Politics of the Administrative Process (Chatham House Series on Change in American Politics) - Softcover

Fesler, James W.; Kettl, Donald F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0934540810 ISBN 13: 9780934540810

Publisher: Chatham House Pub, 1990

Synopsis

In a democracy, efficient public administration is after a delicate balance: the bureaucracy must be powerful enough to be effective, yet accountable to elected officials and the people. Kettl and Fesler understand that the push and pull of political forces make the functions of bureaucracy ever more contentious, but no less crucial to governance.

Based on reviewer feedback, and given advances in scholarship and in practice, the authors introduce the crucial topics of ethics, accountability, and leadership early on, utilizing these central ideas as touchstones throughout the book. While this text continues to focus on the core components of public administration such as budgeting, personnel, and implementation it's been thoroughly updated to cover recent developments, including administrative issues spotlighted during the 2008 presidential campaigns, the use of technology in government management, and the changing face of the federal workforce. Fully updated tables and figures feature a wealth of current data, and photos add visual context to the book s core concepts.

What was an appendix showcasing fourteen case studies in the previous edition is now a set of fully-integrated case studies-- one in each chapter-- that challenges readers to apply ideas and analysis as they go. Each case emphasizes the people on the front lines at the local, state, and federal levels with topics ranging from Taser use in law enforcement to the Federal Reserve's response to economic problems.

About this title

About the Author:

Donald F. Kettl is the Stanley I. Sheerr Endowed Term Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Fels Institute of Government and professor of political science. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Kettl is the author of numerous books, including System under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics (Winner of the 2005 Louis Brownlow Book Award); Deficit Politics; Leadership at the Fed; and The Next Government of the United States (forthcoming). His Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for Twenty-first Century America (2002) shared the 2003 Brownlow Book Award for the best book in public administration. Kettl has consulted broadly for government organizations and is a regular columnist for Governing magazine.

James W. Fesler received the Dwight Waldo Award of the American Society for Public Administration "for distinguished contributions to the professional literature of public administration," and the John Gaus Award of the American Political Science Association for "a lifetime of exemplary scholarship in the joint tradition of political science and public administration." His books include Area and Administration, The Independence of State Regulatory Agencies, and Public Administration.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chatham House Pub
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0934540810
• ISBN 13: 9780934540810
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480