Political Decisions And Agency Performance

Author : R. Torenvlied
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 303 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789401142854

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Political Decisions and Agency Performance by R. Torenvlied Pdf

All over the world, many people who live in urban areas find themselves in an arduous social situation. In the third world, people in overcrowded metropolitan areas have a problem in maintaining even the slightest standards of living. But also richer parts of the world, the United States, Europe and the far-East, show growing social inequalities in their cities. And social problems are not confined to the large metropolitan areas: impoverishment, long-term unemployment, social isolation, and the dependency on welfare programs pops up in medium-sized cities and even in smaller communities. At the same time, these cities are confronted with a growing bureaucratic conglomerate which is increasingly inapt to fight social degeneration. The catastrophe seems to be total: how to deal at once with declining social conditions and bureaucratic inadequacy? Two American authors, Osborne and Plastrik (1997), claim to have found the answer: just banish bureaucracy. The liberating accomplishments of the free market will elevate ordinary citizens and force lazy, incompetent bureaucrats to do their work properly. If they succeed, they survive. Otherwise, these agencies will vanish. They illustrate their arguments with the American city of 'Uphill Battle' which stopped its decline by reinventing government. Strict performance measures, allotting financial controls and incentives to the citizens, and improving accountability have saved the city. We should, however, be very careful in taking such measures so far that they banish bureaucracy. It is far from obvious that simply banishing bureaucracy indeed will help people in poor social situations.

Author : Patricia W. Ingraham,Philip G. Joyce,Amy Kneedler Donahue
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2003-09-19
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0801872286

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Government Performance by Patricia W. Ingraham,Philip G. Joyce,Amy Kneedler Donahue Pdf

Based on five years of extensive research by the Government Performance Project, this volume offers a comprehensive analysis of how government managers and elected officials use management and management systems to improve performance. Drawing on data from across the nation, it examines the performance of state, county, and city governments between 1997 and 2002 within the framework of basic management systems: financial information, human resources, capital and infrastructure, and results evaluation. Key issues addressed: • How governments strategically select elements of management to emphasize the role of leadership • How those governments that aim to improve performance differ from those that do not • What “effective management” looks like Through this careful, in-depth investigation, the contributors conclude that the most effective governments are not those with the most resources, but those that use the resources available to them most carefully and strategically. In Pursuit of Performance is an invaluable tool for government leaders and the scholars who study them.

Author : Thomas Stanton,Douglas W. Webster
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2014-02-10
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781118841808

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Managing Risk and Performance by Thomas Stanton,Douglas W. Webster Pdf

Discover analytical tools and practices to help improve the quality of risk management in government organizations Federal agencies increasingly recognize the importance of active risk management to help ensure that they can carry out their missions. High impact events, once thought to occur only rarely, now occur with surprising frequency. Managing Risk in Government Agencies and Programs provides insight into the increasingly critical role of effective risk management, while offering analytical tools and promising practices that can help improve the quality of risk management in government organizations. Includes chapters that contribute to the knowledge of government executives and managers who want to establish or implement risk management, and especially Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), in their agencies Features chapters written by federal risk managers, public administration practitioners, and scholars Showing government officials how to improve their organization's risk management capabilities, Managing Risk in Government Agencies and Programs meets a growing demand from federal departments and agencies that find themselves increasingly embarrassed by risky events that raise questions about their ability to carry out their missions.

Author : Jerry Ellig,Maurice McTigue,Henry Wray
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 312 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2011-09-08
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781439844649

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Government Performance and Results by Jerry Ellig,Maurice McTigue,Henry Wray Pdf

The complexity of governments today makes the accountability desired by citizens difficult to achieve. Written to address performance policies within state and national governments, Government Performance and Results: An Evaluation of GPRA’s First Decade summarizes lessons learned from a 10-year research project that evaluated performance reports produced by federal agencies under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The results of this project can help answer a wide variety of questions in political economy and public administration, such as: What factors make performance reports relevant and informative? Has the quality of information disclosed to the public improved? Why do some agencies produce better reports than others? Has GPRA led to greater availability and use of performance information by federal managers? Has GPRA led to greater use of performance information in budget decisions? What steps would make federal management and budget decisions more performance oriented? The book documents the current state of the art in federal performance reporting, measures the extent of improvement, compares federal performance reports with those produced by state governments and other nations, and suggests how GPRA has affected management of federal agencies and resource allocation by policymakers. It also identifies obstacles that must be overcome if GPRA is to deliver on the promise of performance budgeting. The authors chronicle the improvements observed in federal performance reporting through the lens of the Mercatus Center’s annual Performance Report Scorecard. As budget shortfalls and new debt burdens increase interest in public management and budgeting techniques that allow governments to do more with less, this is an appropriate time to take stock of what GPRA has accomplished and what remains to be done. By comparing best performance reporting practices in the US federal government with those in states and other countries, this book speeds the diffusion of useful knowledge at a critical time.

Author : Jerry Ellig,Maurice McTigue,Henry Wray
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 312 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2011-09-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781466508637

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Government Performance and Results by Jerry Ellig,Maurice McTigue,Henry Wray Pdf

The complexity of governments today makes the accountability desired by citizens difficult to achieve. Written to address performance policies within state and national governments, Government Performance and Results: An Evaluation of GPRA’s First Decade summarizes lessons learned from a 10-year research project that evaluated performance reports produced by federal agencies under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The results of this project can help answer a wide variety of questions in political economy and public administration, such as: What factors make performance reports relevant and informative? Has the quality of information disclosed to the public improved? Why do some agencies produce better reports than others? Has GPRA led to greater availability and use of performance information by federal managers? Has GPRA led to greater use of performance information in budget decisions? What steps would make federal management and budget decisions more performance oriented? The book documents the current state of the art in federal performance reporting, measures the extent of improvement, compares federal performance reports with those produced by state governments and other nations, and suggests how GPRA has affected management of federal agencies and resource allocation by policymakers. It also identifies obstacles that must be overcome if GPRA is to deliver on the promise of performance budgeting. The authors chronicle the improvements observed in federal performance reporting through the lens of the Mercatus Center’s annual Performance Report Scorecard. As budget shortfalls and new debt burdens increase interest in public management and budgeting techniques that allow governments to do more with less, this is an appropriate time to take stock of what GPRA has accomplished and what remains to be done. By comparing best performance reporting practices in the US federal government with those in states and other countries, this book speeds the diffusion of useful knowledge at a critical time.

Author : Jerry Ellig,Maurice McTigue,Henry Wray
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:1151051152

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Government Performance and Results by Jerry Ellig,Maurice McTigue,Henry Wray Pdf

The complexity of governments today makes the accountability desired by citizens difficult to achieve. Written to address performance policies within state and national governments, Government Performance and Results: An Evaluation of GPRA's First Decade summarizes lessons learned from a 10-year research project that evaluated performance reports produced by federal agencies under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The results of this project can help answer a wide variety of questions in political economy and public administration, such as: What factors make performance reports relevant and informative? Has the quality of information disclosed to the public improved? Why do some agencies produce better reports than others? Has GPRA led to greater availability and use of performance information by federal managers? Has GPRA led to greater use of performance information in budget decisions? What steps would make federal management and budget decisions more performance oriented? The book documents the current state of the art in federal performance reporting, measures the extent of improvement, compares federal performance reports with those produced by state governments and other nations, and suggests how GPRA has affected management of federal agencies and resource allocation by policymakers. It also identifies obstacles that must be overcome if GPRA is to deliver on the promise of performance budgeting. The authors chronicle the improvements observed in federal performance reporting through the lens of the Mercatus Center's annual Performance Report Scorecard. As budget shortfalls and new debt burdens increase interest in public management and budgeting techniques that allow governments to do more with less, this is an appropriate time to take stock of what GPRA has accomplished and what remains to be done. By comparing best performance reporting practices in the US federal government with those in states and other countries, this book speeds the diffusion of useful knowledge at a critical time.

Author : United States. Government Accountability Office
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 45 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Administrative agencies
ISBN : OCLC:1011968696

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Managing for Results by United States. Government Accountability Office Pdf

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 has laid a foundation of results-oriented agency planning, measurement, and reporting in the federal government. Performance planning and measurement have slowly, yet increasingly, become a part of agencies' cultures. For planning and performance measurement to be effective, federal managers need to use performance information to identify performance problems and look for solutions, develop approaches that improve results, and make other important management decisions. According to GAO's periodic surveys, federal managers reported having more performance measures in 2003 than in 1997. However, the data also showed that managers' reported use of performance information for program management activities has remained essentially unchanged from 1997 levels. GAO was asked to identify (1) how federal agencies can use performance information to make management decisions and (2) practices that can enhance or facilitate the use of performance information to make management decisions. Technical comments from the case agencies were incorporated where appropriate.

Author : United States. Agency for International Development
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Economic assistance, American
ISBN : IND:30000129993022

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Agency Performance Report by United States. Agency for International Development Pdf

Author : David E. Lewis
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 312 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2010-12-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781400837687

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The Politics of Presidential Appointments by David E. Lewis Pdf

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many questioned whether the large number of political appointees in the Federal Emergency Management Agency contributed to the agency's poor handling of the catastrophe, ultimately costing hundreds of lives and causing immeasurable pain and suffering. The Politics of Presidential Appointments examines in depth how and why presidents use political appointees and how their choices impact government performance--for better or worse. One way presidents can influence the permanent bureaucracy is by filling key posts with people who are sympathetic to their policy goals. But if the president's appointees lack competence and an agency fails in its mission--as with Katrina--the president is accused of employing his friends and allies to the detriment of the public. Through case studies and cutting-edge analysis, David Lewis takes a fascinating look at presidential appointments dating back to the 1960s to learn which jobs went to appointees, which agencies were more likely to have appointees, how the use of appointees varied by administration, and how it affected agency performance. He argues that presidents politicize even when it hurts performance--and often with support from Congress--because they need agencies to be responsive to presidential direction. He shows how agency missions and personnel--and whether they line up with the president's vision--determine which agencies presidents target with appointees, and he sheds new light on the important role patronage plays in appointment decisions.

Author : Steven Putansu
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 215 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2020-02-27
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783030383954

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Politics and Policy Knowledge in Federal Education by Steven Putansu Pdf

Policy knowledge derived from data, information, and evidence is a powerful tool for contributing to policy discussions and debates, and for understanding and improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of government action. For decades, politicians, advocates, reformers, and researchers have simultaneously espoused this value, while also paradoxically lamenting the lack of impact of policy knowledge on decision making, and the failure of related reforms. This text explores this paradox, identifying the reliance on a proverb of using policy knowledge to supplant politics as a primary culprit for these perceived failures. The evidence in this book suggests that any consideration of the role of policy knowledge in decision making must be considered alongside, rather than in place of, considerations of the ideologies, interests, and institutional factors that shape political decisions. This contextually rich approach offers practical insights to understand the role of policy knowledge, and to better leverage it to support good governance decisions.

Author : Committee on Measuring and Improving Infrastructure Performance,Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 133 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1995-01-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780309587105

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Measuring and Improving Infrastructure Performance by Committee on Measuring and Improving Infrastructure Performance,Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,National Research Council Pdf

The nation's physical infrastructure facilitates movement of people and goods; provides safe water; provides energy when and where needed; removes wastes; enables rapid communications; and generally supports our economy and quality of life. Developing a framework for guiding attempts at measuring the performance of infrastructure systems and grappling with the concept of defining good performance are the major themes of this book. Focusing on urban regions, within a context of national policy, the volume provides the basis for further in-depth analysis and application at the local, regional, state, and national levels.

Author : OECD
Publisher : OECD Publishing
Page : 84 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2017-03-30
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9789264065239

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OECD Public Governance Reviews Preventing Policy Capture Integrity in Public Decision Making by OECD Pdf

This report exposes how “policy capture”, where public decisions over policies are consistently or repeatedly directed away from the public interest towards a specific interest, can exacerbate inequalities and undermine democratic values, economic growth and trust in government.

Author : Robert Klitgaard,Paul C. Light,John Dumond
Publisher : Rand Corporation
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2005-03-24
Category : Law
ISBN : 9780833040671

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High-Performance Government by Robert Klitgaard,Paul C. Light,John Dumond Pdf

In 2003, the National Commission on the Public Service, chaired by Paul Volcker, issued a report detailing problems within the federal government today and recommending changes in its organization, leadership, and operations. This book suggests practical ways to implement the recommendations and defines a research agenda for the future. Thirteen essays address the primary problem areas identified by the Volcker Commission, and the commission report itself is included.

Author : United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : UCR:31210010536082

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Civilian Science Agencies' Implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act (GRPA) by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science Pdf

Author : Anthony King,Ivor Crewe
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 668 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2014-09-04
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781780746180

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The Blunders of Our Governments by Anthony King,Ivor Crewe Pdf

With unrivalled political savvy and a keen sense of irony, distinguished political scientists Anthony King and Ivor Crewe open our eyes to the worst government horror stories and explain why the British political system is quite so prone to appalling mistakes.