The True Size Of Government

Author : Paul C. Light
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2010-12-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0815720157

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The True Size of Government by Paul C. Light Pdf

This book addresses a seemingly simple question: Just how many people really work for the federal government? Official counts show a relatively small total of 1.9 million full-time civil servants, as of 1996. But, according to Paul Light, the true head count is nearly nine times higher than the official numbers, with about 17 million people actually providing the government with goods and services. Most are part of what Light calls the "shadow of government"—nonfederal employees working under federal contracts, grants, and mandates to state and local governments. In this book--the first that attempts to establish firm estimates of the shadow work force-- he explores the reasons why the official size of the federal government has remained so small while the shadow of government has grown so large. Light examines the political incentives that make the illusion of a small government so attractive, analyzes the tools used by officials to keep the official headcount small, and reveals how the appearance of smallness affects the management of government and the future of the public service. Finally, he points out ways the federal government can better manage the shadow work force it has built over the past half-century.

Author : Paul C. Light
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2018-11-19
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190851804

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The Government-Industrial Complex by Paul C. Light Pdf

In his 1961 Farewell Address, President Eisenhower famously referred to the emergence of a "military-industrial complex" so powerful that it threatened to warp America's political institutions and economy. However, the military was not the only part of a blended government workforce that was growing by leaps and bounds. Over the next half century, the true size of the federal government expanded in almost every department and agency as it came to depend on 7-9 million federal, contract, and grant employees to faithfully execute the laws. In The Government-Industrial Complex, public management expert Paul Light not only traces the expansion of the federal government's workforce over the past few decades, but also explains why it has taken the shape that it has. In marked contrast to governments in other wealthy countries, America's relies heavily on contract and grant employees to deliver goods and services even as the number of federal employees has held steady for seventy years. Light traces the rise of this government-industrial complex and asks whether and how the nation can be sure that the right people are in the right jobs to assure maximum performance for the public good. To do this, he offers short histories of the roles of various presidents and the impacts of war and economic crisis on the changing size of government. He also highlights the Trump administration's early strategies on downsizing and deconstructing government. Light emphasizes that achieving the right balance between public and private responsibilities is the key to making government both more efficient and more responsive. Comprehensive and pointed, this is a landmark account of the true nature and scope of national governance in the United States.

Author : Paul Charles Light
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2019
Category : POLITICAL SCIENCE
ISBN : 0190909595

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The Government-industrial Complex by Paul Charles Light Pdf

The Government-Industrial Complex explores the recent history and impact of the federal government's blended workforce of federal, contract, and grant employees. Drawing upon Dwight D. Eisenhower's description of the military-industrial complex, government-reform expert Paul Light argues that the federal government now depends on seven-nine million full-time-equivalent government-industry employees. Light's analysis examines changes in the size of the government-industrial complex, explains the federal government's dependence on contract and grant employees, and explores potential reforms to protect the nation against what Eisenhower called the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power. Light chronicles the role of hiring caps, cuts, and freezes in promoting the use of contract and grant employees and shows the impact of war and peace on the changing size of government. Light offers short histories of the role that Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama played in the changing number and distribution of the federal government’s federal, contract, and grant employees. Light also discusses the Trump administration’s early strategies on downsizing and deconstructing government while describing the demographic, bureaucratic, and political problems that explain the federal government’s dependence on contract and grant employees. He then describes a sorting system for assuring that the right employees are in the right jobs to assure the greatest value and accountability, and he concludes with a description of the "next gen" public service needed to achieve the more perfect union and blessings of liberty promised in the Constitution's preamble.

Author : Paul C. Light
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2009-09-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780674034785

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A Government Ill Executed by Paul C. Light Pdf

The federal government is having increasing difficulty faithfully executing the laws, which is what Alexander Hamilton called “the true test” of a good government. This book diagnoses the symptoms, explains their general causes, and proposes ways to improve the effectiveness of the federal government. Employing Hamilton’s seven measures of an energetic federal service, Paul Light shows how the government is wanting in each measure. After assessing the federal report card, Light offers a comprehensive agenda for reform, including new laws limiting the number of political appointees, reducing the layers of government management, reducing the size of government as its baby-boom employees retire, revitalizing the federal career, and reducing the heavy outsourcing of federal work. Although there are many ways to fix each of the seven problems with government, only a comprehensive agenda will bring the kind of reform needed to reverse the overall erosion of the capacity to faithfully execute all the laws.

Author : United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 188 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Civil service
ISBN : UCAL:B5141684

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Who's Doing Work for the Government? by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs Pdf

Author : World Bank
Publisher : World Bank Publications
Page : 697 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780821397282

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Measuring the Real Size of the World's Economy by World Bank Pdf

"This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions"--T.p. verso.

Author : Katherine C. Naff,Norma M. Riccucci
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 602 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2007-08-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780849385193

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Personnel Management in Government by Katherine C. Naff,Norma M. Riccucci Pdf

Human resources represents one of the largest shares of government budgets at every level. The management of people who carry out the government's work is therefore a critical issue to politicians and government managers and leaders, as well as citizens. Regardless of which administration is in office or which reforms are being touted as necessary, personnel are always at the heart of government and governing. Personnel Management in Government: Politics and Process highlights the rapid developments in public personnel administration and management. As one of the bestselling texts in the field, this sixth edition reflects the major changes that have occurred recently in government personnel administration, including the authorization given to the new Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to develop their own personnel management systems. Addressing reforms in federal and state governments to illustrate the employment scene in public sector workforces, this book continues to provide updated information on the political, legal, and managerial aspects of public personnel systems and policies. Features Reflects the changing nature of public personnel administration Provides up-to-date knowledge on the political, legal, and managerial aspects of public personnel management Addresses developments in the Department of Homeland Security and in the Department of Defense Presents major reforms in personnel policy and administration across federal, state, and local governments

Author : Norma M. Riccucci,Katherine C. Naff
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 513 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2017-09-25
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351554466

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Personnel Management in Government by Norma M. Riccucci,Katherine C. Naff Pdf

With over 20 million people on its payroll, the government continues to be the largest employer in the country. Managing people who do the nation’s work is of critical importance to politicians and government leaders as well as citizens. The great recession of 2008 put enormous strains on governments, highlighting the key role personnel play in managing under times of austerity as well as prosperity. A thorough examination of political and historical aspects, Personnel Management in Government: Politics and Process, Seventh Edition provides students with a comprehensive understanding of human resource management within its historical and political context in the public sector. It discusses the development of public sector human resource management, the present status of best practices, and important insights from current scholarship on all three levels of government: federal, state, and local. See What’s New in the Seventh Edition: Personnel reforms under the Obama administration Pension developments at state and local levels of government Labor relations reforms at state and local levels, e.g. recent experiences in Michigan, Ohio, and other states making big changes to labor laws and policies Changes to diversity and affirmative action initiatives across the nation Developments in performance outcome initiatives at all levels of government During the 36 years since the publication of the first edition, the authors have addressed issues that were not yet considered mainstream, yet have become so over time. The seventh edition is no different. It examines progress that public personnel professionals are making to address changes in the political, legal, and managerial environment of the current decade. Exploring developments and innovations in the management of people who carry out the government's work, the book introduces students to public sector personnel management.

Author : Donald F. Kettl
Publisher : CQ Press
Page : 481 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2023-08-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781071875582

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Politics of the Administrative Process by Donald F. Kettl Pdf

Politics of the Administrative Process gives students a realistic, relevant, and well-researched view of the field while remaining reader-friendly with engaging vignettes and rich, current examples. With a unique focus on policymaking and politics, the Ninth Edition continues its strong emphasis on politics, accountability, and performance.

Author : Andrew Massey,Karen Johnston
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2015-04-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781781954492

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The International Handbook of Public Administration and Governance by Andrew Massey,Karen Johnston Pdf

The International Handbook of Public Administration and Governance is a ground-breaking volume with eminent scholars addressing the key questions in relation to how international governments can solve public administration and governance challenges in

Author : Dennis C. Mueller
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 796 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2003-02-17
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0521894751

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Public Choice III by Dennis C. Mueller Pdf

Sample Text

Author : Robert Singh
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 564 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0199250499

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Governing America by Robert Singh Pdf

Aimed at undergraduate students of US government and politics, this volume offers an accessible and comprehensive examination of American politics both before and after September 11.

Author : June A. Sekera
Publisher : Springer
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2016-07-04
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9783319404875

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The Public Economy in Crisis by June A. Sekera Pdf

This Brief proposes a new theory of public economics which deemphasizes reliance on the free market and affirms the importance of public goods and services within the context of the democratic process and constitutional governance. Public non-market production makes up from a quarter to more than half of all economic activity in advanced democratic nation-states. Yet by imposing market precepts on the public domain, as mainstream economics, political science, and public administration do, public governing capacity is weakened and the democratic system suffers. Agencies originally created to meet public needs are being warped into entities whose purpose is to generate revenue and, in some cases, deliver private profits at public expense. Drawing on classic public finance literature, this book illustrates the differences between public economy and the market model and why those differences matter. Building on this, the Brief sketches the elements of a new theory of the public non-market and illuminates its connections to the delegation of power and collective provision of resources from the polity. This book will be useful to scholars of public economics, political science, and public administration as well as policy makers and those working in the public sector.

Author : Joseph A. Pika,John Anthony Maltese,Andrew Rudalevige
Publisher : CQ Press
Page : 598 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2021-11-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781544390840

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The Politics of the Presidency by Joseph A. Pika,John Anthony Maltese,Andrew Rudalevige Pdf

Get the most up-to-date coverage and analysis of the presidency. Never losing sight of the foundations of the office, The Politics of the Presidency maintains a balance between historical context and contemporary scholarship on the executive branch, providing a solid foundation for any presidency course. In this Revised Tenth Edition, bestselling authors Joseph A. Pika, John Anthony Maltese, and Andrew Rudalevige present a thorough analysis of the change and continuity following the November 2020 presidential election and Biden administration.

Author : Steven Cohen
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2008-10-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781589016491

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The Responsible Contract Manager by Steven Cohen Pdf

Contract management is a critical skill for all contemporary public managers. As more government duties are contracted out, managers must learn to coordinate and measure the performance of private contractors, and to write contract requirements and elicit bids that obtain important services and products at the best possible price and quality. They must also learn to work in teams that include both public and private sector partners. The Responsible Contract Manager delves into the issues of how to ensure that the work done by private sector contractors serves the public interest and argues for the necessity of making these organizations act as extensions of the public sector while maintaining their private character. Government contract managers have a unique burden because they must develop practices that ensure the production advantages of networked organizations and the transparency and accountability required of the public sector. The Responsible Contract Manager fills a major gap in public management literature by providing a clear and practical introduction to the best practices of contract management and also includes a discussion of public ethics, governance and representation theory. It is an essential guide for all public management scholars and is especially useful for students in MPA graduate programs and related fields.