Description
Book SynopsisThe real work of many governments is done not in stately domed capitols but by a network of federal and state officials working with local governments and nongovernmental organizations to address issues that cross governmental boundaries. "Managing within Networks" analyzes the structure, operations, and achievements of these public management networks that are trying to solve intractable problems at the field level. It examines such areas as transportation, economic and rural development, communications systems and data management, water conservation, wastewater management, watershed conservation, and services for persons with developmental disabilities. Robert Agranoff draws a number of innovative conclusions about what these networks do and how they do it from data compiled on fourteen public management networks in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Ohio. Agranoff identifies four different types of networks based on their purposes and observes the differences between network management and traditional management structures and leadership. He notes how knowledge is managed and value added within intergovernmental networks. This volume is useful for students, scholars, and practitioners of public management.
Trade ReviewAgranoff's book is first class... His case studies exhibit depth and provide deep analysis and great explanatory power. His work ably revisits the literature on networks. In addition, the empirical chapters and the lessons he draws for public management add knowledge and cover new ground. Public Management Review
Table of ContentsPreface 1. Public Networks 2. Networks in Public Management 3. Toward a Network Typology: Methodology of the Study 4. Informational and Developmental Networks 5. Outreach and Action Networks 6. Collaborachy: A Different Kind of Management? 7. Networks as Knowledge Managers 8. Do Networks Perform? Adding Value and Accounting for Costs 9. Networks at the Boundaries of the State 10. Managing in Public Networks Appendix A: A Detailed Look at the Fourteen PMNs Appendix B: The Sequence of Coding for the Typology References Index
