Spring 2014
PSC 5243 Managing Public Programs
Mondays 6:30-9:20pm, COH 218
Professor: Meeyoung Lamothe, Ph.D.
Office: Dale Hall Tower 217
Office Hours: MW 12:30-1:30pm
Phone and e-mail: 625-6985; mlamothe@ou.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Over the years, public management as a field of study has accumulated an impressive volume of research.
Scholarly topics and inquiries developed in this field are vast and far reaching. Some explore political, legal, and
structural constraints and boundaries of operating public organizations within the American constitutional framework.
Others focus on management skills and techniques that assist public managers to run programs effectively. Still many
other scholars study factors affecting public managerial behaviors, such as incentives and motivation, culture, and
leadership styles, to better understand and analyze administrative phenomena. The main purpose of this course is, first,
to provide a broad, introductory survey of academic works advanced in the field of public management, exploring all of
these aspects.
The second set of goals for this course is to fully utilize various theoretical perspectives and analytical
frameworks forwarded by scholars and apply them to examine real world public management issues and problems our
governments faced in the past and are dealing with in present times. While every managerial challenge has its
uniqueness that is best understood in its own historical context and individual organizational setting, it is also true that
there are common management aspects to be understood through established theoretical lenses and scholarly insights
in order to analyze problems more systematically. The purpose of this course is to encourage students to think critically
and logically about why and how these problems occur by parsing out idiosyncrasies and identifying generalizable
patterns of behaviors and underlying causes.
REQUIRED READINGS:

Carolyn J. Hill and Laurence E. Lynn Jr. 2009. Public Management: A Three-Dimensional Approach. CQ Press.

Cheryl Simrell King (ed.). 2011. Government is Us 2.0. M.E. Sharpe.

Thom Reilly. 2011. Rethinking Public Sector Compensation: What Ever Happened to the Public Interest? M.E. Sharpe.

D2L Readings: Journal Articles, Think Tank and Government Reports, Newspaper Articles (See below course outlines
for the full list).
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Participation (20%): Class participation accounts for 20% of your total grade. The detailed distribution of the 20% is as
follows: 5% for your attendance; 5% for your contribution to group activities; and 10% for your overall class
participation.
Case Analysis Paper (10%): You are to complete ONE CASE ANALYSIS on the topic you select from Hill and Lynn’s book.
This task accounts for 10% of your grade. The length of the analysis should be 5-pages (12-point font, double-spaced,
and 1-inch margin on all sides). Analyzing a case involves: 1) utilizing relevant literature to discuss the implications of the
case in the context of public management concepts and theories; 2) answering a series of analytical questions provided
in the book about the case.
Group Project (20%): You are to participate in ONE GROUP PROJECT, which accounts for 20% of your grade. Groups will
be formed early in the semester. I will provide a list of potential topics from which each group can choose for their
project. Groups can also select their own topics if they desire. The length of the final project should be 10-pages (12point font, double-spaced, and 1-inch margin on all sides). The group project is graded based on two aspects: a written
group paper (15%) and the group presentation of the project (5%).
Discussion Leader (10%): You are also responsible for leading TWO group discussions. The duty of a discussion leader
involves three brief tasks: 1) coordinating a group discussion session (your main job is to make sure that everyone in
your group talks and jot down what your group discusses; you should, of course, contribute to the discussions yourself);
2) presenting your group’s opinions at the end of the group session; and 3) turning in a one-page summary of the group
discussion a day after the class (Tuesdays).
Research paper (40%): Lastly, you are required to write a 15-page research paper, which accounts for 40% of the total
grade (5% presentation, 35% written paper). You are scheduled to present your paper in the 15th week (April 21st). The
paper is due on April 28th (the last day of class) and should be uploaded to the D2L drop box (under “Final Paper”) by
midnight. A late paper will not be accepted. Both mini prospectus and research paper guidelines will be available
through D2L sometime during the semester.
Note: No make-up work will be allowed without an excused absence. In these instances, the student must make
every effort, when possible, to inform the instructor PRIOR to the absence and, upon return, must supply written
documentation supporting the legitimacy of the absence. Late papers will be docked one full letter grade for each 24
hour period (or portion thereof) they are overdue.
Grading:
 Participation: 20% (5% attendance; 5% group contribution; 10% overall class participation)
 Case Analysis Paper: 10%
 Group Project: 20%
 Discussion Leader: 10% (5% per discussion leader duty)
 Research paper: 40% (5% presentation; 35% written paper)
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*****COURSE OUTLINES*****
Week 1 (1/13): Intro.
Week 2 (1/20): No Class (Martin Luther King Day)
Week 3 (1/27): Three Dimensions of Public Management; Public-Private Difference.

[D2L] DC Case: Deaths of Four Girls and Government Role.

[D2L] Bill Bratton Takes New York.

Hill and Lynn, Chapter 9, pages 367-374 for additional information about Bill Bratton and his reform effort
(CompStat) in New York.

Hill and Lynn, Ch.1. What is Public Management?
Ch.2. Public Management’s Three Dimensions.

[D2L: Public-Private Difference] Graham T. Allison. 1983. Public and Private Management: Are They
Fundamentally Alike in All Unimportant Respects?

[D2L] Terrence M. Garrett. 2004. Whither Challenger, Wither Columbia: Management Decision Making and the
Knowledge Analytic. American Review of Public Administration 34:389.
Week 4 (2/3): Rule of Law.

Hill and Lynn, Ch. 4. Public Management’s Backbone: The Rule of Law (esp. focusing on pages 104-115; pages
128-134 for the case study regarding Wyatt v. Stickney).

[D2L: Rulemaking] David L. Weimer. 2006. The Puzzle of Private Rulemaking: Expertise, Flexibility, and Blame
Avoidance in U.S. Regulation. Public Administration Review 66(4): 569-582.

[D2L] Short articles about Oklahoma Open Meeting Act/Open Records Act, Consent decrees, and Emergency
response.

[D2L] Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; Oklahoma Open Records Act.
Week 5 (2/10): Structure.

Hill and Lynn, Ch. 5. The Structural Dimension (read only pp. 135-157).

[D2L: General Discussions on Structure] Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal. 2008. Ch. 3. Getting Organized from
Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. Jossey-Bass.

[D2L: Case Analysis] Charles R. Wise. 2006. Organizing for Homeland Security after Katrina: Is Adaptive
Management What’s Missing? Public Administration Review May/June. 302-318.

[D2L] Short articles about government reorganizations and other structural reforms.

Supplemental Reading (Not Required): [D2L: Seminal Piece on Structure] John W. Myer and Brian Rowan. 1977.
Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony. American Journal of Sociology 83(2):
340-363.
Week 6 (2/17): Structure (Contracts; Network and Collaboration; Ownership and Nonprofits)

Hill and Lynn, Ch. 5. The Structural Dimension (read pp. 158-187).

[D2L: Contract System Design] Meeyoung Lamothe. 2011. Redesigning the Hollow State: A Study of Florida Child
Welfare Service Reform Through the Lens of Principal-Agent Theory. International Journal of Public
Administration 34:497-515.

[D2L] Bill Bratton and Zachary Tumin. 2012. Collaborate or perish! Crown Business.

[D2L] Short articles regarding interlocal agreement and IT contract challenges.

Supplemental Reading (Not Required): [D2L Ownership] Anna Amirkhanyan. 2010. Monitoring Across Sectors:
Examining the Effect of Nonprofit and For-Profit Contractor Ownership on Performance Monitoring in State and
Local Contracts. Public Administration Review 7(5):742-755.
Week 7 (2/24): Culture.

Hill and Lynn. Ch. 6. The Cultural Dimension.

[D2L: PSM] James Perry and Lois Recascino Wise. 1990. The Motivational Bases of Public Service. Public
Administration Review 50(3): 367-373.

[D2L] Short readings about culture affecting structure/structure affecting culture.

Supplemental Reading (Not Required): (Institutional Norms and Values – a bit long, but should be an easy
reading) Dilulio. 1994. Principled Agents: The Cultural Bases of Behavior in a Federal Government Bureaucracy.
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 4(3): 277-318.
Week 8 (3/3): Craft (Group project paper is due this week).

Hill and Lynn. Ch. 7. The Craft Dimension.

[Additional Information on Analysis and Argument – regarding Ashcroft (from Hill and Lynn. ch. 7, p.284)]: The
main purpose of the following readings is to provide additional background information concerning Ashcroft’s
management style and craftsmanship. Cursory review is acceptable and expected for these readings.
o Jeffrey Toobin, Ashcroft’s ascent. The New Yorker, April 15, 2002.
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/04/15/020415fa_fact1
o “Managing the Departments: Grades for Bush’s Cabinet Secretaries,” National Journal, January 27, 2003.
http://www.govexec.com/management/2003/01/managing-the-departments-grades-for-bushs-cabinetsecretaries/13317/
o Chitra Ragavan, “Ashcroft’s Way: American’s Top Cop Has Been Demonized and Lionized. He’s a
Complex Guy All Right, Just Not the Guy Everyone thinks he is.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/040126/26ashcroft.htm

[D2L] Short readings about leaders and their managerial styles.
Week 9 (3/10): Group Project Presentation (The deadline for the group paper is March 3rd. Submitted group papers will
be made available as this week’s readings. The purpose of requiring these final group papers as class readings is for you
to familiarize yourself with the topics and projects of other groups in addition to your own, so as to allow you to offer
informed questions during group presentations).
Week 10 (3/17): Spring Break.
Week 11 (3/24): Public Sector Compensation.
 Thom Reilly. 2012. Rethinking Public Sector Compensation: What Ever Happened to the Public Interest? M.E.
Sharpe.
Week 12 (3/31): Accountability and Reform.
Accountability



Hill and Lynn, Ch. 8. Accountability.
[D2L: Case Study]: James Woolsey and the CIA: The Aldrich Ames Spy Case. Harvard Case Program.
[D2L] Short readings on IGs and what they do.

[D2L] Supplemental Reading (Not Required): (Conceptual Discussions on Accountability) Richard Mulgan. 2000.
“Accountability”: An Ever-Expanding Concept? Public Administration 78(3):555-573.
Reform
 Hill and Lynn, Ch. 9. Public Management Reform.

[D2L: Types of Reform] Paul Light. 2006. The Tides of Reform Revisited: Patterns in Making Government Work,
1945-2002. Public Administration Review 6-19.
Week 13 (4/7): Government is Us 2.0.




Ch.1. The Context: Citizens, Administrators, and Their Discontents.
Ch.2. Citizens and Administrators: The Possibilities and Dilemmas.
Ch.6. Models of Citizen Participation: Measuring Engagement and Collaboration.
Ch.7. Democratic Governance Through Public-Nonprofit Partnerships: Reclaiming “A Usable Past” from the
Settlement House Movement.

[D2L] Brian Adams. 2004. Public Meetings and the Democratic Process. Public Administration Review 64(1):4354.
[D2L] Gordon P. Whitaker. 1980. Citizen Participation in Service Delivery. Public Administration Review
40(3):240-246.

Week 14 (4/14): Government is Us 2.0.




Ch.9. Obituary: Team Metro.
Ch.10. Eliminating Institutional Racism Within Local Government: The City of Seattle Race and Social Justice
Initiative.
Ch.11. A Case of Transformational Change: Making Sustainability Real in the City of Olympia.
Ch.12. Think Global, Act Local? A Short Story.
Week 15 (4/21): Presentation.
Week 16 (4/28): Paper Due.
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The Academic Honor System
The Academic Honor System of The University of Oklahoma is based on the premise that each student has the
responsibility to:
 uphold the highest standard of academic integrity in the student’s own work,
 refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the University community, and
 foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the University community.
Violations of the Honor Code include, but are not limited to, taking or attempting to take any of the following
actions:
 using unauthorized materials or receiving or rendering unauthorized assistance during an examination or in
connection with any work done for academic credit,
 selling, giving, or acquiring prior knowledge of any exam material, and
 committing the act of plagiarism - the deliberate copying, writing or presenting as one's own the information, ideas
or phrasing of another person without proper acknowledgment of the true source.
Students found in violation of the Honor Code may suffer a range of sanctions, at the instructor’s discretion, based on
the severity of the violation. These punishments could include loss of credit for the task in question, a failing grade in
the course, and/or university disciplinary action. Students are strongly urged to visit the University of Oklahoma
Provost’s Student Academic Integrity web site – (http://www.ou.edu/provost/pronew/content/integritymenu.html) – to
review the policies and what constitutes academic honor violations. A paper from this site (“Nine Things You Should
Already Know about Plagiarism”) has been posted to D2L and should be read by each student. Also, each student is
strongly encouraged to review the Interactive Tutorial: Avoiding Plagiarism which is linked to this page.
Students with disabilities
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Any
student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities
should contact the instructor personally as soon as possible to discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full
participation and to facilitate your educational opportunities. Students with disabilities must be registered with the
Office of Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations in this course. The Disability Resource Center is located in
Goddard Health Center, Suite 166, phone 405/325-3852 or TDD only 405/325-4173. Their webpage can be accessed at:
http://drc.ou.edu/content/view/165/119/
Accommodations for Religious Observance
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide
without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious
Holidays. Students are expected to inform the instructor reasonably in advance of such schedule conflicts to allow for
accommodations to be planned.
Note: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as necessary. Every effort will be made to
give students ample warning of changes.