Management Practices and State Bond Ratings

One of the central claims of public administration is that management matters for the performance of public entities. Quantifying the impact of organizational management is thus central to the empirical evaluation of this claim. Utilizing novel features of the Government Performance Project (GPP), we assess the impact of state‐level management practices on the credit quality of US states. The central challenge—that both the GPP data and bond ratings take the form of ordinal grades—suggests a common solution utilizing multiple indicators of a latent construct (management capacity and credit quality) with appropriate measurement models. After describing the characteristics of the measurement approach, we derive management capacity scores from the GPP data and credit quality scores using bond ratings from the three rating agencies. These derived scores then allow us to test linkages between credit quality of the US states and broad aspects of their relative management capacity. On the whole, we show that financial management capacity influences credit quality, while the evidence is less clear that other forms of management capacity matter.     

Inclusive Democracy and its Prospects

ABSTRACT Takis Fotopoulos' inclusive democracy project has generated one of the most interesting and ambitious undertakings within contemporary political philosophy. Fotopoulos synthesises what he regards as the principal contributions of five discrete traditions, retrieves classical Athens as democratic exemplar, thinks through and extrapolates the implications of his vision for daily life, and seeks to anticipate and resolve conundrums likely to follow. Any one of these dimensions would render his project noteworthy. Nonetheless, his project occurs within a historic moment that limits its prospects of consideration beyond its own political constituency. However unfairly, Fotopoulos' proposals will struggle for mass attention for reasons not principally of his creation. A leading reason for this is the widespread and probably reasonable leeriness toward large-scale alternatives borne of the pathological nature of much 20th century political radicalism.     

Developing Management Practices to Support Joined‐Up Governance

Various forms of ‘boundary‐crossing’ practices continue to proliferate in public management and public service provision (i.e. activities that require engagement and collaboration across sectors, institutions, and organisations). Yet the dynamic nature of this type of joined‐up working is proving to be a major management challenge. In this paper, we bring a number of concepts to bear on the management of joined‐up and cross‐boundary working in public management of complex social issues. Firstly, we present the concept of ‘adaptive management’, which we draw from field of environmental policy and planning (and human ecology). Secondly, we introduce a rethinking of the role of ‘policy targets’ using a complexity lens. These concepts are integrated into a practice heuristic (or framework) designed to assist cross‐boundary policy implementation in real‐world settings. We argue that adaptive management approaches may have significant utility for ensuring effective governance in uncertain environments.     

Knowledge for Governance,Governance of Knowledge: Inclusive Knowledge Management in Collaborative Governance Processes

ABSTRACT

Different ways of knowing (WOKs) present in governance processes easily give rise to controversies and conflicts and forestall collective action. To resolve these conflicts it is necessary to understand what constitutes a WOK and how we can organize inclusion through collaborative governance. This paper argues that WOKs contain different knowledge elements: they contain different bodies of factual knowledge, formulate specific knowledge questions, and prefer different methods and knowledge institutes. WOKs also encompass different frames, interpretations, or normative perceptions of reality. And finally, different WOKs make use of different sources and types of organizing capacity.

Realizing successful collaborative governance processes means organizing inclusion of these different components of knowledge. This paper investigates the implications of this knowledge diversity for realizing collaborative governance processes and the challenges for inclusive knowledge management—through an in-depth case study of a collaborative governance process between the Netherlands and Flanders.

We conclude that realizing inclusion between various WOKs and their knowledge components contributes to the overall success of a collaborative governance process. However, managing inclusive knowledge is as much a matter of conscious strategies as it is the result of an emergent interaction process between stakeholders, experts, and officials within various WOKs. Furthermore, although knowledge inclusion facilitates successful negotiation between stakeholders, it doesn't guarantee a successful outcome of these negotiations.     

Knowing and Skilling in Contemporary Public Administration

Knowledge is the latest buzzword in public administration, yet contemporary debates demonstrate a poor understanding of how knowledge is constructed and valued and of how public administration knowledge frames are changing in response to major structural shifts in political imperatives. In particular the retreat from economic rationalism and the embracing of social and human capital ideas with the search for 'third ways' and 'triple bottom lines' are bringing more constructivist knowledge frames back into play. In this way centralised 'rational/expert' knowledge is being challenged by knowledge arising from cooperative, local inquiry and multiple knowledge frames are now being brought to bear in public administration. Yet public administration, as a profession, seems unsure of whether this is an elegant finesse implying little real change or an exposure of the naked pretension of previously dominant unitary frameworks. This article uses a historical comparison to show how changes in the ontology and epistemology of public administration are demanding new skills of contemporary public administrators.     

Capital Budgeting and Management Practices: Smoothing Out Rough Spots in Government Outlays

Public capital budgeting and management literature recommends long‐term capital and fiscal planning practices to prevent large fluctuations in outlays caused by fiscal stresses. This study extends the literature by examining the effects of long‐term capital planning and management practices such as the use of a capital budget, separate impact analyses, and the use of bond financing and dedicated revenue sources on capital spending volatility. The empirical results confirm that several of these practices smooth out state government capital outlays that vary because of socio‐economic and financial factors.     

Incentives in Third‐Party Governance: Management Practices and Accountability Implications

Contract incentives are designed to motivate contractor performance and to provide public managers with a powerful tool to achieve contract accountability. Our knowledge of contract incentives is rooted in contract design, yet as we move beyond contract specification and further into the contract lifecycle, we know little about why and how managers implement incentives. This study assesses public managers’ use of contract incentives in practice and advances theory development. A typology of contract incentives is constructed to capture a comprehensive range of formal and informal incentives, and the factors that influence managerial use of incentives are identified. The findings shed light on the complexities of maintaining accountability in third‐party governance structures and the management techniques aimed at improving the performance of public agencies.     

Transitional Strategies and the Inclusive Democracy Project

The aim of this paper is twofold. First, to critically assess the various transitional strategies for radical social change that have been proposed in the past, as well as some recently developed strategies, like the civil societarian approach, the Libertarian Municipalism strategy and the 'lifestyle' strategies. Second, to propose a new transitional strategy that aims at the transition to a confederal inclusive democracy. In this context, the emancipatory subject in present society is discussed, a new type of politics and political organisation is suggested and a series of steps for the transition to a political, economic, ecological democracy, as well as a 'democracy in the social realm' is proposed.     

长荣汽贸人力资源管理实践对组织绩效影响研究

面对激烈的外部竞争环境,人才的管理逐渐引起了企业的广泛关注。利用长荣汽贸公司2008—2013年的数据,实证检验了人力资源管理实践对企业绩效的影响。研究结果表明,人力资源管理中只有部分实践对绩效有显著影响,并且不同的实践对财务绩效和非财务绩效的影响程度不同,其中员工培训对组织绩效的影响最大。此外,人力资源管理实践系统对财务绩效的影响程度大于其对非财务绩效的影响程度。     

Power Sharing and Inclusive Politics in Africa's Uncertain Democracies

Power‐sharing agreements have been widely used in Africa as paths out of civil war. However, the research focus on conflict mitigation provides an inadequate guide to recent cases such as Kenya and Zimbabwe. When used in response to flawed elections, pacts guaranteeing political inclusion adversely affect government performance and democratization. Political inclusion in these cases undermines vertical relationships of accountability, increases budgetary spending, and creates conditions for policy gridlock. Analysis using three salient dimensions highlights these negative effects: Origin distinguishes extra‐constitutional pacts from coalitions produced by more stable institutions, function contrasts postwar cases from scenarios where the state itself faces less risk, and time horizon refers to dilemmas that weigh long‐term costs versus short‐term benefits. The conclusion suggests that the drawbacks of inclusive institutions can be moderated by options such as sunset clauses, evenhanded prosecution of human rights violations, and by strengthening checks on executive authority.     

公开行政公共信息 保障公民的知情权

知情权是公民的一项基本权利，公开行政公共信息是公民行使知情权的主要内容，也是ＷＴＯ透明度原则和依法治国的基本要求。长期以来，我们比较偏重保护行政机关取得、占有公共信息的权力，而忽视了强调行政机关公开公共信息的义务。重视研究行政机关公开公共信息，保障公民的知情权，对于保障公民行使当家作主的权利，健全和完善公民对行政机关的监督制度，加强廉政建设，改善行政管理，推进依法治国等都有着重要的意义。一、行政机关公共信息公开与保障公民知情权的关系公开行政机关公共信息，是指行政机关主动或根据申请，向社会公布与行…     

知行合一的社会调查课程体系构建与实践

依托东北农业大学农林经济管理专业的社会调查系列课程:《农村社会学》《社会调查方法》《农林经济管理社会实践》和《农村社会经济调查》,研究如何从基础理论和实践方法两个角度实现课程体系的相互支撑与融会贯通,构建知行合一的农林经济管理专业社会调查系列课程的体系架构,并以东北农业大学经管学院的拔尖班、普通教学班为对象开展实践教学研究,探索经管类本科课堂教学和实践协同育人的新机制,培养大学生的知识运用能力和社会实践能力。     

以包容性城市治理推动城市转型发展

当下中国,城市发展面临"粗放式增长"模式难以为继、城市发展失衡、社会矛盾凸显等严峻挑战,城市转型发展迫在眉睫。城市转型是城市发展进程及发展方向的重大变革,是城市适应经济社会发展需要的结构性转变,是城市多维度、多层次的综合转型。通过转变城市治理模式实现城市转型是未来城市发展的必然选择。包容性城市治理强调城市发展"以人为本"、注重城市均衡发展、强调对多元化、异质性的包容、突出城市发展成果为所有人"共享"。以包容性城市治理推动城市转型,不仅能有效地解决"城市病",实现社会公平正义、提高人民群众"获得感",还有助于中国城市应对即将到来的国际化挑战。     

“包容性增长”:科学内涵、时代价值与实践取向

"包容性增长"的本质是倡导机会平等的增长,核心是实现经济社会的协调发展和可持续发展,重点是倡导公平合理地分享经济发展成果。实现"包容性增长"是我国国情发展的必然要求,是贯彻落实科学发展观、构建社会主义和谐社会的具体体现,是全面建设小康社会的现实需要。践行"包容性增长",要加快转变经济发展方式,更加关注公平问题,积极改善民生。