SYLLABUS
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT (34:833:571:01)
Spring 2013
Instructor:
Raphael J. Caprio, Ph.D.
University Professor/Professor of Public Administration
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
33 Livingston Avenue, 3rd floor, Dean's Suite
New Brunswick, NJ 80901
848-932-2422
ray@dceo.rutgers.edu
Overview
This course will serve as an introduction to public administration and management in the United
States. We will explore the institutional setting and political relationships in administration;
leadership, decision making, personnel and budgeting functions; administrative law and regulation;
and the problem of responsibility. A major goal of the course is to improve our understanding of the
many aspects of public administration and management, in general, and American bureaucracy in
particular. Equally important will be to gain a substantive understanding of some of the critical
differences between policy and administration, and how each can and does affect the other.
Throughout the course, we will analyze current news by relating them to the materials covered in
class, i.e. – we will apply a public administration “lens” to everyday public events. The concept of
“clashing values” will serve as a central thematic framework for the course.
Course Organization:
The course will be divided into three parts:
I – Political Management
II – Program Management
III – Resources Management
In the first section of the course, we will learn the basic definitions, concepts and the overall context
of public administration in the United States. Second, we will explore public organizations – the
institutional setting and political relationships. In this context, we will also explore relevant theoretical
frameworks and issues of management and communication flows. In the third section of the course,
we will focus on the core functions of public organizations, such as: decision making, leadership, public
personnel administration, and budgeting and finance. Lastly, we will conclude by focusing on
administrative law, clientele pressure and evaluation of public policy.
eCompanion-Hybrid:
This is a hybrid course: our class meetings are supplemented with a course
website that will allow you to access important information and study tools - handouts,
announcements, readings, online class discussions, self-tests, exam reviews, etc. To access the
website, log in via http://www.rutgersonline.net. Further details are provided on our “Pearson
Learning Suite” instructions handout.
News Sharing
For each class, you should be prepared to share current political/public administration
news. We will analyze the news by relating them to the materials we cover in class. Your news will be
used for class discussions and will count as participation.
Online Discussions
Each week, one or more discussion topic(s) will be posted on our course website.
You are expected to participate substantively in each of these discussions. Discussions for each week
will be active only for that week. For example, discussion for week 1 will be active from the end of our
week 1 class until the day of our next class.
Papers and Presentations
Each student will be responsible for several smaller papers - typically
analyses of a particular topic or issue as well as a substantive exploration (paper and presentation) of
a management issue. to be explored in depth. You will be asked to apply what we learned in class to
your analysis and to present your research in class. More information will be provided in class and
online.
Quizzes
The course will have a short quiz each week based primarily on the readings and text. Each
quiz is worth 25 points and will consist of typically 15 points in multiple choice, true false, and/or fill in
format, and one or two short answer questions worth 5 or 10 points.
I will provide the short answer question prior to the quiz start date so you may construct your essay in
a more leisurely manner in word (or whatever) and simply copy and paste the final essay into the
exam where appropriate.
Plagiarism:
Please make sure to clearly acknowledge exact sources of information whenever using
others’ ideas and words. Any student suspected of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Students
and, if found guilty, will be punished (suspended/expelled) by the university. An educational video
module on plagiarism is available at:
http://www.library.camden.rutgers.edu/educationalmodule/plagiarism
Please read Rutgers Policy on Academic Integrity at the Rutgers Academic Integrity Website
This syllabus presents a general “road map” for this course. Some aspects of the syllabus may change
during the course of the semester to accommodate the dynamics and needs of the class. Any changes
will be announced in advance.
Textbook(s)
Required Textbook: Grover Starling, Managing the Public Sector, Thomson-Wadsworth, Ninth
Edition, ISBN#10 0-495-83319-3
ISBN#13 978-0-495-83319-2
The required textbook should be available by the first week of class.
Additional required readings will be available on our course website including selected chapters from:
·
Michael C. LeMay, Public Administration: Clashing Values in the Administration of Public
Policy, Wadsworth Publishing, 2006. ISBN# 0-534-60137-5
·
David H. Rosenbloom and Robert S. Kravchuk, Public Administration: Understanding
Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector, McGraw Hill, 2005
·
Jay M. Shafritz and Albert C. Hyde, Eds., Classics of Public Administration, Fourth Edition,
Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1997
I - DEFINITIONS, CONCEPTS, AND SETTING
Week 1
In-Person
Tue, Jan 22
Welcome! J
Introductions & Course Overview, eCompanion, Discussion of Policy, Administration, Introducing
some differences
Reading for Week 1
Textbook
Water Case study (Doc Sharing)
Week 2
Starling, Chapter 1 “The Nature of Public Administration”
HYBRID -- Online Session
Tue, Jan 29
Key Concepts and Approaches to Study of Public Administration
Readings for Week 2:
Textbook:
Starling, Ch. 2, “The Political-Legal Environment of Administration"
Online:
• Rosenbloom, Ch. 1, “The Practice and Discipline of Public Administration: Competing Concerns”
• Fox, "Understanding Adminsistrative Law," Chapter 1
• Woodrow Wilson, “The Study of Administration” in Shafritz and Hyde, Eds.
BLUE - OPTIONAL
• Marver H. Bernstein, “The Scope of Public Administration”, The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 5,
No. 1., Mar., 1952
• Dwight Waldo, “Public Administration”, The Journal of Politics, Vol. 30, No. 2., May, 1968
• H. George Frederickson, “The Repositioning of American Public Administration”, Political Science
and Politics, Vol. 32, No. 4., Dec., 1999
• LeMay, Ch. 1, “Balancing Values in the Administration of Public Policy”
•
•
Short quiz from Chapter 1
Short quiz from Chapter 2
Federalism Case Study and Threaded Discussion
Week 3
In-Person
Tue, February 5
Overall Context, Administration in a federal system
Guest lecture: Marc Pfieffer
Readings for Week 3:
Textbook:
• Starling, Ch.3, “Intergovernmental Relations”
• Online Reading Assessment
Online:
• Herbert A. Simon, “Public Administration in Today's World of Organizations and Markets”, Political
Science and Politics, Vol. 33, No. 4, Dec., 2000
• LeMay, Ch.2, “The Social, Political, Economic, and Environmental Context of Administration”
• LeMay, Ch. 4, “Administration in the Federal System: Intergovernmental Relations and
Constitutional Sources of Values”
Week 4
HYBRID – Online, Tue, Feb. 12
Public Organizations: Responsibility and Ethics
Readings for Week 4:
Textbook:
Starling, Ch. 4, “Administrative Responsibility and Ethics”
• Online Reading Assessment
Online:
• LeMay, Ch. 3, “The Anatomy of Public Organizations: Bureaucratic Power and Politics”
• Max Weber, “Bureaucracy” in Shafritz and Hyde, Eds.
• Helen Constas, “Max Weber's Two Conceptions of Bureaucracy”, The American Journal of Sociology,
Vol. 63, No. 4, Jan., 1958
• B. Guy Peters, “The Problem of Bureaucratic Government”, The Journal of Politics, Vol. 43, No. 1,
Feb., 1981
• Francis E. Rourke, “The 1993 John Gaus Lecture: Whose Bureaucracy Is This, Anyway?” Congress,
the President and Public Administration”, Political Science and Politics, Vol. 26, No. 4, Dec.,
1993
• Dan Farrell; James C. Petersen, “Patterns of Political Behavior in Organizations”, The Academy of
Management Review, Vol. 7, No. 3, Jul., 1982
Week 5
In-Person, Tue, Feb 19
Administrative Responsibilities and Ethics
Alan Zalkind, Director, Center for Government Services
Guest Lecturer ALSO, Program Management Phase Begins with Chapter 5,
Planning
Readings for Week 5:
Textbook:
Starling, Ch. 5, “Planning”
Online reading assessment
• Current budget exercise to be announced, instructions given.
Week 6
HYBRID – On-Line, Tue, Feb 26
Decision Making
Readings for Week 6:
Textbook:
• Starling, Ch. 6, “Decision Making”
• Online reading assessment
Online:
• Graham T. Allison, “Public and Private Management: Are They Fundamentally Alike in All
Unimportant Respects?” in Shafritz and Hyde, Eds.
• LeMay, Ch. 7, “Management of Bureaucratic Organizations: The Strategic Use of Values in Policy
Making and Administration”
Week 7
In-Person, Tue, Mar. 5
Organizing
Readings for Week 7:
Textbook:
• Starling, Chapter 7, "Organizing"
• Online assessment of readings
Group project assignment
Online:
• Eric M. Eisenberg; Marsha G. Witten, “Reconsidering Openness in Organizational Communication”,
The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 12, No. 3, Jul., 1987
• John T. Dorsey, Jr., “A Communication Model for Administration”, Administrative Science Quarterly,
Vol. 2, No. 3, Dec., 1957
• LeMay, Ch. 11, “Communication Flows in Administration: The Fuzzing of Values”
• Janet Fulk; Gerardine DeSanctis, “Electronic Communication and Changing Organizational Forms”,
Organization Science, Vol. 6, No. 4, Jul. - Aug., 1995
Week 8
HYBRID-Online, Tue, Mar 12
Research and paper development
Textbook:
• Starling, Chapter 8, "Leading"
• Online assessment of readings
RECESS Week
Tue, Mar 19
Week 9
SPRING BREAK
In-person, Tue, Mar 26
Leading and Leadership
Readings for Week 9:
Textbook:
Starling, Ch. 9, “Implementation”
Online assessment
Online (doc share):
LeMay, Ch. 6, “Decision-making in the Administration of Public Policy”
LeMay, Ch. 10, “Leadership: The Chief Executive, the Bureaucracy, and the Search for Accountability”
Group Project Assignment
Week 10
HYBRID – Online, Tue, April 2
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Readings for Week 10:
Textbook:
Starling, Ch. 10, “Human Resources Management”
Online assessment of reading
Online:
• Lewis Meriam, “Public Service--Occupation or Industry?”, The American Political Science Review,
Vol. 32, No. 4, Aug., 1938
• John M. Pfiffner, “Trends in Public Personnel Organization”, The American Political Science Review,
Vol. 26, No. 2, Apr., 1932
Week 11
In-Person, Tue, April 9
Financial Management, Budgeting
Readings for Week 11:
Textbook:
Starling, Chapter 11 “Public Financial Management”
Online assessment of reading
Small group project
Week 12
Tue, April 12
HYBRID – Online
Finance, Budgeting continued, Information Management
Preparation for Student Presentations
Readings for week 12:
Textbook:
Starling, Ch. 12, "Information Management”
Online reading assessment
Online reading: To be determined
Week 13
In-Person, Tue, April 19
Finance Budgeting, Resource Management continued,
Online Readings:
Arnold J. Meltsner, “The Seven Deadly Sins of Policy Analysis” in Shafritz and Hyde, Eds.
Week 14:
In-Person, Tue, Apr. 26
Conclusions/Class Overview, Class Evaluations,
LAST CLASS
ANALYSIS PAPERS DUE
Grading Policy
Grading will be based on the following work effort distribution and assessment of quality:
Attendance and participation*
20%
Short papers
25%
Group Analysis paper
25%
Final Analysis paper
15%
Presentation, other
15%