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Governing in Democracies: A Balancing Act
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Governing in Democracies: A Balancing Act

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Questions and Answers

What is a primary focus of public administration in democracies?

  • Translating public wants and needs into policy (correct)
  • Limiting public participation in policy-making
  • Minimizing the role of expertise in administration
  • Avoiding the use of complex tasks

    • What paradox is highlighted in the context of public administration within a democracy?

  • The balancing act between effective administration and individual liberty (correct)
  • The requirement for swift decision-making versus thorough analysis
  • The conflict between technocratic governance and public opinion
  • The need for expertise versus the need for public engagement

    • How does public administration aim to address public needs?

  • By relying solely on popular opinion without expert guidance
  • By employing public opinion polls to shape policies
  • By creating a single authoritative body that governs all aspects
  • By harnessing and directing expertise to meet those needs (correct)

    • What did Harry S. Truman suggest was a problem with economic advice?

    <p>It often included conflicting perspectives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the search for strong and stable tools in public administration relate to?

    <p>The establishment of a powerful bureaucratic system</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements reflects a challenge faced by public officials in democracies?

    <p>Balancing expertise with the risk of infringing on liberties</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ultimate goal of public administration as described in the content?

    <p>To effectively serve the public's needs and wants</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What description best captures the nature of public administration's expertise?

    <p>Dynamic and subject to the influence of individual liberties</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a pragmatic response to tough challenges during the 1996 welfare reform?

    <p>Using nongovernmental organizations for program management</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following accurately describes the approach of American officials in public administration?

    <p>They prioritized problem-solving over master planning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which areas did ad hocracy outweigh strategic thinking according to the content?

    <p>Environmental policy and local land use</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did the American approach to public administration differ from that of New Zealand and the United Kingdom?

    <p>Americans avoided developing a master plan.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterized the public's attitude toward expanding bureaucracies during the reform period?

    <p>Reluctance to expand public bureaucracies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of management approach did the welfare reform exemplify?

    <p>A quasi-privatized method</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a major focus for American public administrators during difficult times?

    <p>Balancing challenging cross-pressures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is indicated as a strong foundation in American public administration despite its struggles?

    <p>Adaptability and innovation of public officials</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary task of the transformation of governance in the twenty-first century?

    <p>To improve the effectiveness of governance systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a specific capacity problem American governments face according to the content?

    <p>Managing both direct and indirect service systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of governance approach is suggested as necessary for managing indirect service systems?

    <p>Nonhierarchical approaches.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What administrative strategy brings new burdens in governance according to the content?

    <p>Contracting out and federalism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a critical skill needed for successful governance transformation?

    <p>Negotiation of good contracts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the content suggest is necessary when configuring governance systems?

    <p>To operate both systems side by side effectively.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a capacity problem for governance?

    <p>Increasing direct fiscal control.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    To successfully manage the results of government strategies, what is emphasized as needing cultivation?

    <p>New skills.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What new functions have been added to traditional management in public administration?

    <p>Building and managing partnerships</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which level of government primarily focuses on direct service delivery?

    <p>Local government</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do effective government managers increasingly take on in relation to citizens?

    <p>Case managers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What increased focus has been highlighted in public management research since the 1990s?

    <p>Network approaches to service delivery</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach has emerged as valuable for understanding the complexity of public service systems?

    <p>Network approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant change in public management since the Progressive era?

    <p>An increase in interagency collaborations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of managing public services, what do government managers primarily act as?

    <p>Service integrators</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterizes government by proxy at the federal level?

    <p>Delegation of service provision to other entities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a major concern raised by critics regarding NGOs taking on service delivery responsibilities?

    <p>Challenges in holding NGOs accountable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main argument presented by government reformers to address concerns about NGO accountability?

    <p>Implementation of market-style contracts and incentives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did interest groups representing the poor argue regarding profits generated by contractors from welfare rolls?

    <p>Profits should have been used to provide better services to more welfare recipients.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which historical figure warned about the dangers of military contractors and their impact on public resources?

    <p>George Washington</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What underlying concern is commonly associated with delegating power to private entities, according to the content?

    <p>The potential leakage of public power and money into private hands.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What has historically been the dominant approach to addressing accountability in government service delivery?

    <p>The delegation doctrine.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What issue did the decline in Wisconsin welfare rolls primarily lead to for contractors involved?

    <p>Significant profits for the contractors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Dwight D. Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex highlight?

    <p>The potential for abuse of power by contractors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Governing in Democracies: A Balancing Act

    • Public administration's crucial role: building expertise to fulfill tasks mandated by government on behalf of the people.
    • The challenge of democracy: converting public desires and needs into policy, mobilizing expertise to address them, while simultaneously safeguarding individual liberty by limiting administrative power.
    • Paradox inherent in public administration: the need for robust and stable tools for efficiency can potentially threaten the democratic forces that govern it.

    Transformation of Governance in the 21st Century

    • American governments face three capacity challenges:
      • Adapting traditional hierarchical systems for efficient direct service delivery.
      • Developing non-hierarchical approaches for managing indirect services.
      • Reconciling the two, enabling harmonious operation without disruption.

    Government Strategies and the Rise of Partnerships

    • Emphasis on grants and contracts: necessitates acquiring new skills in goal specification, negotiation, and oversight.
    • Shift towards building and managing partnerships: supplementing traditional command-and-control functions of management.
    • Change in the role of public management: local governments focus on direct service delivery while federal programs rely heavily on "government by proxy."
    • Increase in case management and service integration: underscores the significance of the network approach for understanding and navigating complex service systems.

    Concerns and Criticisms: Accountability and Power Dynamics

    • Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs): growing role in service delivery, raising questions about accountability.
    • Market-style contracts and incentives: proposed solution for holding NGOs accountable, but can create undesirable profit incentives.
    • Historical and contemporary anxieties: leakage of public power and funds into private hands, exemplified by concerns about the military-industrial complex.
    • Delegation doctrine: a core principle in American administrative tradition, where voters elect representatives, and those representatives delegate authority to public officials.

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    Description

    Explore the role of public administration in democracy, focusing on the challenge of turning public needs into effective policy while protecting individual freedoms. Understand how 21st-century governance is transforming to meet capacity challenges and the implications of strategies like partnerships and grants in governance.

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