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Public administration is a craft that demands real-world application of concepts and theories often learned in a classroom. Yet many students find it difficult to make the leap from theory to practice completely unaided. The Public Administration Workbook, 8e is specifically designed with the theoretically-grounded, practice-minded student in mind. It reviews scholarship in political science, law, industrial psychology, and the sociology of organizations and then allows students to see how these intellectual fields inform the analytical and managerial tasks that comprise public administration. Where standard public administration textbooks examine the nature of public agencies and explain how bureaucracies relate to other institutions, this workbook promotes a more effective way of learning—by doing—and more directly prepares those who will pursue careers in public agencies. Each chapter begins with a discussion of relevant concepts and scholarship before moving into a hands-on exercise analyzing core analytical and management challenges. This edition includes an all-new exercise on contract negotiation, many international examples interwoven throughout the book, and a fully updated HRM section to reflect alternative ranking and compensation systems. Each chapter is further supported by a detailed Instructor’s Manual written by the author to guide instructors on solutions, explanations, and ideas for using or modifying the exercises to fit a variety of course needs, as well as downloadable datasets and exercises, providing students with a unique opportunity to apply and test classroom concepts outside of the job.

"This new edition now includes full coverage of policy issues and professional practice related to nonprofit organizations, as well as at every level of government - local, state, and federal. It retains the characteristics that made previous editions a success: an accessible writing style, an abundance of practical exercises, and real life ease studies that will appeal to the pragmatic, experience-seeking students in this course." --Book Jacket.

As Wisconsin governor from 1971 to 1977, Patrick J. Lucey pursued an ambitious progressive agenda, tempered by the concerns of a fiscal conservative and a pragmatic realist. He was known for bridging partisan divides, building coalitions, and keeping politics civil. His legacy, which included merging Wisconsin’s universities into one system and equalizing the funding formula for public schools, continues to impact Wisconsin residents and communities. Preceding his service as governor, Lucey played a key role in rebuilding the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, returning a state that had been dominated by Republicans to a more moderate two-party system. As party chairman, he built coalitions between World War II veterans, remnants of the defunct Progressive Party, urban socialists, and activists in rural communities throughout the state. Through exclusive interviews and unprecedented access to archival materials, Dennis L. Dresang shares the story of this pivotal figure in Wisconsin history, from his small-town rural roots to his wide-ranging influence.

The long-awaited new edition of this highly praised text includes full coverage of policy issues and professional practice in nonprofit organizations, as well as at federal, state, and local levels of government. Retaining its accessible writing style, this sixth edition: examines the latest management theories (such as employee engagement and motivation) and current issues including disability, privatization, merit systems, and family and medical leave; roots the discussion in public policy issues, providing students with a better understanding of the actors involved and the broader context of personnel administration; provides abundant pedagogical tools, including learning objectives, summaries, and discussion questions, to guide student understanding and foster critical thinking; includes exercises and case studies throughout the book for individual or group work, helping students apply public personnel management concepts to real world situations. In addition to full coverage of the increasingly important role of personnel management in nonprofit organizations, this new edition has been thoroughly updated to include timely material on the effects of the 2008 global recession, public service contracting, public sector unions, security concerns, performance measurement, remote management, management of volunteers, the challenges and opportunities of developing an organizational culture, and lessons from the experiences of countries around the world. This is a textbook that is ideally suited to prepare students to manage people, effectively, whether in government, nonprofit organizations, NGOs, or in the private sector.

This book is designed such that it allows students to learn what public administration is by using the basic tools of the trade. The exercises in this book are compiled so that they can be done by students in small groups in class or individually, as out-of-class assignments.

This text distinguishes itself through its extremely accessible writing style, relative brevity, inclusion of unique topics such as tribal governments, and its focus on the relationship between government and the governed. As the authors have done in previous editions, their approach to the study of state and local governments personalizes the material, making it more meaningful to the student.