Tools for Decision Making: A Practical Guide for Local Government

Known for encouraging step-by-step problem solving and for connecting techniques to real-world scenarios, David Ammons’ Tools for Decision Making covers a wide range of local government practices―from the foundational to the advanced. Brief and readable, each chapter opens with a problem in a hypothetical city and then introduces a tool to address it. Thoroughly updated with new local government examples, the second edition also incorporates chapters devoted to such additional techniques as sampling analysis, sensitivity analysis, financial condition analysis, and forecasting via trend analysis. Numerous tables, figures, exhibits, equations, and worksheets walk readers through the application of tools, and boxed features throughout each chapter present other uses for techniques, helpful online resources, and common errors.

A handy guide for students and an invaluable resource and reference for practitioners.

David N. Ammons is Albert Coates Professor of Public Administration and Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Among his other books on local government management are Municipal Benchmarks: Assessing Local Performance and Establishing Community Standards and Leading Performance Management in Local Government. Early in his career he served in various administrative capacities in four municipalities―Fort Worth, Texas; Hurst, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He consults with local governments on organizational and management concerns, including performance measurement and productivity improvement.