The politics of the administrative process

Abstract

Part 1 What government does, and how it does it: what government does - the functions of government, the tools of government. Part 2 Organizations and the role of government's structure: organization theory - foundations - the structural approach to large organizations, systems theory, the humanist challenge, the pluralist challenge, the challenge of third-party administration organization theory - strategies and tactics for administration reform - reform in America, conflicting theories, all the world's a stage the executive branch - executive branch components, direction of the executive branch organization problems - the search for effective organization, reorganization. Part 3 People in government organizations: the civil service - public employment, managing the system, position classification, staffing, pay, employee rights and obligations the higher public service - how elite is the elite?, the mix of political and career officials, political executives, the senior executive service, pay. Part 4 Government decisions - making and implementing them: decision making - basic problems, rational decision making, bargaining, participative decision making, public choice, limits on decision making budgeting - the role of the budget, budget making, budget appropriation, budget execution implementation - judging program success and failure, problems of performance, intergovernmental relations, contracting, the government's dilemma, the importance of feedback. Part 5 Administration in a democracy: legislative control of administration - the paradox of oversight, committee oversight of administration, the general accounting office, the legislative veto regulation and the courts - the regulatory task, regulatory procedure, courts' regulation of the regulators, presidential regulation of the regulators conclusion - bureaucratic accountability, ethics, the public service.