Public Administration in Belgium, the UK and Eire: a Review Symposium

Teaching Public Administration in Belgium , Jan Beyers and Yves Plees
The Teaching of Public Administration in the UK , Chris Bellamy
Teaching Public Administration in Ireland , Bernadette Connaughton
Regionalism: a Review Article , Martin Rhodes
Shrinking the State. The Political Underpinnings of Privatization , Harvey Feigenbaum, Jeffrey Henig and Chris Hamnett
Public Policy Instruments. Evaluating the Tools of Public Administration , B. Guy Peters and Frans K.M. van Nispen
Carrots, Sticks and Sermons. Policy Instruments and their Evaluation , Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc, Ray C. Rist and Evert Vedung
Community Organizing. Building Social Capital as a Development Strategy , Ross Gittell and Avis Vidall
Deregulation in the European Union: Environmental Perspectives , Ute Collier
New Instruments for Environmental Policy , Jonathan Golub
Re-imagining Political Community , Daniele Archibugi, David Held and Martin Köhler     

Saff professional competency strategy: a call for action

Staff units, e.g., budget offices, can be improved. This article recommends a comprehensive macro strategy to improve professional competency of Public Administration staff units. This represents a call for action among the Public Administration community.     

REVIEWS

Mark R. Rutgers (ed.), Retracing Public Administration
Lester Salamon (ed.), The Tools of Government: A Guide to the New Governance
Michael Moran, The British Regulatory State: High Modernism and Hyper-Innovation
Maura Adshead and Michelle Millar (eds), Public Administration and Public Policy in Ireland: Theory and Methods
Colin Seymour-Ure, Prime Ministers and the Media: Issues of Power and Control
Karen Duke, Drugs, Prisons and Policy-Making
Bronwen Morgan, Social Citizenship in the Shadow of Competition: The Bureaucratic Politics of Regulatory Justification
Penny Leonard, Promoting Welfare: Government Information Policy and Social Citizenship
Nikolaos Zahariadis, Ambiguity and Choice in Public Policy: Political Decision Making in Modern Democracies
Bruce Bimber, Information and American Democracy: Technology in the Evolution of Political Power     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book review in this Article Asian Bureaucratic Systems Emergent from the British Imperial Tradiation Edited by Ralph Braibanti. Party Politics in English Local Government By J.G. Bulpitt. When Americans Complain: Governmental Grievance Procedures By Walter Gellhorn. Parliament and Administration: The Estimates Committee 1945–65 By Nevil Johnson. Financial Committees of the Indian Parliament: A Study in Parliamentary Control over Public Expenditure By R.N. Aggarwala. Fayol on Administration By M.B. Brodie. Emerging Synthesis in American Public Administration By Keith M. Henderson. Organization for the Public Service By John D. Millett. D. van Nostrand Handbook of Training in the Public Service New York: United Nations, 1966. Private Interests and Public Policy: The Experience of the French Economic and Social Council By J.E.S. Hayward.     

Book Reviews

Book Reveiwed in this article
Analysis for Public Decisions E. S. Quade
American Public Administration: Past, Present, Future Frederick C. Mosher, (ed.)
Public Administration and Public Afairs Nicholas Henry
British Government 1966–1975: Tears of Reform Frank Stacey
Regional Planning and Social Change David Gillingwater
The Mandarins of Western Europe Edited by Mattei Dogan.
The Land and the Development; or, the Turmoil and the Torment Sir Desmond Heap, Stevens
The Reform of Planning Law Neal Alison Roberts
Linked Research Project into Public Participation in Structure Planning, Interim Papers 1–9* William Hampton and others.
Education Policy Making: A Study of Interest Groups and Parliament Maurice Kogan
The Power of the Purse: The Role of European Parliaments in Budgetary Decisions David Coombes et al.     

Historical change and the administrative state: An analysis of the theoretical foundations of public administration

This article offers an explanation for the theoretical underdevelopment of Public Administration. It argues that Public Administration studies the relations among elements of the administrative state and between the administrative state and its environment dissociated from time. The ahistorical orientation of the discipline has drastically reduced its capacity for theory building.     

Information technology and organizational structure of the greek public administration

It is widely accepted in the management literature that Information Technology can greatly contribute to the administrative modernization and especially to the improvement of organizational productivity. This is of great interest for the Greek Public Administration, which faces long term problems of low productivity. The main objective of this work is to analyse the impact of Information Technology on the organizational structure of Greek Public Administration, that is one of the main determinants of its productivity. Initially the theoretical background is presented on which the present work is based. Using data compiled from the whole Central Government, firstly the study is focused on the hardware and software technologies which are employed. At a second stage the impact of the use of Information Technology on a set of dimensions of the organizational structure,which are of critical importance for the productivity of the Greek Public Administration, is examined. The conclusions of the study provide the basis for the development of strategic guidelines for maximizing the benefits from using Information Technology in Greek Public Administration.     

Book Notes

Book Reveiwed in this article Teaching Policy Studies: What and How William D. Coplin (ed.) Training in Public Administration: A Directory of Commonwealth Resources Commonwealth Secretariat Britain 1979: An Official Handbook Central Office of Information, HMSO British Government and Politics F. Randall. Public Administration Michael P. Barber. Local Government Michael P. Barber. What is Governing? Purpose and Policy in Washington Richard Rose. People and Agencies Bernard Schaffer and Elizabeth O'Keefe. Ombudsmen Around the World: A Comparative Chart Kent M. Weeks. Referendums: A Comparative Study of Practice and Theory David Butler and Austin Ranney (editors) Political Corruption in America George C. S. Benson. The New American Political System Anthony King (ed.). The Politics of the Firm Leonard Tivey. Government and Administration Series. Martin Robertson Guidelines for a Local Employment Study Barrie Needham. The BGA Guide to Business Schools Roger Frost (compiler). Choosing and Managing Information Systems for Public Administration Graeme Norris and Wallace Ewart. The Effective University: A Management by Objectives Approach Graeme Norris and Wallace Ewart.     

Book Notes

Book Reveiwed in this article
Public Administration: Government in Action Ivan L. Richardson and Sydney Baldwin.
Basic Documents of American Public Administration 1776–1950 Frederick C. Mosher (ed.).
Public Administration and Legislatures: Examination and Exploration John A. Worthley.
Introduction to British Politics P. J. Madgwick. 2nd ed.
Political Behaviour Howard Elcock.
Harvard Business Review on Management Heinemann.
A Critical Introduction to Organization Theory Bruno Lussato.
Contrasts in Management Rosemary Stewart.
Management Consulting: A Guide to the Profession M. Kubr (ed.).
Computers in Public Administration: An International Perspective Samuel J. Bernstein.
Tomorrow's Men Today Andrew Stewart and Valerie Stewart. Institute of Personnel Management and Institute of Manpower Studies.
Cost Effective Recruitment John Courtis.
Town and Country Planning in Britain J. B. Cullingworth.
Need and the National Health Service: Economics and Social Choice A. J. Culyer.
Essays on the Welfare State Richard M. Titmuss.
Cases and Materials on Constitutional and Administrative Law Geoffrey Wilson.
Demands for Social Knowledge: The Role of Research Organizations Elizabeth Crawford and Norman Perry (eds.).
The I975 Referendum David Butler and Uwe Kitzinger.     

Public Administration Education and Europeanization: Prospects for the Emancipation of a Discipline?

The twin processes of Europeanization and Transition provide significant opportunities for the development of Public Administration education in Europe and provide a possibility to further the 'emancipation' of the discipline. In terms of Europeanization, the increasing challenges of politico-administrative interaction between national administrations and the institutions of the European Union illustrate that it is essential for Public Administration graduates to acquire an informed understanding of both the European context of policy-making and of the administrative organization and culture of other member states and countries associated with the EU. As a second element, the transition process in Central and Eastern European states could provide the discipline with further impetus to search for its own identity and approach in a European context. This article reviews the key findings of the results of the comprehensive inventories undertaken by the SOCRATES Thematic Network in Public Administration with regard to the current direction in which Public Administration education in Europe is moving. It addresses whether attention to European issues is reflected in the curriculum as well as links with the profession and whether cross-fertilization between the development of new programmes in the transition states and PA academic programmes in the EU member states has actually occurred.     

Book Reviews

Book review in this article Administrative Theory and Public Administration R. J. S. Baker Central Government Administration: A Student's Guide to Public Administration. Vol. 1. E. N. Gladden Local, Corporational and International Administration: A Student's Guide to Public Administration. Vol.2. E. N. Gladden Studies in the Growth of Nineteenth-Century Government G. Sutherland The Limits of Organizational Change Herbert Kaufman The Managerial Class of India V. Subramaniam Social Background of India's Administrators V.Subramaniam Bureaucracy and Politics in India C.P.Bhambhri Politics, Finance and the Role of Economics: An Essay on the Control of Public Enterprise Christopher Foster Government Contracts Colin Turpin     

Public Value Dimensions: Developing and Testing a Multi-Dimensional Classification

Further integration of the public value literature with other strands of literature within Public Administration necessitates a more specific classification of public values. This article applies a typology linked to organizational design principles, because this is useful for empirical public administration studies. Based on an existing typology of modes of governance, we develop a classification and test it empirically, using survey data from a study of the values of 501 public managers. We distinguish among seven value dimensions (the public at large, rule abidance, balancing interests, budget keeping, efficient supply, professionalism, and user focus), and we find systematic differences between organizations at different levels and with different tasks, indicating that the classification is fruitful. Our goal is to enable more precise analyses of value conflicts and improve the integration between the public value literature and other parts of the Public Administration discipline.     

Public administration and the constitutional bicentennial: An essay on research

The forthcoming centennial of American Public Administration falls in the same year as the bicentennial of the Constitution. This co-incidence suggests the propriety of examining the constitutional origins of the profession of Public Administration. This article notes the clash between the “two cultures” of administration and constitutionalism, proposes reasons for serious research into the constitutional foundations of contemporary administration, and provides several examples of suitable questions for this research.     

Book Notes

Book review in this article
Development Administration in Latin America Clarence E.Thurber and Lawrence S.Graham (eds.).
Comparative Public Administration: An Ecological Approach Ramesh K.Arora.
Executive Ombudsmen in the United States Alan J.Wymer (ed.).
Ombudsmen Around the World: A Comparative Chart Kent M.Weeks.
The Application of Information Processing in Public Administration .
Towards Central Government Computer Policies .
Cost-Benefit Analysis in Local Government
Benefit Cost and Policy Analysis 1972 William A.Niskanen.
Introduction of Programme and Performance Budgeting in Ceylon Ranjith M.Withana.
Performance Appraisal in Perspective Deidre Gill
Education after Reorganization: Trad or Progressive W.J.McKechin.
Admission of Patients to Hospital Howard Baderman
The State's Servants: The Civil Service of the English Republic
Handbook on Pensions and Employee Benefits Clifford Hymans.
The Sunderland Study (two volumes) .
The Rotherham Study (two volumes)
The Oldham Study
City Centre Redevelopment John Holliday
The Poverty of Planning: Crisis in the Urban Environment Thomas L.Blair.
Urban Development in Melbourne
Municipal Finance and Income Distribution in Sydney Ian Manning.
Public Authorities and Development in Melbourne John C.Pickett.
Regional Development — its Effect on Urban Growth Queensland Regional Group
Aspects of the Brisbane City Council's Administrative Organization J.D.Tucker.
Parliamentary Influence on the Efficiency of the Commonwealth Public Service
Court Organization and Administration: A Bibliography Dorothy Campbell Tompkins (comp.)
Justice by Tribunals M.M.Singh
Outdoor Recreation and the Urban Environment I.H.Seeley     

Public Administration in Belgium,the UK and Eire: a Review Symposium

Teaching Public Administration in Belgium, Jan Beyers and Yves Plees The Teaching of Public Administration in the UK, Chris Bellamy Teaching Public Administration in Ireland, Bernadette Connaughton Regionalism: a Review Article, Martin Rhodes Shrinking the State. The Political Underpinnings of Privatization , Harvey Feigenbaum, Jeffrey Henig and Chris Hamnett Public Policy Instruments. Evaluating the Tools of Public Administration, B. Guy Peters and Frans K.M. van Nispen Carrots, Sticks and Sermons. Policy Instruments and their Evaluation, Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc, Ray C. Rist and Evert Vedung Community Organizing. Building Social Capital as a Development Strategy , Ross Gittell and Avis Vidall Deregulation in the European Union: Environmental Perspectives , Ute Collier New Instruments for Environmental Policy, Jonathan Golub Re-imagining Political Community, Daniele Archibugi, David Held and Martin Köhler     

Book Reviews

Book Reveiwed in this article
Implementation: The Problem of Achieving Results Edited by Gabriel U. Iglesias.
New Thinking for Malaysian Public Administration: Some Social Science and Behavioural Concepts, Theories and Operational Questions . Latheef N. Ahmed.
In Search of the Constitution Nevil Johnson.
Public Administration: Values, Policy and Change Robert H. Simmons and Eugene P. Dvorin.
L'Acteur et le Systeme Michel Crozier and Erhard Friedberg.
Open Government: The British Interpretation Ronald Wraith
Education and Politics: Policy Making in Local Education Authorities Robert E, Jennings
Treasury Control in Australia: A Study in Bureaucratic Politics Patrick Weller and James Cutt.
An Open Case: The Organizational Context of Social Work Joyce Warham.
Parliament arid the Public Libraries R. J. B. Morris.
Education and Training for Public Sector Management in Developing Countries Edited by Laurence D. Stifel, James S. Coleman and Joseph E. Black.     

Competency-based Curriculum Mapping as a Tool for Continuous Improvement for Master of Public Administration (MPA) Programs

Curriculum mapping (CM) is an assessment tool used to articulate and revise an academic curriculum. Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredited graduate programs in public policy, public affairs, and public administration are required to demonstrate a competency-based curriculum development and assessment methods. This article provides the rationale and approach used to generate a competency-based Master of Public Administration (MPA) curriculum and describes a systematic approach to incorporating program learning objectives, stakeholder engagement, competency development or revisions by faculty, into competency-based CM. The competency-based curriculum is relatively new for MPA programs. While there are many potential benefits and challenges, this article focuses on the utility of flexible mission-oriented curriculum design and its ability to link competencies to assessment strategies for MPA programs.     

In search of identity: Public administration education in taiwan

Education program plays an important part in transmitting public administration knowledge to future administrators. What constitutes the “core” knowledge is presumably determined by societal expectations. Using Public Administration education in Taiwan as an example, this study finds that there exists a “crisis of identity” which concerns the proper role of administrators -- generalists vs. specialists. Public Administration education program in Taiwan, oriented toward a liberal arts education, has failed, according to some, to provide well trained and qualified students for the public services. The current education programs have resulted in a disjointed process in which the diffusion of public administration knowledge is discontinuous.     

Book Reviews

Book review in this article
Staff Relations in the Civil Service: Fifty Years of Whitleyism Henry Parris.
The Management of Government John Garrett.
The Sociology of Public Administration Michael J.Hill.
Local Government: Management and Corporate Planning Tony Eddison.
The Nationalized Industries Since 1960: A Book of Readings L.Tivey
The Administration of Education in Britain Bernard Lawrence.
Public Participation and Planners'Blight Norman Dennis.
Final Appeal: A Study of the House of Lords in its Judicial Capacity Louis Blom-Cooper and Gavin Drewry.
Policy Development Wazir Singh.
Hospital Organization Ralph Rowbottom et al. Heinemann     

Book Reviews

Book Reveiwed in this article
Towards a Philosophy of Administration Christopher Hodgkinson.
The British Philosophy of Administration Rosamund Thomas.
Working at Stormont John A. Oliver
Parliament and Public Spending: The Expenditure Committee of the House of Commons, 1970–76 Ann Robinson.
Ombudsmen Compared Frank Stacey.
Public Service Inquiries in Australia Edited by R. F. I. Smith and Patrick Weller
Organizational Effectiveness in a Multi-National Bureaucracy Hans J. Michelmann.
Health Services: Their Nature and Organization and the Role of Patients, Doctors and the Health Professions Edited by Elliott Jaques.
Strategy and Conflict in Metropolitan Housing K. Young and J. Kramer.
Representation and Administrative Tribunals Anne Frost and Coral Howard.
Cumulative Index to Public Administration Vols. 1–55: 1923–1977 Mohinder Singh and R. N. Sharma.