selection plans • Drafting evaluation criteria and proposal preparation instructions • Creating a scoring plan and rating method • Drafting the RFP and SOW • Conducting a pre-proposal conference • Preparing to receive proposals and training evaluators • Evaluating technical, management, and cost proposals • Avoiding protest Contractors can reference this book for guidance on: • Selling to the federal government • Reviewing a draft RFP and providing comments • Participating in a pre-proposal conference • Preparing a proposal that complies with RFP requirements • Developing a strategy for teaming agreements, subcontracts, and key personnel • Negotiating a contract • Getting the most out of post-award debriefings • Filing a protest PLUS! Understanding Government Contract Source Selection provides a source selection glossary, an extensive case study, and sample proposal preparation instructions in the appendices to help you navigate the federal competitive source selection process. This complete guide is an indispensable resource for anyone striving to build their knowledge of government contract source selection!

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Book SynopsisThe path to successful source selection begins with Source Selection Step by Step: A Working Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team. Whether you are new to the acquisition team or an experienced practitioner looking to sharpen your skills, this comprehensive, highly readable handbook will guide you through the entire acquisition process, from designing an effective source selection plan, to preparing the solicitation, evaluating proposals, establishing a competitive range, and documenting the source selection decision. With clarity and frankness, Charles Solloway presents government source selection in a step-by-step guide that offers readers quick access to needed information. In addition to guidance about the process, the book includes: • Techniques to streamline the process and reduce time and expense • Ways to avoid common pitfalls • Alternatives to common procedures that yield better results • Methods to involve contractors more effectively • Definitions of the key terms associated with government source selection. Make this book your first stop for quick and easy guidance on all aspects of government source selection.

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Book SynopsisThe Classic COR/COTR Reference Updated! Incorporating the most important changes to regulations affecting federal acquisition, this third edition of The COR/COTR Answer Book remains the “go to” reference for CORs, COs, and other acquisition professionals. Included in this third edition are: • Updated and expanded coverage of the policies and regulations on government property • Revised dollar thresholds that comply with the most recent changes • In-depth coverage of performance-based payments Coverage of the new FAR rules on COR certification details the elements of this new three-tiered mandatory certification program, along with the requirements on training, experience, and continuous learning.The easy-to-use question and answer format facilitates quick access to specific information. In this third edition, The COR/COTR Answer Book continues a tradition of trusted service to acquisition professionals carrying out their vital role in contract planning, formation, and administration.

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Book SynopsisStrategic planning deals with long-term goals and objectives. Performance management focusing on the performance of an organization, department, process, or employee—is what makes strategic planning work. Neither can be done without the other, but both must be adapted to the organization. This volume is designed as a reference for those involved in the day to-day challenge of performance management and measurement. Government managers will find ideas and practices that can be applied effectively in the federal environment.

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Book SynopsisLocal governments do not stand alone - they find themselves in new relationships not only with state and federal government, but often with a widening spectrum of other public and private organizations as well. The result of this re-forming of local governments calls for new collaborations and managerial responses that occur in addition to governmental and bureaucratic processes-as-usual, bringing locally generated strategies or what the authors call "jurisdiction-based management" into play. Based on an extensive study of 237 cities within five states, "Collaborative Public Management" provides an in-depth look at how city officials work with other governments and organizations to develop their city economies and what makes these collaborations work. Exploring the more complex nature of collaboration across jurisdictions, governments, and sectors, Agranoff and McGuire illustrate how public managers address complex problems through strategic partnerships, networks, contractual relationships, alliances, committees, coalitions, consortia, and councils as they function together to meet public demands through other government agencies, nonprofit associations, for-profit entities, and many other types of nongovernmental organizations. Beyond the "how" and "why", "Collaborative Public Management" identifies the importance of different managerial approaches by breaking them down into parts and sequences, and describing the many kinds of collaborative activities and processes that allow local governments to function in new ways to address the most nettlesome public challenges.Trade ReviewLocal and regional administrators will find in Collaborative Public Management a guide to the future of public management. PubliusTable of ContentsPreface 1. Collaboration at the Core 2. Managing in an Age of Collaboration 3. Models of Collaborative Management 4. Collaborative Activity and Strategy 5. Linkages in Collaborative Management 6. Policy Design and Collaborative Management 7. Jurisdiction-Based Management 8. The Future of Public Management and the Challenge of Collaboration Appendixes A. Survey Design and Administration B. Economic Characteristics of the Sample Cities References Index

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Book SynopsisThe prevailing notion that the best government is achieved through principles of management and business practices is hardly new - it echoes the early twentieth-century "gospel of efficiency" challenged by Dwight Waldo in 1948 in his path-breaking book, "The Administrative State". Asking, "Efficiency for what?", Waldo warned that public administrative efficiency must be backed by a framework of consciously held democratic values. "Revisiting Waldo's Administrative State" brings together a group of distinguished authors who critically explore public administration's big ideas and issues and question whether contemporary efforts to "reinvent government", promote privatization, and develop new public management approaches constitute a coherent political theory capable of meeting the complex challenges of governing in a democracy. Taking Waldo's book as a starting point, the authors revisit and update his key concepts and consider their applicability for today. The book follows Waldo's conceptual structure, first probing the material and ideological background of modern public administration, problems of political philosophy, and finally particular challenges inherent in contemporary administrative reform. It concludes with a look ahead to "wicked" policy problems - such as terrorism, global warming, and ecological threats - whose scope is so global and complex that they will defy any existing administrative structures and values. Calling for a return to conscious consideration of democratic accountability, fairness, justice, and transparency in government, the book's conclusion assesses the future direction of public administrative thought. This book can stand alone as a commentary on reconciling democratic values and governance today or as a companion when reading Waldo's classic volume.Trade ReviewThe book's major strength lies in its application of public administration theories to tomorrow's social problems that we, as a planetary society, have not widely discussed ... [it] advances Waldo's work into the twenty-first century and serves as an excellent graduate text in public administration theory or as a supplement in an introductory course. Political Studies ReviewTable of Contents1. Introduction: Dwight Waldo's The Administrative State David H. Rosenbloom and Howard E. McCurdy 2. The Material Background Donald F. Kettl 3. The Cultural and Ideological Background Howard E. McCurdy 4. The Criteria of Action Norma M. Riccucci 5. Who Should Rule? Patricia W. Ingraham 6. The Separation of Powers David H. Rosenbloom 7. The Thinning of Administrative Institutions Larry D. Terry 8. Competition for Human Capital John Cadigan 9. Business and Government Barbara S. Romzek 10. Institutional Values and the Future Administrative State Robert F. Durant 11. Conclusion: Additional Notes on the Present Tendencies Howard E. McCurdy and David H. Rosenbloom Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisToo often, say its critics, U.S. domestic policy is founded on ideology rather than evidence. Take "Charitable Choice": legislation enacted with the assumption that faith-based organizations can offer the best assistance to the needy at the lowest cost. The Charitable Choice provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act—buttressed by President Bush's Faith-Based Initiative of 2000—encouraged religious organizations, including congregations, to bid on government contracts to provide social services. But in neither year was data available to prove or disprove the effectiveness of such an approach. Charitable Choice at Work fills this gap with a comprehensive look at the evidence for and against faith-based initiatives. Sheila Suess Kennedy and Wolfgang Bielefeld review the movement's historical context along with legal analysis of constitutional concerns including privatization, federalism, and separation of church and state. Using both qualitative and, where possible, statistical data, the authors analyze the performance of job placement programs in three states with a representative range of religious, political, and demographic traits—Massachusetts, Indiana, and North Carolina. Throughout, they focus on measurable outcomes as they compare non-faith-based with faith-based organizations, nonprofits with for-profits, and the logistics of contracting before and after Charitable Choice. Among their findings: in states where such information is available, the composition of social service contractor pools has changed very little. Reflecting their varied political cultures, states have funded programs differently. Faith-based organizations have not been eager to seek government contracts, perhaps wary of additional legal restraints and reporting burdens. The authors conclude that faith-based organizations appear no more effective than secular organizations at government-funded social service provision, that there has been no dramatic change in the social welfare landscape since Charitable Choice, and that the constitutional concerns of its detractors may be valid. This empirical study penetrates the fog of the culture wars, moving past controversy over the role of religion in public life to offer pragmatic suggestions for policymakers and organizations who must decide how best to assist the needy.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments Part I: Setting the Stage1. Introduction and Background: A New Faith in Faith2. Asking the Right Questions Part II: What We Have Learned 3. The Implementation of Charitable Choice in the States4. The Role of Faith-Based Service Providers5. The Management of Faith-Based Service Providers6. Measuring Effectiveness7. Constitutional Concerns Part III: Summing Up8. Talking Past Each Other AppendixesA: Methodology and DataB: Survey Questions ReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisToo often, say its critics, U.S. domestic policy is founded on ideology rather than evidence. Take "Charitable Choice": legislation enacted with the assumption that faith-based organizations can offer the best assistance to the needy at the lowest cost. The Charitable Choice provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act - buttressed by President Bush's Faith-Based Initiative of 2000 - encouraged religious organizations, including congregations, to bid on government contracts to provide social services. But in neither year was data available to prove or disprove the effectiveness of such an approach. "Charitable Choice at Work" fills this gap with a comprehensive look at the evidence for and against faith-based initiatives. Sheila Suess Kennedy and Wolfgang Bielefeld review the movement's historical context along with legal analysis of constitutional concerns including privatization, federalism, and separation of church and state. Using both qualitative and, where possible, statistical data, the authors analyze the performance of job placement programs in three states with a representative range of religious, political, and demographic traits - Massachusetts, Indiana, and North Carolina. Throughout, they focus on measurable outcomes as they compare non-faith-based with faith-based organizations, nonprofits with for-profits, and the logistics of contracting before and after Charitable Choice. Among their findings: in states where such information is available, the composition of social service contractor pools has changed very little. Reflecting their varied political cultures, states have funded programs differently. Faith-based organizations have not been eager to seek government contracts, perhaps wary of additional legal restraints and reporting burdens. The authors conclude that faith-based organizations appear no more effective than secular organizations at government-funded social service provision, that there has been no dramatic change in the social welfare landscape since Charitable Choice, and that the constitutional concerns of its detractors may be valid. This empirical study penetrates the fog of the culture wars, moving past controversy over the role of religion in public life to offer pragmatic suggestions for policymakers and organizations who must decide how best to assist the needy.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments Part I: Setting the Stage1. Introduction and Background: A New Faith in Faith2. Asking the Right Questions Part II: What We Have Learned 3. The Implementation of Charitable Choice in the States4. The Role of Faith-Based Service Providers5. The Management of Faith-Based Service Providers6. Measuring Effectiveness7. Constitutional Concerns Part III: Summing Up8. Talking Past Each Other AppendixesA: Methodology and DataB: Survey Questions ReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisAlthough a frequently discussed reform, campaigns to merge a major municipality and county to form a unified government fail to win voter approval eighty per cent of the time. One cause for the low success rate may be that little systematic analysis of consolidated governments has been done. In "City-County Consolidation", Suzanne Leland and Kurt Thurmaier compare nine city-county consolidations - incorporating data from 10 years before and after each consolidation - to similar cities and counties that did not consolidate. Their groundbreaking study offers valuable insight into whether consolidation meets those promises made to voters to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these governments. The book will appeal to those with an interest in urban affairs, economic development, local government management, general public administration, and scholars of policy, political science, sociology, and geography.Trade ReviewThis volume, employing a well designed and executed comparative research design, provides the reader with the effect of city-county consolidation in promoting local governmental efficiency and economic development in nine communities. A much needed volume, it is must reading for all scholars of urban government and politics and is an ideal supplementary text to be utilized in graduate courses focusing on urban affairs. -Nelson Wikstrom, professor of political science, Virginia Commonwealth University Never before has a book taken a sample of city-county consolidations, attempted to identify control pairs for comparison, delineated the promises made in the preconsolidation campaigns, and used these promises to study the extent to which those promises were met. This book will be of interest to political scientists, experts in public administration, and students of local government. -Beth Walter Honadle, professor of political science and affiliated faculty, School of Planning, University of CincinnatiTable of ContentsPreface 1. A Research Design for Evaluating Consolidation PerformanceSuzanne M. Leland and Kurt Thurmaier 2. An Assessment of the City-County Consolidation of Nashville and Davidson County, TennesseeAnthony J. Nownes, David J. Houston, and Marc Schwerdt 3. Does Consolidation Make A Difference? A Comparative Analysis of Richmond and Virginia Beach, VirginiaNicholas J. Swartz 4. What Difference Does City-County Consolidation Make? A Historical Analysis of Jacksonville and Tampa, FloridaMilan J. Dluhy 5. City-County Consolidation: A Case Study of Carson City, NevadaAnna Lukemeyer 6. "The Urge to Merge": The Consolidation of Lexington and Fayette County, KentuckyShawn Gillen 7. From Company Town to Consolidated Government: The Western-Style Consolidation of Butte and Silver Bow County, MontanaSusan Keim and Justin Marlowe 8. The Case of Lynchburg and Moore County, Tennessee, ConsolidationDeborah A. Carroll, Kristin A. Wagers, and Mary Ellen Wiggins 9. Unification Promises and Outcomes: The Case of Athens and Clarke County, GeorgiaDan Durning and Paula Sanford 10. Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Service Delivery in Local Government: The Case of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KansasSuzanne M. Leland and Curtis Wood 11. Promises Made, Promises KeptKurt Thurmaier and Suzanne M. Leland Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisDifferent forms of city government are in widespread use across the United States. The two most common structures are the mayor-council form and the council-manager form. In many large U.S. cities, there have been passionate movements to change the structure of city governments and equally intense efforts to defend an existing structure. Charter change (or preservation) is supported to solve problems such as legislative gridlock, corruption, weak executive leadership, short-range policies, or ineffective delivery of services. Some of these cities changed their form of government through referendum while other cities chose to retain the form in use. "More than Mayor or Manager" offers in-depth case studies of fourteen large U.S. cities that have considered changing their form of government over the past two decades: St. Petersburg, Florida; Spokane, Washington; Hartford, Connecticut; Richmond, Virginia; San Diego, California; Oakland, California; Kansas City, Missouri; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Dallas, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; Topeka, Kansas; St. Louis, Missouri; and, Portland, Oregon. The case studies shed light on what these constitutional contests teach us about different forms of government-the causes that support movements for change, what the advocates of change promised, what is at stake for the nature of elected and professional leadership and the relationship between leaders, and why some referendums succeeded while others failed. This insightful volume will be of special interest to leaders and interest groups currently considering or facing efforts to change the form of government as well as scholars in the field of urban studies.Trade ReviewThis important book is a contribution to both public administration and urban politics. It sheds light on the issues of democracy in political science but also has practical advice for those who are appointed or are elected officials. -Dick Simpson, University of Illinois at ChicagoTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: Framing Constitutional Contests in Large CitiesJames H. Svara and Douglas J. Watson Part I: Change from Council-Manager to Mayor-Council Form 2. St. Petersburg: Easing into a Strong-Mayor GovernmentJ. Edwin Benton, Donald C. Menzel, and Darryl Paulson 3. Spokane: Development Debate Sparks Government DebateWendy L. Hassett 4. Hartford: Politics Trumps Professionalism.Wendy L. Hassett 5. Richmond: Implementation and Experience with Strong Mayor Form of GovernmentNelson Wikstrom 6. San Diego: Switch from Reform to RepresentativeGlen W. Sparrow 7. Oakland: The Power of Celebrity? Explaining Strong-Mayor Charter ReformMegan Mullin Part II: Rejected change from Council-Manager to Mayor-Council Form 8. Kansas City: The Evolution of Council-Manager GovernmentKimberly Nelson and Curtis Wood 9. Grand Rapids: A Lack of Enthusiasm for Change in the Council-Manager FormEric S. Zemmering 10. Dallas: The Survival of Council-Manager GovernmentKaren M. Jarrell 11. Cincinnati: Charter Conflict and ConsensusJohn T. Spence Part III: Change from Mayor-Council to Council-Manager 12. El Paso: Professionalism over Politics in the Shift to Council-Manager GovernmentLarry Terry 13. Topeka: Council-Manager Redux Finding Balance in the Politics-Administration DichotomyR. Paul Battaglio, Jr. Part IV: Rejected Change to Mayor-Council Form from Commission and Weak Mayor 14. St. Louis: Deja Vu All over Again: Charter Reform FailsRobert Cropf, Todd Swanstrom, and Scott Krummenacher 15. Portland: "Keep Portland Weird," Retaining the Commission Form of GovernmentDoug Morgan, Masami Nishishiba, and Dan Vizzini 16. Conclusion: Distinct Factors and Common Themes in Change of Form ReferendaJames H. Svara and Douglas J. Watson List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisPerformance accountability has been the dominant trend in education policy reform since the 1970s. State and federal policies set standards for what students should learn; require students to take "high-stakes" tests to measure what they have learned; and then hold students, schools, and school districts accountable for their performance. The goal of these policies is to push public school districts to ensure that all students reach a common threshold of knowledge and skills. "High-Stakes Reform" analyzes the political processes and historical context that led to the enactment of state-level education accountability policies across the country. It also situates the education accountability movement in the broader context of public administration research, emphasizing the relationships among equity, accountability, and intergovernmental relations. The book then focuses on three in-depth case studies of policy development in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Kathryn McDermott zeroes in on the most controversial and politically charged forms of state performance accountability sanctions, including graduation tests, direct state intervention in or closing of schools, and state takeovers of school districts. Public debate casts performance accountability as either a cure for the problems of US public education or a destructive mistake. Kathryn McDermott expertly navigates both sides of the debate detailing why particular policies became popular, how the assumptions behind the policies influenced the forms they took, and what practitioners and scholars can learn from the successes and failures of education accountability policies.Trade ReviewA noble effort to advance the common understanding of the variables at play in this complicated and important conversation about the future of public education. It is also not a shot at any of the players. Through a reasoned discussion of the issues, it is an attempt to help us all move forward in a positive direction, rather than one that is detrimental to all-most notably, the children. New York Journal of Books An outstanding examination of the consequences of standards-based reform... Thorough, balances, and provocative - a worthy addition to the field. ChoiceTable of Contents1. Scrutinizing Educational Performance 2. Performance-Based Accountability 3. The Evolution of Educational Accountability 4. Education Standards and Performance Accountability, 1970-2001 5. Educational Performance Accountability in Three States 6. Education Finance and Accountability in Massachusetts: "The Grand Bargain" 7. Accountability and Equity in New Jersey: "Where Home Rule Hasn't Worked, the Legislature Must Do What Home Rule Has Not Done" 8. Incrementalism and Local Control in Connecticut: "I'm Not Out Looking for Your Keys" 9. Assessing Performance Accountability in Education 10. Lessons for Performance Measurement Research and Practice References Index

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Book SynopsisFood banks—warehouses that collect and systematize surplus food—have expanded into one of the largest mechanisms to redistribute food waste. From their origins in North America in the 1960s, food banks provide food to communities in approximately one hundred countries on six continents. This book analyzes the development of food banks across the world and the limits of food charity as a means to reduce food insecurity and food waste. Based on fifteen years of in-depth fieldwork on four continents, Daniel Warshawsky illustrates how and why food banks proliferate across the globe even though their impacts may be limited. He suggests that we need to reformulate the role of food banks. The mission of food banks needs to be more realistic, as food surpluses cannot reduce food insecurity on a significant scale. Food banks need to regain their institutional independence from the state and corporations, and incorporate the knowledge and experiences of the food insecure in the daily operations of the food system. These collective changes can contribute to a future where food banks play a smaller but more targeted role in food systems.

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Book SynopsisWork and the Welfare State places street-level organizations at the analytic center of welfare-state politics, policy, and management. This volume offers a critical examination of efforts to change the welfare state to a workfare state by looking at on-the-ground issues in six countries: the US, UK, Australia, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. An international group of scholars contribute organizational studies that shed new light on old debates about policies of workfare and activation. Peeling back the political rhetoric and technical policy jargon, these studies investigate what really goes on in the name of workfare and activation policies and what that means for the poor, unemployed, and marginalized populations subject to these policies. By adopting a street-level approach to welfare state research, Work and the Welfare State reveals the critical, yet largely hidden, role of governance and management reforms in the evolution of the global workfare project. It shows how these reforms have altered organizational arrangements and practices to emphasize workfare's harsher regulatory features and undermine its potentially enabling ones. As a major contribution to expanding the conceptualization of how organizations matter to policy and political transformation, this book will be of special interest to all public management and public policy scholars and students.Trade ReviewThe strength of Persuasion and Power is its exhaustive research, reflected in numerous vignettes and research that compellingly illustrate successful concepts, benefits, and failures of strategic communication. Scholars and strategic communicators alike will be impressed with Farewell's research and proposed solutions to enhance strategic communication. Persuasion and Power is a must-read for those with an interest in strategic communication. Military Review This book is the first to bring a street-level approach to international research on welfare state policy, politics, and management, offering a clear and coherent interpretation of how workfare-style policies are taking shape on the ground. Social Service Review This book is the first to bring a street-level approach to international research on welfare state policy, politics, and management, offering a clear and coherent interpretation of how workfare-style policies are taking shape on the ground. School of Social Service Administration Magazine, U of ChicagoTable of ContentsPreface Part I: Introduction1. Work and the Welfare State Evelyn Z. Brodkin2. Street-Level Organizations and the Welfare StateEvelyn Z. Brodkin Part II: What's at Issue: Politics, Policies, and Jobs3. The American Welfare State: Two Narratives Michael Lipsky 4. The Policies of Workfare: At the Boundaries between Work and the Welfare State Evelyn Z. Brodkin and Flemming Larsen5. Double Jeopardy: The Misfit between Welfare-to-Work Requirements and Job Realities Susan Lambert and Julia HenlyPart III: Governance and Management: Workfare's "Second Track" 6. Triple Activation: Introducing Welfare-to-Work into Dutch Social AssistanceRik van Berkel7. Active Labor Market Reform in Denmark: The Role of Governance in Policy Change Flemming Larsen8. Performance Management as a Disciplinary Regime: Street-Level Organizations in a Neoliberal Era of Poverty GovernanceJoe Soss, Sanford Schram, and Richard Fording Part IV: Street-Level Organizations and the Practices of Workfare9. Commodification, Inclusion, or What? Workfare in Everyday Organizational LifeEvelyn Z. Brodkin 10. Race, Respect, and Red Tape: Inside the Black Box of Racially Representative Bureaucracies Celeste Watkins-Hayes 11. Good Intentions and Institutional Blindness: Migrant Populations and the Implementation of German Activation PolicyMartin Brussig and Matthias Knuth 12. Front-line Workers as Intermediaries: The Changing Landscape of Disability and Employment Services in AustraliaGregory Marston Part V: Administrative Justice: Challenging Workfare Practices13. Challenging Workfare Practices: Conditionality, Sanctions, and the Weakness of Redress Mechanisms in the British "New Deal"Michael Adler14. Redress and Accountability in US Welfare AgenciesVicki Lens Part VI: Conclusion 15. Work and the Welfare State Reconsidered: Street-Level Organizations and the Global Workfare ProjectEvelyn Z. BrodkinReferences Contributors

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Book SynopsisConceived during the turbulent period of the late 1960s when 'rights talk' was ubiquitous, Federal Service and the Constitution, a landmark study first published in 1971, strove to understand how the rights of federal civil servants had become so differentiated from those of ordinary citizens. Now in a new, second edition, this legal-historical analysis reviews and enlarges its look at the constitutional rights of federal employees from the nation's founding to the present. Thoroughly revised and updated, this highly readable history of the constitutional relationship between federal employees and the government describes how the changing political, administrative, and institutional concepts of what the federal service is or should be are related to the development of constitutional doctrines defining federal employees' constitutional rights. Developments in society since 1971 have dramatically changed the federal bureaucracy, protecting and expanding employment rights, while at the same time Supreme Court decisions are eroding the special legal status of federal employees. Looking at the current status of these constitutional rights, Rosenbloom concludes by suggesting that recent Supreme Court decisions may reflect a shift to a model based on private sector practices.Trade ReviewProvides scholars, students of public administration, and public management practitioners with an invaluable overview of how courts have reshaped the public employment relationship. . . . [the book] should be mandatory reading for any student studing public administration and anyone serving as a government employee. * Public Administration Review *Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Public Employment Relationship 2. Development of the Public Employment Relationship, 1776-18293. The Spoils System and the Public Employment Relationship 4. Civil Service Reform and the Public Employment Relationship 5. Political Neutrality 6. Equality of Access to Civil Service Positions 7. Loyalty and Security 8. Building the Public Service Model 9. The Public Employment Relationship Today: Toward Convergence with the Private Sector? Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHumanists are quick to defend threats to the separation of church and state, but they have not always been consistently unified in engaging with pressing issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality—namely, those linked to economic, environmental, and social justice. Drawing on his tenure as executive director of the American Humanist Association, Roy Speckhardt calls for humanists everywhere to center justice in their humanism by promoting public policy based on ethical humanist principles. Acknowledging the challenges inherent to this type of advocacy and activism—such as balancing short-term needs with long-term goals and espousing a common humanity without erasing differences—he makes a compelling case for championing justice-centered humanism. He also provides guidance for doing so, whether on the local, state, or federal level. Precisely because there is no such thing as cosmic justice in an afterlife, he reminds, it’s especially important that humanists everywhere combat injustice in this life.Trade Review" Justice-Centered Humanism is a spectacular look at how humanism and social justice can work in concert to achieve a more inclusive and fair public policy. Speckhardt's use of humanism as a lens for viewing public policy provides useful insight not only for engaged humanist thinkers, but also for anyone who seeks to understand what "Good Without God" can truly mean." Jared Huffman, member, U.S. House of Representatives"Through the American Humanist Association, and driven by his nontheistic values, Roy Speckhardt has planted the seeds of a reason-based, secular revolution in politics. Now, in Justice-Centered Humanism , he teaches all of us how to do the same." Hemant Mehta, Friendly Atheist"Speckhardt delivers a much-needed dose of reality in Justice-Centered Humanism and effectively conveys the importance of moving beyond the 'ivory tower' approach that many are accustomed to. Wanting to make changes in the world requires us changing along with it if we are to truly uphold our values." Mandisa L. Thomas, Founder and President, Black Nonbelievers

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Book SynopsisWhen suffragette Emily Wilding Davison hid overnight in the Houses of Parliament in 1911 to have her name recorded in the census there, she may not have known that there were sixty-seven other women also resident in Parliament that night: housekeepers, kitchen maids, domestic servants, and wives and daughters living in households. This book is their story.Women have touched just about every aspect of life in Parliament. From ‘Jane’, dispenser of beer, pies and chops in Bellamy’s legendary refreshment rooms; to Eliza Arscot, who went from reigning as Principal Housemaid at the House of Lords to Hanwell Asylum; to May Ashworth, Official Typist to Parliament for thirty years through marriage, war and divorce; and Jean Winder, the first female Hansard reporter, who fought for years to be paid the same as her male counterparts; the lives of these women have been largely unacknowledged – until now.Drawing on new research from the Parliamentary Archives, government records and family history sources, historians and parliamentary insiders Mari Takayanagi and Elizabeth Hallam Smith bring these unsung heroes to life. They chart the changing context for working women within and beyond the Palace of Westminster, uncovering women left out of the history books – including Mary Jane Anderson, a previously unknown suffragette.

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Book SynopsisThe governance theories that have developed over the past twenty years offer a new framework to consider and examine the collective conditions of a "Responsible Research and Innovation – RRI" linked up with the policy challenges of a society in transition in all its modes of regulation. This book will recall the genesis of the reflexive point of view in the context of the development of the theory of governance. It will then develop the strengths of the model and finally, will show the fruitfulness of its application to the field of the RRI.Table of ContentsForeword ix Introduction xv Chapter 1. RRI and Governance Theory 1 1.1. Definition of a minimum concept of governance 1 1.2. RRI and governance theory 6 1.2.1. The transition toward questions of governance in RRI policy 7 1.2.2. Introduction of explicit reflection on governance theory 10 1.2.3. Contributions of the GREAT project 14 1.2.4. Reasons for the delayed shift 17 1.3. The case of neighboring fields 21 1.4. Lessons to be learned 24 1.5. Changing perspective 28 Chapter 2. The Origins of Governance Theory 31 2.1. Old and new governance: a first shift 36 2.2. The neo-institutionalist hypothesis 40 2.3. The nodal governance approach 44 2.4. The move toward democratic experimentalism 49 2.5. Institutionalist change and reflexivity in governance theories 55 Chapter 3. Exploring Reflexive Governance Theory 57 3.1. Reflexivity and the academic third party 62 3.2. Reflexivity and the imaginary third party 67 3.3. Reflexivity and the real third party 69 3.4. The increase in references to reflexivity 72 3.5. Reasons why this use of reflexivity is unsatisfactory 76 3.6. What remains out of scope 79 Chapter 4. Key Strengths of a Reflexive Theory of Governance 85 4.1. Attention as “thematization” 86 4.2. Reflexivity in governance 91 4.3. Deconstructing governance narratives 94 4.4. Examples of post hoc thematization of relational decentering 98 4.5. Shortcomings of thematization 105 4.6. The five stages of reflexive governance in identity processes 109 Chapter 5. Promoting Reflexive Governance of RRI 117 5.1. Co-constructing problems 122 5.2. Transformation of relational structures and negotiability of roles 125 5.3. Iterating identities 128 5.4. RRIs pathway for reflexive governance 132 5.5. Operationalizing reflexive governance of RRI 137 Chapter 6. Intellectual Intervention in Society: The Key to Reflexive Governance of RRI 145 6.1. The destiny of rationality in the construction of common interest 148 6.2. The fragmentation of knowledge 156 6.3. Contradiction and pluralization of real interests 161 6.4. From intellectual intervention to the community of destiny 165 6.5. The possible role of political philosophy 170 6.6. Long and short cycles of RRI governance 172 6.7. A new model for the institution of knowledge? 175 Conclusion 179 Bibliography 185 Index 197

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Book SynopsisA handbook for anyone who wants to learn about how to be active in local, state, and federal government, The Citizen Lobbyist shows how to have a voice in creating public policy. More citizen involvement is needed in our government processes to ensure the voices of the people are heard over the money of paid lobbyists, unions, and coalitions, both in Washington, DC, and in state capitals across the country. All too often, public officials seem removed from the people who hired them to be their representatives and fail to work on their behalf. This book gives a step-by-step plan on how to lobby elected officials about the issues you care about, offers information on how to plan a lobbying meeting for individuals and groups, and provides sample lobbying worksheets and resources to assist with finding legislative information and history. It is your go-to reference for being a grassroots activist and citizen lobbyist.Trade Review"Offers sound advice for presenting an issue to a government official. Legislative life would have been much easier the past 40 years had I been lobbied as Ms. Knief outlines." Pete Stark, U.S. Congressman, 1973--2013"It truly is a handbook for action to provide quick reference and a concise primer to get YOU involved in your government." Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers (militaryatheists.org)

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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