人本行政的历史之鉴——论行为科学时期的公共行政思想

建立在知识经济基础之上的信息社会,必然要求突破传统的与自然经济的农业社会相适应的君本行政、与技术经济的工业社会相适应的权本行政,转而构建一个与知识经济的信息社会、和谐社会相适应的人本行政模式。人本行政不仅来源于马克思主义关于人的全面而自由发展理论,也来源于中国政府在建设社会主义过程中实际经验的总结和升华,而更重要的根源则在20世纪30到60年代的行为科学时期的人本主义行政思想。     

对我国现行行政模式的思考——兼析里格斯的行政生态学理论

行政生态学是20世纪60年代以来在西方行政学界兴起的一门行政学分支学科,对这门学科产生重要影响的是美国学者里格斯.通过研究里格斯的行政生态学理论,并分析我国当前的行政模式,笔者认为我国目前正处于并将在相当长的一段时期内处于过渡社会.与之相对应,我国当前的行政模式是棱柱型的行政模式.而所谓的转型,就行政模式方面来说,就是要从棱柱型的行政模式向衍射型的行政模式转变,这一点对全面建设小康社会,构建社会主义和谐社会尤为重要.     

和谐行政模式与政府可持续发展

和谐行政,就是行政自系统以及行政系统与行政环境他系统之间达致的一种互信互助、协调一致、和谐有序的状态.政府可持续发展主要表现在政府能力的提升和政府行政模式的变迁两个方面,这两者互相支持,互为表里.考察和比较政府行政模式的变迁及其优劣,可以更直观、更形象地反映政府可持续发展及其程度.从统治行政到管理行政到服务行政再到正在形成中的和谐行政,各地政府模式的变迁清晰可寻,越来越逼近政府可持续发展的终极目标.     

我国行政强制执行模式的立法选择

我国现行以法院为主导的行政强制执行模式,并不是一种理想的模式,存在许多缺陷,应将行政强制执行权回归行政机关,建立专门行政机关与普通行政机关相结合的行政机关强制执行模式。     

转型期政府行政模式重构的生态分析

当前,我国正处在从传统向现代转型的时期,经济、政治、社会、文化结构发生了整体性变迁。与此相应,政府行政模式也经历着一个重新构建的过程。实现政府行政模式的转型与重构,应该把握与行政模式相关的基本生态要素的影响与作用,构建以服务、有限、引导、公开、满意为特征的全新行政模式。     

我国城市政府行政模式转型的路径选择

新中国成立后,我国城市政府一直沿用管理型的行政模式,但自20世纪80年代以来,伴随着我国城市行政生态的变迁,传统的管理型行政模式越来越不能适应时代的要求.为适应城市行政生态的变迁,我国城市政府必须实现从管理型行政模式向治理型行政模式的转型.这种转型需要从行政理念、行政目标、行政架构、行政行为方式、行政参与等多个角度着手.     

行政成本——效益分析：行政管理经济理性与社会理性的统一

我国是世界上行政管理费用高昂的国家,巨额的行政费用对我国经济建设的制约作用日渐凸显,而传统政府管理对行政行为社会效益和行政成本关注程度的失衡,使行政费用居高不下.本文以行政管理经济理性和社会理性的统一为出发点,引入了公共部门的行政成本--效益分析模式,并从行政成本效益的构成、行政目标的选择、行政影子价格的确定、行政成本的不确定因素、行政效益的辐射效应等几个方面,对其分析步骤和框架提出了构建设想.揭示了谊分析模式在我国推广过程中的制约因素,同时就其改革措施进行了探讨.     

论中国行政文化的现代化

系统论告诉我们 ,行政文化是社会大系统中的一个有机的子系统 ,社会的发展对行政文化提出了新的要求 ,要求建构与之相适应的现代行政文化。本文提出了在外在条件和内在动力的作用下我国行政文化现代化的目标形态 ,并在此基础上 ,提出了实现行政文化现代化的根本途径及其环境保障。     

行政裁量控制模式的法经济学分析

行政裁量模式的法经济学分析表明,不能寄望于通过完善立法完全解决行政裁量问题,但可以通过立法缩小裁量范围,规范裁量程序.司法控制模式自身有成本较高、适用范围有限以及司法裁量带有主观性等不足,鉴于其中立地位和强制力,仍然可以用来加强对行政裁量合法性及合理性的审查.行政控制模式具有内生性、同步性和专业性强等优势,考虑到其控制主体和控制对象合二为一的特性,必须加强内部分权、建立裁量基准、遵循行政惯例以及加强行政责任机制.最后,为了弥补外在控制模式的不足,必须充分利用行政伦理控制模式以确保行政裁量不被滥用.     

我国行政改革趋势的生态系统分析

本文从实现行政系统与行政环境之间的良性互动关系出发,运用生态系统论基本观点,从行政系统的内外关系、系统结构、沟通渠道、依法行政及改革模式等几个方面,较为系统地分析了当前我国行政系统所面临的问题及改革的发展趋势.文中提出要采取适时改革模式,通过不断地进行与行政环境相适应的调整、改革,以始终保持行政系统的内外平衡状态或生态平衡状态.     

Testing the input-process-output model of public participation

The characteristics of participatory institutions can be articulated in three main dimensions: input, process and output. The common assumption is that a dependency relationship exists, with process serving as a mediator between input and output. This paper puts the model to a rare empirical test drawing on a unique dataset of 70 Spanish advisory councils. Through a combination of exploratory factor and path analyses, we analyse the dimensionality of input, process and output and investigate the direct and indirect impact of inputs on process and outputs. Our analysis provides evidence that input factors have a direct impact on the output factor transparency, but their impact on effects on policy and participant satisfaction is mediated by the process factor deliberation. Further, the capacity of the public administration to steer the advisory council (wardship) mediates negatively the impact of input variables on transparency. The analysis provides a nuanced account of how different input and process design characteristics of participatory institutions have profound direct and indirect effects on their outputs.     

A general model of rent seeking for public goods

This paper generalizes the model of collective rent-seeking over a public good. Expanding the rent seeker's consumption bundle to include preferences over the public good and a private good, our results suggest collective rent-seeking is positively related to group size. Although free riding exists within a group, there is not a one-for-one tradeoff. In addition, rent seeking increases with wealth. Finally, total effort expended by both groups increases if either group increases in membership size, except in the case of an extremely lopsided contest. The key condition underlying these results is that the marginal utility of the public good is not inversely related to the private good.     

A decision model for the study of public bureaucracies

In this paper the concept series of decisions is introduced and defined as the total number of decisions made in the attainment of a goal. The series are analytically divided into two types of decisions, programming and implementation—the first ones are those made during the process of converting policy goals into programs, and the second, those made during the implementation of the programs. The distinction is important because different actors and institutions are involved in the two phases. It is hypothesized that the relation between the time of programming decisions and the time of implementation of decisions tends to be zero the less effective and the less numerous the organizations participating in the programming phase. A list of factors which could be useful in the process of testing and modifying the hypothesis is presented. The division of health environment of the health ministry of Colombia is used to exemplify the concept of series of decisions, and to show the utility of the analytical distinction between programming and implementation decisions.The field work for this study was done in 1970 under the sponsorship of the Division of Research in Epidemiology and Communications Sciences (RECS) of the World Health Organization. The research was conducted at the Ministry of Public Health of Colombia. I am very grateful to Dr. Antonio Ordonez Plaja, Minister of Public Health at the time of the research. Without his continuous help, encouragement and understanding, this work would not have been possible.     

The median voter model in public choice theory

The changing perception by public choice theorists about the relevance of the median voter model is a result of excessive extrapolation of the conclusions of theoretical models to the real world. Early in the 1970s the median voter model was often accepted as implying that the output produced in the public sector was what was most preferred by the median voter. This claim is excessive because the median voter model is only a model of demand aggregation under majority rule and has little to say about the supply side of the public sector. In the late 1970s many scholars identified several circumstances under which the model would not apply in theory, but these critiques of the model were often viewed as reasons to abandon the median voter model altogether. The model went from having excessive claims that made the model appear to be more powerful than it really is to excessive claims that made the model appear to be less powerful than it really is. These latter claims were often in response to the earlier claims rather than to the model, appropriately applied.Pointing out that the model might not be valid under some circumstances in no way implies that the model is never valid. In fact, this paper has reviewed strong arguments, both empirical and theoretical, suggesting that the median voter model is a good approximation of demand aggregation in the public sector for many issues. One paper will not change the opinions of public choice theorists on the median voter model. But the argument given here is that there is a large amount of theoretical and empirical evidence supporting the median voter model as a good foundation for the development of the theory of public sector demand. Once the overly ambitious claims that have been made for the model are set aside, the median voter model is in a good position to provide a base for the development of a theory of political structure that is analogous to the theory of market structure in economics.     

A policy-selection/ goal-formulation model for public systems

This paper attempts to present an analytical framework of analysis of problems relating to public systems. Current optimization models, which originated in the private sector, are not adequate to handle the complexity of the decision making processes in public policy analysis. The proposed model aims at lessening ideological debates over statements of goals, and it emphasizes policy selection through goal redefinitions where both goals and policies are formulated simultaneously. The model is based on an iterative process where consensus over policies is arrived at between the policy maker and the constituents of the public system. The principal feature of the model is that it incorporates political debates and bargains, and provides for the development of insight.     

A model of decision making and the public service professional

This article offers a reformulation of the concept of professionalism as it applies to public sector decision making. After critically evaluating existing work, we present a role theoretic model of public sector decision making that provides a precise conceptual and operational meaning to the term professionalism. We then evaluate the model's applicability to public sector actors, using city managers as an example. Finally, we discuss some of the public policy implications of increasing public service professionalization.     

Revealed preferences for public goods: Applying a model of voter behavior

Most analyses of preferences for government-supplied goods disregard the fact that in a democratic society, these preferences are revealed by an individual choice: the vote. In this paper this is taken account of in a model, explaining the dynamics in voting behavior in a multi-party system. The model assumes that voters may be categorized into K groups of individuals, pursuing the same interests, who remember how parties do in representing these interests (given the level to which they are held responsible for government policy). The model allows one to estimate party identification, sensitiveness to economic performances, time preference, and relative preferences for public versus private goods, all for each of the groups. Furthermore, the model allows for an estimation of the level to which various parties are held responsible for government policies.An empirical application of the model to the Netherlands is presented, albeit that data restrictions did not allow a distinction of more than one group. The results in terms of significance of the coefficients as well as the interpretation of the original parameters are promising. The two main conclusions are that the relative preference for private versus collective consumption is lower than the existing ratio in the Netherlands, and that two parties forming a government coalition are not held equally responsible for the policies.     

An economic model of regime change: Freedom as a public good

This paper analyses regime change via a peaceful revolution. Under these circumstances, peaceful manifestations of unrest reach a point at which the prevailing political system collapses and is replaced by a system which provides more freedom. Such regime change occurred in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria. It is shown that the successful quest for freedom may be explained as a dynamic game. The game has a unique strong equilibrium — that is, a Nash equilibrium robust against mass defections — which arises in consequence of a trigger strategy which is similar to the Tit-For-Tat strategy in a repeated Prisoners' Dilemma.     

Emerging US public affairs practice: the 2000+ PA model

Many larger US corporations are re‐assessing their participation in the public policy process and their entire approach to managing public affairs. This paper will attempt to synthesise much of what is happening to US corporate public affairs. It describes the forces driving the changes and addresses the ways corporations are responding to these forces. Finally, the paper offers an argument of the ‘New Public Affairs’ 2000 and beyond model as it will likely be practised in the USA, and perhaps elsewhere, at least early into this decade. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications