Questions and Answers of Public Administration Understanding Management

Can you identify a case of public administration with which you are familiar where, in your view, the official violated their public trust? If so, what seems to have been the cause? How was the
How realistic do you think the notion of an “inner check” on administrators’conduct is?
Do you think public administrative corruption is a serious problem in the United States relative to corruption among elected officials? If you see a disparity, what might account for it? What can it
Because most public employees are good and competent people, comprehensive efforts to regulate conflicts of interest and other unethical behavior are not cost- effective. Do you agree or disagree
Identify an ethical dilemma that a public administrator has faced. Apply the “ethical triangle” to this dilemma. What are the trade- offs made between each point in the triangle? How practical is
Consider a recent interaction you had with some aspect of public administration. How would you describe your role? What approach did the agency or official take toward you in that role? How
Do you find yourself to be like the public generally in expressing both criticism and praise of public administration? If so, how would you explain your evaluations of it? If not, what is your
It would appear that the public can love and hate bureaucracy at the same time. How would you account for these seemingly contradictory attitudes? In your judgment, are public attitudes towards
How realistic do you think greater citizen participation in public administration is? Do you favor or oppose it? Why?
The NPR indicated that many people are uneasy with the idea that the American people are customers of government. How appropriate do you find the term“customers”? Why?
E- gov can facilitate the public’s interaction with public administration in many contexts, especially as clients and customers. Do you think it also has the potential to strengthen democratic
The reach of public administration is considered too broad by some people. Can you identify public administrative functions and programs that you think deal with matters that should be left up to
Are there areas of social or economic life that you believe require more governmental involvement through public administration?
Think about a recent political campaign with which you are familiar. Did the candidates express concern with matters of public administration? If so, from what perspectives? How might a practicing
Does the rise of the nonprofit sector as an extension of the administrative state make the life of a public administrator easier or harder?
Can you think of a policy attaining its objectives, but through an implementation to which you are opposed? Consider the use of police roadblocks to combat DUI and random urinalysis drug testing of
During the early and mid- 1980s, many states raised their drinking age to 21 in response to federal prompting and as a means of promoting traffic safety. How would you go about analyzing the impact
At least 27 states have taken some initiatives to reduce obesity among their residents, particularly children. The states are concerned with both health and healthcare costs. One cardiologist
Issuing the Susan B. Anthony dollar was clearly a blunder. The Sacagawea dollar did not fare much better. What seems to account for these mistakes? What steps might be taken to avoid them and similar
Some believe that the United States has too many governments, in the sense that governmental authority is too fragmented and that the cost of redundancies and loss of coordination is too high. Would
What are some of the externalities and spillover effects that public universities cause for the municipalities and counties in which they are located? How might universities and local governments
There have been periodic calls to realign the functions of government so that the national government would be responsible for, say, defense, foreign affairs, and health, whereas the subnational
In reading this chapter, it may have occurred to students that federalism has involved“pendulum swings” as between policies and programs that are state- centered, and those that are federally
Many observers believe that contemporary public personnel systems are too complicated to be efficient or fair. Based on the chapter and your experiences, if you could recommend one change to a state
What types of skills will public administrators need in the NPG? How are these similar/different to the skills of contemporary public administrators?
The issue of whether public employees should be allowed to strike has been a concern of public personnel administration. Do you think all strikes by public employees should be prohibited? Why or why
Having read the chapter on personnel, what aspects of contemporary public personnel management would attract you to the public sector? Which, if any, would you find objectionable?
Regulation remains an important political issue. Do you think the United States is“overregulated” in some areas of economic or social life? “Underregulated” in any?What criteria can you
Some economists are adamant about regulation being treated from a cost– benefit perspective. Assuming it is technically possible to do a solid cost– benefit analysis, do you think such an
To what kinds of regulatory administration is your college or university subject? Assess their costs, benefits, and appropriateness (from your perspective).
The chapter illustrates a simple risk analysis with regard to the FAA’s interest in requiring child safety seats on scheduled commercial flights in the United States. Do you find the conclusion
Consider public administrative operations with which you have recently dealt. List all their functions that (a) provide services, (b) enforce regulations, or (c) provide a mix of service and
Think of those in government with whom the public interacts on a regular basis. List as many as you can. Does your list contain teachers, post office letter carriers, or park rangers? If not, then
Think about some public administrative issue that has recently been in the news. Consider whether the managerial, political and policy, and legal perspectives emphasized in this chapter are present
Can you find signs of NPG concerns arising in your home state or by the local jurisdiction in which you reside? By your university or college?
Consider the university or college you attend from an organizational design perspective. What values does its organizational form emphasize? What objectives appear to be promoted by these values and
Can you identify some public administrative organizations that should not be considered “bureaucratic” from a Weberian perspective?
Choose any public administrative function with which you are familiar. How could it be organized to maximize efficiency, representativeness, and equity?
Draw up a list of the potential advantages and disadvantages of organizing public schools to be market- based. On balance, do you support or oppose such organization? Why? What does your conclusion
Some people advocate a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget on an annual basis. What would be the chief advantages and disadvantages of such an
New performance budgeting has been attempted at the local level in recent years.What attributes of new performance budgeting make it particularly suitable to local government budgeting? Will the same
Think of a recent political campaign that involved the issue of government spending.Evaluate the candidates’ remarks and positions on matters of spending, taxation, and budgeting. Whose position
What are the fundamental differences between the budgetary process in the federal government and that in the state where you reside? What are some of the major consequences of these differences?
How are decisions made at the college or university you attend? What values are maximized by this approach? In your opinion, what are its advantages and disadvantages?
How do you make decisions when:a. You think about your career plans?b. You are involved in a social activity?c. You are called on to resolve some disagreement between friends, coworkers, fellow
Web- based survey applications enable citizens to register their sentiments instantaneously in response to survey questions. The respondent can indicate agreement or disagreement with statements or
Should federal judges become involved in the management of (a) prisons, (b) public mental health facilities, (c) public schools? If the answer is yes, what forms should their involvement take? In
Classifications based on biological sex are currently “quasi- suspect” and are subject to intermediate scrutiny under equal protection analysis. Do you think they should be fully “suspect”?
In several states, including Florida, Georgia, and Texas, many public employees do not have “new property” rights in their jobs because civil service law does not convey tenure. How might this
Public school students engaged in extracurricular activities may be subject to suspicionless drug testing as part of a reasonable program to reduce drug abuse in public schools. Pottawatomie County,
The duty of government to protect its citizens would appear to require it to expand its surveillance of Americans’ communications with foreigners, who are potentially enemies of the United States.
Do you agree or disagree that the predictions made in this chapter describe public administration’s likely near- term future? Why? What additional ones would you add?
Based on your values, what kind of public administrative future would you like to see, and what could you do to bring it about?