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Public Accountability in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Prospects

No Author — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:39:00 EST

EDITOR�S NOTE: We continue our publication of the ASPA Founders� Forum Fellow (FFF) papers with this piece, number 3 of 14. The papers will appear in alphabetical order, with two papers posted each week until all 14 are online. Previously posted papers may be viewed by going to the Related Articles box below.

Rachel Krefetz Fyall

Since the Friedrich-Finer debate of the 1940s, accountability has been prominent issue within public administration scholarship and practice. Even still, accountability concerns have become more urgent in response to recent structural changes in public service delivery. Within a traditional bureaucratic model, accountability refers to the expectation that those in government should be held responsible for their actions. While many varied forms of accountability exist (see Rainey�s discussion of responsiveness values, 2009, pp. 106-7), traditional discussions of accountability within the public administration literature limit the subject of accountability to �the government� (both elected officials and government employees) (Romzek and Dubnick 1987). As the boundaries distinguishing the public sector have increasingly blurred, however, the simple question of �Who is accountable?� has become more difficult to answer.

Like Brand New: Revitalizing a Pro-Government Culture in the United States

No Author — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:25:00 EST

EDITOR'S NOTE: We continue our publication of the ASPA Founders' Forum Fellow (FFF) papers with this piece, number 2 of 14. As stated previously, the papers will appear in alphabetical order, with two papers posted each week until all 14 are online. To receive notices when the articles are posted, sign-up as a Registered Reader at PA TIMES Online.

Erica Copeland

�Americans suspect their government is both ineffective and inefficient.� Numerous scholars of public administration have evaluated and supported this same assumption: the government is failing to meet public expectations. The pessimistic proposition suggests the need for the government to overhaul and to rebuild its relationship with its citizenry to inspire mutual trust. However, improving how Americans see government requires solutions that avoid contrasting �the public� with �the bureaucracy� as if either group is monolithic or entirely distinct from the other. In fact, citizens of diverse backgrounds and beliefs shape the public interest just as public agencies with unique and, at times, conflicting priorities constitute the whole of government. Environmentalists set different priorities than do industrialists similar to how the Environmental Protection Agency may advocate policies that contrast with those promoted by the Small Business Administration.

Accountability Challenges in 21st Century Governance

No Author — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:41:00 EST

Washington, DC�ASPA�s student members are the heart of the organization. Their development is a key priority, at ASPA, since they will be the ones to lead us into the future. Our charge now, is to support their development. To this end, ASPA continued its tradition of offering the Founders Forum Fellowship Program. In addition to the benefits the students receive from the program, ASPA has linked the fellows with Senior ASPA Members (both practitioners and academics) who are leaders in an area of interest to the fellow and it has revised the way in which the fellows engage ASPA and experience their membership.

One of the changes to the program, was requiring the students to tackle a contemporary issue within the field by addressing it in a paper to be presented at the 2012 ASPA Annual Conference at a special discussion circle session, �The 2012 Founders� Forum Fellows Critical Issues in Public Administration Exchange: A Series of Discussion Circles.� The students were required to write an essay (fitting one of the topics below) that demonstrates analytical rigor and critical thinking by specifically framing the issues, citing actual cases and using empirical data to cultivate positive discussion about how we, as a field, can address the issues identified.

Doing for the Social Sciences what Darwin did for the Biological Sciences, Part 3

No Author — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:39:00 EST

Due to its length, this article has been split into three pieces. Parts one and two of this article may be read by clicking the link in the Related Articles box below. If you would like to post a comment to this article, click on the Post A Comment link below.

Herbert H. Werlin

As explained in my 2003 Public Administration Reveiw (PAR) article, the justification for Political Elasticity (PE) theory is simply that it is more enlightening than other theories in regard to the most interesting questions in the literature having to do with the poverty and wealth of nations:

Doing for the Social Sciences what Darwin did for the Biological Sciences, Part 2

No Author — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:04:00 EST

Due to its length, this article has been split into three pieces. Watch for the third piece, which discusses the author's Political Elasticity Theory in more detail, to be posted next Monday, April 16, 2012. Part one of this article may be read by clicking the link in the Related Articles box below.

Herbert H. Werlin

A THEORY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Francis Fukuyama, in his 2004 book, State Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century, recognizes the impact of inadequate public administration in weak or failed states. For example, in regard to helping HIV/AIDS victims, the �public health infrastructure may be nonexistent, incompetent, or highly corrupt; medicines will be stolen, records will not be kept, and donor funds will end up in the hands of bureaucrats rather than going to the patients that they are meant to serve.� The weaker the state, the less likely it is to be able to �monitor tax compliance and enforce tax laws.�

Doing for the Social Sciences what Darwin did for the Biological Sciences

No Author — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:56:00 EST

Due to its length, this article has been split into three pieces. Watch for the second piece, which discusses the author's own struggle to link public administration to political science, economic development and comparative politics resulting in his subsequent Political Elasticity Theory, to be posted this Thursday, April 12, 2012.

Herbert H. Werlin

In The Washington Post (March 18, 2011), Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is reported to have pledged to the new government of Egypt tens of millions of dollars of financial aid and business incentives in addition to the more than $1 billion already available to Egypt by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to fund small and medium size businesses and stimulate job growth. The trouble with this is that, unless there is fundamental administrative reform, not much good can be expected of this financial aid. This is a point generally overlooked by scholars and journalists.

When Civic Engagement Becomes Precarious Political Action, Part 2

No Author — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:26:00 EST

This article is part of a series on 'Social Media and Civic Engagement,' to be published on PA TIMES Online during the month of February, and is Part 2 of McLennan's article. To read part one, click on it in the Related Articles box below this piece.

We are still accepting articles for this topic and all others on the 2012 PA TIMES Online Editorial Calendar. For more information or to see the calendar, click the link at the end of this piece in the Related Articles box.

Lauren E. McLennan

When Action Backfires
Neither paper provides totally balanced information and both have played a role in politics publically; and both newspapers today are being used by our legislators to deliberate about what the �American people� want. These polls are the opinions of a small group of citizens who have unwittingly managed to utilize some of the most powerful primary media groups in America. Realistically, together these two newspapers (loosely) represent only 1 percent of the United States� population.

When Civic Engagement Becomes Precarious Political Action

No Author — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:52:00 EST

This article is the first of a series to be published on PA TIMES Online during the month of February under the topic of 'Social Media and Civic Engagement.' We are still accepting articles for this topic and all others on the 2012 PA TIMES Online Editorial Calendar. For more information or to see the calendar, click the link at the end of this piece in the Related Articles box.

This is Part 1 of McLennan's article. Watch for Part 2 this Thursday, February 9th.

Lauren E. McLennan

When we discuss civic engagement as a way to interact with government without getting involved in politics directly, we fall short of recognizing a weakness within civic information sharing. Gabriel A. Almond and Sidney Verba, authors of Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations explain that �primary associations [with civic groups] play an important role in the development of a citizen�s sense of political competence� yet the �availability of his primary groups�gives him intermittent political resource[s]�, creating a �weak link� between the person and polity. This article is a warning to consumers of news media outlets�our �primary� source of civic association�and those who trust in the public debate process taking place on the United States� House and Senate floors.

Civics in Action
With a brief history on two of America�s most trusted media outlets, The New York Times and The Washington Post, a clear illustration is drawn of the partiality of some of the most influential civic groups in America.

Creating a Culture of Business Resilience: A Role for Local Government, Part 2

No Author — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EST

This is part two of a two part series. To read part one, click the link in the Related Articles box below.

Christopher Atkinson

According to the Small Organizations Natural Hazards Project, few small businesses fully understand the threat from disasters and how they might recover if presented with a disaster, such as a hurricane. Small businesses have a tendency to encounter more difficulties than larger, more well-established businesses in dealing with a recovery process, and a lack of continuity planning only exacerbates the dilemmas they face after a hazard event. Poor planning for recovery can result in a firm overextending its resources; the great personal cost to reopen may not be reflected in the recovery achieved.

Creating a Culture of Business Resilience: A Role for Local Government, Part 1

No Author — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:44:00 EST

This is part one of a two part series. Watch for part two next Monday, September 19, 2011.

Christopher Atkinson

The year 2011 has been marred by historic severe weather events that catch communities unaware and ill-prepared. This has driven home the importance of how local governments respond to such events, and the role of planning and preparedness in assuring community resiliency. Cities and counties are the primary line of response in emergency management, but the duty goes well beyond first response. Local governments are increasingly expected to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience in their communities�to address concerns raised by individuals and businesses, and to cultivate a culture of resilience that allows people and organizations to continue after disaster.

The Multidimensional Character of the Arab Revolutions, Part 5

No Author — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:09:00 EST

This is Part 5 of a 5 part series. Read Parts 1-4 by clicking the links in the Related Articles box below this article.

Mordu Serry-Kamal

Conclusion
Given the revelations made in this writing, some may wonder exactly why the genesis of the fragmentation of these regimes had not taken place much earlier. In other words, what was it that gave these regimes a semblance of stability amidst the chaos and confusion that obviously underlay that semblance? In his book, Hourani also provided some insights into this apparent paradox.

The Multidimensional Character of the Arab Revolutions, Part 4

No Author — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST

This is Part 4 of a 5 part series. Watch for Part 5 on Monday, August 1, 2011. Read Parts 1-3 by clicking the link in the Related Articles box below this article.

Mordu Serry-Kamal

Model Three: the Treatment of Women
In this model, Hourani made a number of observations pertaining to the struggle to determine the role of women in the Arab societies. Examples of these observations follow.

Even though women and girls were now becoming educated and literate, and that some of them even held positions of influence in the professions and in government in certain Arab states that were attempting to �modernize,� the traditional problems of women in society have, nevertheless, persisted.

The Multidimensional Character of the Arab Revolutions, Part 3

No Author — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:39:00 EST

This is Part 3 of a 5 part series. Watch for Part 4 on Monday, July 25, 2011. Read Parts 1-2 by clicking the link in the Related Articles box below this article.

Mordu Serry-Kamal

Model Two: Growing Rift between Rich and Poor
In this model, Hourani made a series of observations regarding the allocation of economic resources to the populations in the Arab countries. Significant examples of these observations follow.

The Multidimensional Character of the Arab Revolutions, Part 2

No Author — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:14:00 EST

This is Part 2 of a 5 part series. Watch for Part 3 on Monday, July 18, 2011. Read Part 1 by clicking the link in the Related Articles box below this article.

Mordu Serry-Kamal

Model One: Ethnic and Religious Divisions
In this model, Hourani made a number of observations with regard to certain Arab states in North Africa and the Middle East. Limited but applicable examples of these observations are outlined below.

The Multidimensional Character of the Arab Revolutions, Part 1

No Author — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:35:00 EST

This is Part 1 of a 5 part series. Watch for Part 2 on Monday, July 11, 2011.

Mordu Serry-Kamal

Beginning in the latter part of 2010, a wave of vigorous and sustained civil unrest was suddenly galvanized and unleashed against the governments of certain Arab states in the Middle East and North Africa. By virtue of the initially slow and uncoordinated responses to the protests, the affected governments appeared not to have expected such widespread disturbances to be directed against the established status quo. This was probably because of an apparently prevailing societal sentiment that the Arab people will never overwhelmingly rise up against their governments.

Practical Case Studies in Management and Leadership, Part II

No Author — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:59:00 EST

Public management textbooks are replete with diverse concepts that are oriented toward addressing human productivity and behavior in organizations, as perhaps most of such organizations strive to improve the quality and quantity of service delivery within the public, private, and nonprofit sectors of an economy.

Practical Case Studies in Management and Leadership

No Author — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:45:00 EST

What Kind Of Disaster: Environmental Or Economic? (Yes, Both)

Martha Madden — Mon, 31 May 2010 09:00:00 EST

Memorial Day marks the official beginning of summer and many were looking forward to vacations on the water, but the telephones are not ringing off the hook for reservations. Just the opposite is happening. Families with reservations are calling to cancel them.

The Slick Goes On and Who is in Charge?

Martha Madden — Mon, 24 May 2010 09:29:00 EST

Eleven people missing and presumed dead. A 210,000 gallon-a-day oil leak now caught up in the Gulf of Mexico�s Loop Current. A fishing ban issued that extends 46,000 square miles.

In Harm's Way

Martha Madden — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:13:00 EST

Enjoying the fishing and crabbing in open waters in the Gulf of Mexico beckons thousands to the tiny community of Grand Isle, LA, each year. The residents number around 1,500 but the summer visitors swell the annual numbers to over 12,000.