The Public Administration Casebook

The Public Administration Casebook is a practice-based collection that speaks to the lived experience of students and prepares them to become more effective practioners of public and non-profit sectors by providing case studies arranged around major themes in public administration. Key Features: The 14 case studies are organized by main themes of public administration including political context of public administration, bureaucracy and organizational structure, organizational culture, leadership, human relations administration, budgeting, ethics, and decision making. Since they reflect actual experience, each case contains one or two secondary themes illustrating how the fundamental concepts and issues that students learn about function in concert in the real world. Students worked with the text authors to create, develop, and write each of these case studies so that the material better reflects current workplace realities and therefore results in a more meaningful learning experience for everyone. The focus on students provides a teaching case methodology that serves as an easily adaptable model for other instructors.

This handy guide and supplemental text examines trends in information and communication technology (ICT) that impact the day-to-day operations of federal, state, and local government. It seeks to improve service delivery, human resource administration, political participation, education, and citizen input (e-democracy), while at the same time recognizes that with ICT’s great promise comes great peril in the form of erosion of personal privacy (e-surveillance). Through the use of numerous examples and exercises, Robert Cropf helps students and practitioners alike explore the ways technological change shapes public policy, develop useful tools and skills for working in or with e-government, and understand the role that social media plays in helping to spark political, economic, and social change.

Casebooks in public administration have become intensely sophisticated with complex scenarios, richly detailed multi-step simulations, and demanding role playing requirements. While these types of cases and exercises have their place, Managing in the Public Sector is a casebook designed with maximum instructor flexibility and student engagement in mind. Featuring cases brief enough to be covered in the last few minutes of a class as well as those substantive enough to last the entire hour, this book allows instructors to illustrate theoretical concepts, encourage active student participation, to make a transition between topics, or to integrate different approaches to administrative study. Retaining the first edition’s use of focused, real-life-inspired cases to help elucidate the application of concepts for students, the second edition has been updated and revised throughout to include: An expanded chapter on ethical analysis A new section on how to make logical arguments Thoroughly updated cases as well as many new contemporary cases New chapter introductions featuring overviews of major leadership and ethical theories to provide students with the context they need Discussion questions at the end of each case to facilitate critical analysis and classroom discussion A cross-listing of all cases and subject matter in an appendix for quick topical reference. Now even more enmeshed in the literature of ethics, leadership, and public administration, Managing in the Public Sector, 2e provides authentic, hands-on experience of the decisions public administrators must face. It is an ideal casebook to supplement undergraduate and graduate public administration, leadership, human resource management, or administrative ethics courses.

Throughout its history, public administration has used a number of different perspectives for analyzing the discipline's theory and practice, and both mainstream and alternative lenses have produced valuable insights and prescriptions. At the same time, an individual way of looking at PA can be misleading. Alone, a solitary lens can miss critical aspects and often gives only part of the picture. Public Administration in Perspective has been specifically crafted to give new life to public administration theory and practice by helping readers view the discipline through a variety of perspectives. Designed for the capstone course in public administration programs, as well as a fresh approach for courses in PA theory and organizational theory, this unique book provides a culminating experience--bringing together what has been learned in previous MPA courses without simply rehashing old content. It offers a comprehensive guide to eleven major approaches to PA, and synthesizes them to deepen our understanding of the discipline. Each chapter in Part I describes the key features of the selected perspective--history, content, and proponents--and discusses the strengths and weaknesses related to PA theory and practice. Part II synthesizes the various perpectives, with specific implications for PA management and practice. Part III concludes with a complete overview, identifying ways in which readers can think more creatively and productively about PA, putting the perspectives themselves into perspective.

This practical casebook presents students with a variety of administrative situations and problems for analysis. Portraying realistic, on-the-job situations, cases represent all major aspects of public management at all levels of government.

"This cutting-edge new casebook challenges the dominant White-centric narrative of public administration, offering a fresh array of perspectives, with the lofty aim of ending the marginalization of communities in public policy implementation. Contributors adopt a liberatory framework to examine street-level public administrators (e.g. teachers, security officers, policy analysts, human resource experts) most responsible for implementing public policy in the United States, including and amplifying previously unrecognized narratives on the front-lines of public administration. Case studies explore real-life public servants not traditionally heard from, offering counter narratives. Each chapter concludes with an empowerment exercise or assignment for faculty to adopt in their classroom. This edited volume, a first of its kind, is written by experts in public policy and administration, bringing together top and emerging scholars in one volume to amplify underrepresented voices in public administration and policy. Chapters are rooted in qualitative approaches and center the narratives of marginalized communities, including women, People of Color, and LGBTQIA+ public servants. Street-Level Public Servants offers a much-needed casebook for public administration and public policy courses in the twenty-first century"--

As academic disciplines, public administration and public policy programs have struggled to link theoretical and conceptual grounding with practical application. Students often have discrete courses in human resources, finance, organizational behavior, policy analysis, and planning, but rarely are they offered an opportunity to pursue these through actual cases and problems facing public managers. The Public Manager Case Book is a collection of eight public administration cases that allows students to practice the decision-making skills they will need in their jobs as public managers. Each case focuses on the local administrative issues managers most often face in their day-to-day responsibilities, and each encourages students to collaborate with others in order to gain the necessary cooperation and information. The cases are multi-dimensional and challenge students and professors to draw from a variety of knowledge areas to develop alternative recommendations, decisions, or actions. An instructor′s manual is available for useful background material, references, theoretical and conceptual framework, and teaching tips. About the Editor Terrel L. Rhodes is Professor of Public Administration and Vice Provost for Curriculum and Undergraduate Studies at Portland State University.