Brandon Ching
PAF 602 (Fall 2008)
Abstract
Stivers, C. M. (2002). Bureau Men, Settlement Women: Constructing Public Administration in the Progressive Era (Studies in Government and Public Policy). University Press Of Kansas.
Camilla Stivers’ Bureau Men, Settlement Women is a historical reconstruction of the early days of public administration with a particular emphasis on gender influences. Focusing on the Progressive Era, Stivers dichotomizes municipal research bureaus and settlement houses as distinct yet complimentary forms of governmental reform organizations central to the rise of the administrative state. Research bureaus, focused on objective and procedural efficiency in administration, are identified as masculine; while settlement houses, focused on substantive social improvement, are seen as feminine. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: abstract, efficiency, Progressive, public administration, reconstruction
Brandon Ching
PAF 602 (Fall 2008)
Abstract
Ostrom, V. (1989). The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration. University Alabama Press.
Vincent Ostrom’s The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration is an argument against bureaucratic administration in favor of democratic administration. Ostrom sees a fundamental dichotomy in the field of public administration and presses for a paradigm shift in classical Kuhn fashion. This shift is away from the traditional theory of public administration as layed out by Woodrow Wilson, Max Weber, and others. Drawing upon Alexis Tocqueville, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and others, Ostrom argues that fragmentation of authority and overlapping jurisdiction allow for less abuse of power and greater efficiency in administration. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: abstract, abuse, critique, efficiency, power, public administration
The e-government movement concerns the use of information technology to exchange information and provide services from government organizations to citizens, businesses, and other branches of government. While initially used as a means of information dissemination, many government organizations at all levels are capitalizing on the use of technology to make interaction with government easier. The aim of e-government is to increase government efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and to improve citizen-government interactions. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: campaigning, citizen, democracy, e-government, efficiency, governance, Internet, IT, legitimacy, participation, protection, technology, voting
Brandon Ching
PAF 602 (Fall 2008)
Abstract
Simon, H. A. (1997). Administrative Behavior, 4th Edition. Free Press.
Herbert Simon’s Administrative Behavior is an extensive analysis of decision making in organizations. Relying heavily on the work of Chester Barnard, Simon analyzes organizational decision making from the flawed classical “administrative principals” to a new interpretation of decision making through the use of elements of modern human psychology. Simon’s central argument seems to be that an organization can be defined through its decision-making processes and that the gauge of success is the achievement of objective organizational goals. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Barnard, critique, decision-making, efficiency, expertise, government, objective, public administration
What follows is the concluding chapter of my Master’s thesis.
E-government is revolutionizing the business of government. It has the potential to single handedly bring citizens closer to their governments in a time when government mistrust and mismanagement has run rampant. By allowing citizens the opportunity to gather information, conduct online transactions, and more easily interact with their government, the e-government phenomena has begun to cement itself into the fabric of American culture. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: efficiency, free software, Internet, IT, linux, open-source
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