How can public administration (P.A.) nudge government to govern fundamentally better in terms of policy? How critical is P.A. contemplation and nudges – prods, shoves or hammer blows - to government-in-context? In this book, David John Farmer argues that government-in-context refers to government-in-totality, to what governs even if not called government and to what constrains government action. Constricting contextual features are infiltration, exfiltration and post-truth, raising questions relating to democracy. Infiltration into government is the action of gaining access that benefits big corporations, their owners and billionaires; findings are that it also mal-nudges government action through such elements as big money, lobbying, tax breaks and embrace of the free market. Reacting to factors like growing income inequality, what is explained as exfiltration occurs for middle- and lower-income people. Post-truth is noted as the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year for 2016, describing people concerned less with truths than with opinions. The book analyzes three practical "hammer blow" and 18 "shove" nudges to contradict the mal-nudges. Beyond Public Administration will be of interest to P.A. scholars and graduate students, more specifically those interested in critical, normative, or interpretive scholarship focused on various aspects of P.A. theory, governance, and practical management.

Swiss citizens approve of their government and the way democracy is practiced; they trust the authorities and are satisfied with the range of services Swiss governments provide. This is quite unusual when compared to other countries. This open access book provides insight into the organization and the functioning of the Swiss state. It claims that, beyond politics, institutions and public administration, there are other factors which make a country successful. The authors argue that Switzerland is an interesting case, from a theoretical, scientific and a more practice-oriented perspective. While confronted with the same challenges as other countries, Switzerland offers different solutions, some of which work astonishingly well.

This text brings together a number of specialists who examine the range of ideas and concepts of the new models of reform, paying particular attention to the "new public management" model and to strategies of good governance. It evaluates progress made by governments and aid donors in putting these ideas into practice. Using case studies from both the developed and developing world, it emphasizes the extent to which public management and governance reforms are being applied throughout the international arena. The examples used focus on the problems of policy and institutional transfers between the industrialized world and developing countries. Multidisciplinary in its approach, it draws on literature and research from management studies, political science, sociology, economics and devolopment studies, and points to issues likely to dominate research agenda.

This volume addresses the relationship of citizenship and public management in Europe. After 15 years of state reform, it is time for an overall discussion of the theoretical and empirical impact and limits of New Public Management, as one of the latest reorientations in public administration, on the practice of citizenship. It points out the tension between a focus on improvement of state bureaucracies, on the one hand, and the involvement of citizens in the co-production of policies on the other. It also points to a fundamental change that is taking place: the imortance of state apparatuses for the development and sustainability of viable societies is being de-emphasized and special attention to "governance" is now taking over the central place, that for so long has been occupied by attention to "government". Through the eco-production of public policies by citizens and public authorities working together, a new civil society is emerging. The book highlights the fact that the re-invention of the citizen is of crucial importance to public administration practice, as well as to the various public administration disciplines in Europe.

Successful change in the public sector can be supported or hindered by political and administrative leadership, individual and group motivation, and the public’s perception of the effectiveness of public officials and government structures. But do the very characteristics of public sector organizations present obstacles to successful transformative change? This book assesses the current state of the literature on leadership and change in government and public policy, and introduces the reader to innovative new ways to demonstrate leadership in times of change. Contributions from accomplished scholars in the field cover the traditional public administration areas of performance and management, as well as the diversity of issues that surround public leadership and change, both domestic and global. Chapters on public sector innovation, performance leadership, governance networks, complexity in disaster management, change initiatives in educational systems and local government, citizen advisory bodies, and gender and race equality, to name but a few, provide important case studies throughout the volume. Leadership and Change in Public Sector Organizations will be required reading for upper level undergraduate and graduate courses in public administration/management, leadership, and public policy analysis.

A Practical Handbook for Public Administrators Despite the sizeable literature on administrative law and the courts, few books adequately demonstrate how judicial decisions have transformed American public administration thought and practice. Public Administration and Law is the first book of its kind to comprehensively examine the impact of judicial decisions on the enterprise of public administration. A practical guide for practitioners, this book goes beyond a theoretical framework and provides concrete advice for real-world situations. Rather than abstractly and generally discuss doctrines such as procedural and substantive due process, the book analyzes their application to specific contexts in which administrators engage individuals. Written in a non-technical fashion, the volume discusses contemporary federal administrative law and judicial review of agency action (or inaction). It clearly explains the general framework that controls agency rule making, adjudication, release of information, and related issues. In addition, a section is included on the burgeoning and litigious field of environmental law, and advice is presented as to what public administrators need to know about environmental regulations and what can happen to those who fail to head them. Now in its second edition, this handbook is a must for public administrators who want to successfully avoid judicial scrutiny and challenge of their official actions.