Command Transitions In Public Administration

This Brief provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of proactive strategies for management transitions in criminal justice and other public administration civic service agencies. These organizations have a unique need for managing transitions effectively. Compared to private organizations: they have a relatively high frequency of management transitions due to the terms of elected and appointed officials, and these new managers more often come from outside the organization. Through an mixed-methods study of criminal justice command level staff in New York state, researchers found a number of key components to successful transitions. Based on their study, the researchers prepared a set of guidelines called the Command Transition Matrix. This tool is aimed at police and public administration leadership. The methodology used to develop it will be of interest to researchers in Criminal Justice Administration, Public Policy, and Management Science.

Global developments over the past half-century have transformed public administration and brought it to maturity as an autonomous discipline at the intersection of many important fields of study. The trends and challenges which confront this discipline are analyzed in this festschrift, which honors Gerald E. Caiden and his numerous inputs to the field since his graduation in 1957. During five decades of research and teaching, Dr. Caiden's professional life has spread across four continents, contributing greatly to the development of scholars and professional practitioners throughout the world. Their advancement of our knowledge of the public sphere worldwide and support of enhanced practices, combined with Caiden's scholarship, continue to define vital aspects of contemporary public administration and its future prospects, both locally and globally. The administrative state, which peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, gave way to neoliberalism and the new public management during the 1980s and 1990s. Already this is changing, as new ideas and visions surface on the horizon. Likewise, priorities shifted, as this volume shows. Concerns with central planning, with control, command and direction, gave way to greater emphasis on decentralization, de-bureaucratization, and human resources development but also, lately, ethics and anti-corruption strategies. Due process, rule of law, defense against arbitrariness, and protection and promotion of human and citizens' rights have also re-emerged as fields of growing concern, precisely on account of government's visible deficit in these regards. We are constantly on the move, but whether our direction will lead to the 'garrison state' or to a democratic 'facilitative state', as one contributor argues, remains a central issue, which calls for exploration and debate. In paying Gerald Caiden the tribute he so richly deserves, this festschrift, put together by scholars from around the world, traces and accounts for developments and bring us up-to-date. It is a fifty-year perspective on a field in rapid change, a rich and varied compendium, which represents a valuable addition to the literature on public administration, a necessary tool for training and research, as well as a useful companion for students and practitioners of public service globally.

Public administration has changed radically over the last 30 years in organizational forms, role perceptions, practice, and the relevant research questions. Skillfully mastered public administration makes a difference in resolving conflicts, providing predictability, ensuring rights, and coping with problems of inclusiveness. This festchrift provides necessary information about public administration theory and practice, adding critical value to theoretical and methodological knowledge. The book demonstrates how a transformed public administration in practice makes a difference. It shows - through examination from various angles - how previous understandings of public administration have become obsolete. These changes are analyzed with a specific focus on four major research themes: (1) post-modern public administration, (2) neo-institutionalism, (3) fragmented local governance, and (4) method and methodology. The future prospects of public administration seem most promising if administrators are able to create ongoing dialogue with many parties. The book includes intriguing cases from the US and several European countries in order to illustrate how the theoretical and methodological approaches work in practice.

As the practices of public governance are rapidly changing, so must the theoretical frameworks for understanding the creation of efficient, effective and democratic governance solutions. First published as a special issue of Policy & Politics journal, this book explores the role of strategic management, digitalisation and generative platforms in encouraging the co-creation of innovative public value outcomes. It considers why we must transform the public sector to drive co-creation and the importance of integrating different theoretical strands when studying processes, barriers and outcomes. This book lays out important stepping-stones for the development of new research into the ongoing transition to co-creation as a mode of governance.

Although it has been more than 20 years since Communism crumbled in Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, many scholars and politicians still wonder what the lifting of the Iron Curtain has really meant for these former Communist countries. And, because these countries were largely closed off to the world for so long, there has yet to be an all-inclusive study on their administrative systems—until now. In Public Administration in Post-Communist Countries: Former Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe, and Mongolia, expert contributors supply a comprehensive overview and analysis of public administration in their respective post-Communist countries. They illustrate each country’s transformation from an authoritarian system of governance into a modern, market-based, and in some cases, democratic government. The book covers the countries that were officially part of the Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan); those that were theoretically independent but were subject to Soviet-dominated Communist rule (Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Poland); as well as a satellite republic that was under significant Soviet influence (Mongolia). Each chapter includes a brief introduction to the specific country, an overview of politics and administration, and discussions on key aspects of public management and administration—including human resource management, public budgeting, financial management, corruption, accountability, political and economic reform, civil society, and prospects for future development in the region. The book concludes by identifying common themes and trends and pinpointing similarities and differences to supply you with a broad comparative perspective.

The purpose of this country study is to evaluate Bulgaria's progress in its transition from plan to market and preparing for membership to the European Union. It examines economic developments during the 1990's with a focus on the 1997-1999 period. This study describes the structural and institutional reforms implemented during this period, their impact and the prospects for accession to the European Union.

Malawi is among the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa that has witnessed significant improvements in relation to meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. It exhibits some of the main challenges facing African democracies while they attempt to consolidate the benefits of democratisation. Political Transition and Inclusive Development in Malawi critically analyses opportunities and constraints related to the impact of democracy on development in one of the world’s poorest countries. The book explores how, and to what extent, processes related to democratic and economic governance can be strengthened in order to make political and administrative authorities more responsive to development needs. It also considers characteristics of successful implementation of public policy and the effective and timely delivery of basic services in local contexts; increased citizen participation and dialogue with local government authorities; factors that enable civil society organisations to hold political and administrative officials to account; and better utilisation of academic research for improved evidence-based policy formulation and implementation. This volume will be of great interest to scholars in development studies, African studies, politics, law and anthropology, as well as policymakers and those interested in democracy, governance, human rights and the implementation of anti-poverty programmes, development administration and decentralisation.