Government Performance

by Ingraham, Patricia W.; Joyce, Philip G.; Donahue, Amy Kneedler

• ISBN13: 9780801872280
• ISBN10: 0801872286
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-13
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

Scholars and practitioners of public management have stressed the importance of such varied concepts as efficiency, process, systems, and capacity as key to running effective government programs. While acknowledging the usefulness of each of these criteria, the authors of Government Performance argue that one quality above all is crucial to the overall performance of government: effective management. Examining government performance at the federal, state, and local levels, the authors present analyses of public management systems in all fifty states, the thirty-five largest cities, forty large counties, and a number of federal agencies. They examine systems for financial management, human resources management, information technology management, capital management, and systems for managing results. While acknowledging the political context of all public administration systems, they argue that effective management of these systems nevertheless provides the key to good government performance.

Author Biography

Patricia W. Ingraham is Distinguished Professor of Public Administration in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Philip G. Joyce is an associate professor of public administration at the George Washington University. Amy Kneedler Donahue is an assistant professor of public administration and political science at the University of Connecticut.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	xi
Series Editors' Foreword	xiii
Preface	xv
1 Management, Capacity, and Performance	1	(12)
"Management Is Neutral"	4	(1)
Management as Professional Leadership and Guidance	5	(1)
Management, Implementation, and Performance	6	(2)
Leaders, Managers, and Management Systems	8	(1)
The Government and Federal Performance Projects	9	(1)
The Structure of the Book	10	(3)
2 Dissecting Management	13	(15)
The Government Performance Framework	14	(10)
The Management/Performance Link	24	(2)
Conclusion	26	(2)
3 Assessing Management	28	(22)
Criteria-based Assessment	28	(4)
Evaluating Management Systems	32	(11)
Evaluating Managing for Results	43	(3)
Evaluating Integration and Alignment	46	(1)
Evaluating Leadership	47	(1)
Toward a More Comprehensive Approach to Management	48	(2)
4 Research Methodology	50	(20)
Selecting the Entities for Study	50	(3)
Collecting the Data	53	(4)
Show Time	57	(6)
Converting Data Collected into Results	63	(2)
The Analytical Process Itself	65	(3)
Conclusion	68	(2)
5 State and Local Findings	70	(23)
Financial Management Capacity	71	(7)
Capital and Infrastructure Management Capacity	78	(3)
Human Resources Management Capacity	81	(3)
Information Technology Management Capacity	84	(3)
Managing for Results	87	(3)
Some General Observations	90	(2)
Conclusion	92	(1)
6 Federal Results	93	(24)
Managing for Results	94	(8)
Human Resources Management	102	(4)
Financial Management	106	(4)
Information Management	110	(4)
Physical Asset Management	114	(2)
Conclusion	116	(1)
7 The Big Lessons	117	(28)
Management Matters	120	(11)
Effective Leadership Is Vital	131	(4)
Criteria-based Assessment Facilitates Learning	135	(4)
The Road to Change Is Long and Painful but Taken Nonetheless	139	(2)
Management Systems Are Policy Levers for Improvement	141	(2)
The Grading Process Itself Stimulated Change	143	(2)
8 Next Steps	145	(14)
What Progress Did the GPP and FPP Make?	145	(5)
Research Agenda for the Future	150	(6)
Conclusion	156	(3)
Appendixes	159	(16)
Government Performance Project	161	(1)
Federal Performance Project	162	(13)
3.1. Federal Agency Management Assessment Criteria	163	(3)
3.2. State Government Management Assessment Criteria	166	(3)
3.3. Local Government Management Assessment Criteria	169	(3)
4.1. Cities, Counties, and Federal Agencies Graded	172	(3)
References	175	(10)
Index	185