Advancing Public Management

Anyone interested in assessing the vitality and strength of the field of public management need look no farther than this book. There is no orthodoxy here. Indeed, the book is a far-ranging and provocative exploration of the issues in play-and the big puzzles that remain to be solved. -- Donald F. Kettl, professor of public affairs and political science, La Follette Institute of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison This is a splendid collection of essays, theory development and empirical research by many of the leading scholars in public administration and policy. It should be required reading for anyone wishing to be up-to-date in public administration and policy. -- George Frederickson, professor of public adminstration, University of Kansas

Public management involves leading, coordinating, and stimulating public agencies and programs to deliver excellent performance. This title address topics such as: the nature and impact of public management; reform, reinvention, innovation, and change; and, models and frameworks for understanding and improving public management.Public management involves leading, coordinating, and stimulating public agencies and programs to deliver excellent performance. Research and practice of public management have developed rapidly in recent years, drawing on the fields of public policy, public administration, and business management. In carrying out their crucial roles in shaping what government delivers, public managers today must confront daunting challenges imposed by shifting policy agendas, constrained financial resources combined with constant public demands for a rich array of public services, and increasing interdependence among public, private, and third-sector institutions and actors. At the same time, these challenges and other developments offer exciting opportunities for improving knowledge and practice in public management, for the benefit of everyone. In this volume, leading scholars contribute advances in the theory, methods, and practice in this burgeoning field. The selections address four key topics: the nature and impact of public management; creative new methods for public management research; reform, reinvention, innovation, and change; and, new models and frameworks for understanding and improving public management.