The Accountable Juggler

by Radin, Beryl A.

• ISBN13: 9781568026435
• ISBN10: 1568026439
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-03-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND POLICY ADMINISTRATION SERIES Edited by Donald KettlHow should a manager handle different accountability expectations? While a commonplace term in government lexicon, accountability has escaped precise definition, leaving managers at a disadvantage when trying to monitor the performance of their programs.Including more than 300 programs, over 60,000 employees, and a budget of over $400 billion, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an ideal canvas for starkly illustrating competing accountability demands. With a bird's-eye view of the agency's inner workings, Radin tackles big issues such as strategies of centralization and decentralization, coordination with states and localities, leadership, and program design, while using the apt analogy of a juggler to show how managers must keep in the air disparate demands and developments.

Author Biography

Beryl A. Radin is professor of government and public administration at the University of Baltimore. An elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration, she is also the managing editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. She served as a special adviser and consultant to the assistant secretary for management and budget at HHS. She has written a number of books and articles on public policy and public management issues and is the recipient of the 2002 Donald Stone Award, given by the American Society for Public Administration's Section on Intergovernmental Relations and Management to recognize a scholar's distinguished record

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Donna E. Shalala
Preface	xi
Annotated List of Abbreviations and Terms	xiii
Introduction	1	(9)
An HHS Primer	6	(2)
This Book	8	(1)
Notes	9	(1)
Thinking About Accountability	10	(17)
Accountability in the U.S. Context	11	(1)
Traditional Approaches to Accountability	12	(4)
Reaching for a Broader Definition of Accountability	16	(4)
Contemporary Demands on Accountability	20	(2)
Thinking About Accountability as a Juggling Process	22	(3)
Notes	25	(2)
Can Anybody Manage This Organization? The HHS Case	27	(14)
HHS/HEW History: Strategic Choices	28	(3)
An Internal Centralization Strategy	31	(4)
The HHS Portfolio Circa 2001: The Pieces in the Portfolio	35	(4)
Conclusion	39	(1)
Notes	39	(2)
Accountability and the Policy Lens	41	(18)
Types of Federal Aid	43	(2)
Issues of Policy Design	45	(4)
Multiple Strategies	49	(1)
The Extent of the Federal Role	50	(3)
A Collection of Separate Cultures	53	(4)
Conclusion	57	(1)
Notes	57	(2)
Accountability and the Politics Lens	59	(29)
Dealing with Interest Groups and Constituencies	62	(8)
Congressional Expectations and Roles	70	(9)
Politics and the White House	79	(5)
Conclusion	84	(1)
Notes	85	(3)
Accountability and Management Processes	88	(30)
Public/Private Differences	90	(1)
The Context of the Management Responsibilities	91	(2)
Managing HHS	93	(5)
The Office of the Secretary	98	(14)
Sources of Oversight	112	(3)
Conclusion	115	(1)
Notes	115	(3)
Dealing with the Public	118	(11)
HHS Staff Offices	120	(4)
Advisory Committees	124	(1)
The Department Tells Its Story	125	(2)
Conclusion	127	(1)
Notes	128	(1)
Advice to a New HHS Secretary	129	(9)
A Matter of Life and Death	131	(1)
Controversy and Conflicting Values	132	(1)
The Federal Government as Partner	133	(1)
A Range of Well-Honed Professional Identities	134	(1)
Fragmentation of Approaches	135	(1)
Living in a Web of Accountability Expectations	136	(1)
Notes	137	(1)
Appendix 1. HHS Historical Highlights	138	(2)
Appendix 2. Secretaries of HEW and HHS	140	(1)
Appendix 3. HHS Regional Offices	141	(1)
Appendix 4. The HHS Portfolio	142	(10)
Suggestions for Further Reading	152	(2)
Index	154