Public Administration

Political Science 370

 

David S. Calihan

Longwood College                                                                                 calihands@longwood.edu

Fall 2007                                                                                                             Ruffner 234 (2215)

 

     This course is intended to introduce you to the field of Public Administration.  Consideration will be given to the major factors which comprise the environment of our government bureau-cracies, to the professional issues which confront public employees, and to the operational values and skills which have been developed in response to those factors and issues.  The behavior and responsibilities of bureaucrats will be observed in both technical and political terms.

 

     Students’ objectives in this course should include at least the gaining of a deeper understanding of the dimensions of the processes of making and delivering  public policies.  Such understanding should equip you to function more effectively in an administrative system, either as a citizen or as an entry level employee of such a system, and to undertake more advanced study in the discipline.

 

     Your securing access to copies of Shafritz, Hyde, and & Parkes, Classics of Public Administration, 5th edition, and Calihan, “Supplementary Materials” for frequent use in this course is recommended.  Assignments from other sources will be placed on Library Reserve.

 

     Course grades will be based primarily on the results of several announced examinations.  Significant consideration will also be given to each student’s oral class participation and performance in such research activity as may be assigned.  A PASSING GRADE IN THIS COURSE PRESUMES the timely completion of all announced exams and assigned research, a 60% average for the announced exams, a 60% grade on at least half of the announced exams, and satisfactory class attendance.  The Attendance Policy for this course is as follows:  all students are expected to attend all classes; six unexcused absences will result in a one-letter-grade penalty; twelve unexcused absences will result in a two-letter-grade penalty; and fifteen unexcused absences will result in a failing grade.  An absence from an announced exam will ordinarily be excused only if justified on the basis of a written notice from the office of the Dean of Liberal Arts, or from a licensed medical professional.  Shoes will be worn in class; hats will not.

 

     Non-assigned research projects may be accepted for the purpose of amending an examination grade, but subjects and formats of such efforts must be cleared with the instructor prior to submission.  No such project will be accepted without such prior approval.  Deadline for final submission of such projects:  5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007.  (No exceptions.  Plan ahead for emergencies.)

 

“A society which fails to respect either its plumbers or its philosophers will soon find that neither its pipes nor its ideas will hold water.”

 

 

 

 

Public Administration

Fall 2007

Topical Outline & Reading Assignments

 

(“Reader” = Shafritz, 5th.  “Reserve” = Library Reserve)

(Reserve items are available in two formats.  Paper copies  can be found via the Circulation Desk at the College Library.  Those items have also been placed on “Electronic Reserve” – i.e, they are available “on-line.” The link for such access is http:readpac.longwood.edu/search/r?posc%2030&p?calihan.

The case-sensitive password is “POSC370.”)

 

I..  Public Administration As A Field of Study

 

A.    Public Perceptions and Attitude

 

Supplement, pp 1 - 13

Kharasch, “Reasons Said To Be Important.” (Reserve)

     (Also found in Kharasch, The Institutional Imperative   

     (Reserve), pp 65 – 74

Clark, “The International Screwthread Commission.” (Reserve)   To be to be found  in Peters & Nelson, The Culture of the Bureaucracy , pp 8 – 11. 

Supplement, pp 15 – 18-A.

Boren, “When In Trouble, Delegate.”  (Reserve)   To be found in Shafritz & Hyde, Classics of Public Administration, 1st Ed.,  pp 405 – 411.

Nelson, “Bureaucracy:  Biggest Crisis of All.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Peters & Nelson, Culture of the Bureaucracy,  pp 43 – 54.

 

B.    Theories of Bureaucracy

 

Reader, pp 10 – 11.

Denhardt & Perkins, “Coming Death of Administrative Man.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Lane, Current Issues In Public Administration at  pp 184 – 193.

 

C.    Generic Administration?

 

Weisman, “Why Lindsay Failed As Mayor.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Peters & Nelson, Culture …,  at  pp 110 – 117.

Reader, pp 131 – 135, 396 – 410.

Supplement, pp 19 – 21.

 

D.    Theories of American Public Administration

 

Supplement, pp 22 – 45.

Reader, pp 99 – 103, 136 – 144.

Kettl & Fesler, “The Challenge of Third-Party Administration.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Kettle & Fesler,  The Politics of the Administrative Process, pp 73 – 76.

 

** Exam Over Unit I **

 

 

II.              Public Sector Budgeting

 

(See Supplement, pp 46 - 47 for outline and Reading Assignments)

 

** Exam Over Unit II **

 

 

III.            Decisionmaking

 

Supplement, pp 87 - 113

Allison, “Cuban Missile Crisis.” (Reserve)   To be found in Rourke, Bureaucratic Power, 3d edition, pp 116 – 122, 128 – 134,  and in  4th edition, pp 87 – 93, 98 – 105.

“Cheney:  The Dark Side.”  (Reserve)  NOTE:  This item is a DVD, and is available for check-out & in-library-only use at the circulation desk.

Reader, pp 177 – 186

Stillman, “Decision Making….” (Reserve)

Fallows, “Why Presidents Like To Play With Planes.” (Reserve)  To be found in Peters & Nelson,  Culture …, pp 70 – 75

 

 

IV.           Administrative Direction

 

Supplement, p 114

Peters, “How To Take Over The Government.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Lane, Current Issues, 1st edition,  at pp 388 – 397.

Supplement, pp 114-A   -  114-B

Halperin, “Managing the Flow of Information.”  (Reserve)   To be found in Rourke, Bureaucratic Power….. ,  3d edition, at

      pp 102 – 115.

Supplement, pp 115 - 122

Adams, “Vietnam Cover-up….” (Reserve)

Janis, “Victims of Groupthink.”   (Reserve)  To be found in Janis, Victims of Groupthink at  pp 3 – 6, 75 – 100.

Schlessinger, “Roosevelt As Chief Administrator.”  (Reserve)           To be found in Rourke, Bureaucratic Power,  3d edition, at pp 257 – 269.

Supplement, pp 123 – 133.

Nathan, “Administrative Presidency.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Rourke,  4th edition, pp 207 – 219.

Supplement, pp 134 - 149

 

** Exam Over Units III and IV **

 

 

V.              Organizational Theory and Development

 

A.     Leadership and Organizational Development

 

Milakovich & Gordon,  “Organizational Theory.”  (Reserve)  

     To be found in Milakovich & Gordon, Public  

     Administration In America, 9th edition, pp. 155 – 156.

Supplement, pp 150 - 151

Rothlisberger, “Hawthorne Experiments.”  To be found in  

      Shafritz & Hyde, Classics of Public Administration, 1st  

      Edition, pp 67 – 77.

Milakovich & Gordon, “Critiques of Organizational Humanism.”

      (Reserve)   To be found in Milakovich & Gordon, Public  

      Administration…, pp 166 – 168.

                                                       Reader, pp 171 – 176

Supplement, pp 151 - 162

Herzberg, “Motivation -  Hygiene Concept.”  To be found in Shafritz & Hyde, Classics, 1st edition, pp 217 – 221.

Supplement, p 162.

Milakovich & Gordon, “Organizational Theory In Perspective.”     

       (Reserve)   To be found in Milakovich & Gordon, Public

       Administration…,  pp 198 - 202

 

B.     Personnel Systems

 

Milakovich & Gordon, “Merit and Patronage.”  (Reserve)   To be

        found in Milakovich & Gordon, Public Administration …,   pp

        309 – 310.

Supplement, pp 163 – 181.

Supplement, pp 182 – 197.

Peter & Hull, “The Peter Principle.” (Reserve)  To be found in 

        Shafritz & Hyde, Classics …, 1st edition,  pp 347 – 350.

Milakovich & Gordon, “Historical Development.”  (Reserve)   To

        be found in Milakovich & Gordon, Public Administration…,

        pp 325 – 329.

Supplement, pp 198 – 211.

 

C.     Labor-Management Relations

 

Supplement, pp 212 – 216

Peters, “A Kind Word For The Spoils System.”  (Reserve)  To be Found in Peters & Nelson, Culture …., at pp 263 – 267.

Reed, “Firing A Federal Employee.”  (Reserve) To be found in Peters & Nelson, Culture…. , pp 199 – 208.

Reader, pp 434 – 441

Hirschman, “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty.”  (Reserve)   To be found in Peters & Nelson, Culture…., pp 209 – 216. 

Branch, “Courage Without Esteem.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Peters & Nelson, Culture…,  pp 217 – 223, 228 – 233.

 Supplement, pp 217– 222. 

 

**Exam Over Unit V **

 

 

VI.           Public Administrators As Politicians

 

A.     Legislative Direction

 

Schick, “The Details of Administration” (Reserve)

Fiorina,, “Big Government.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Peters &

       Nelson, Culture …, pp 132 – 139.

 

B.     Policy Sub-Systems

 

Kharasch, “Three Self-Righteous Institutions” (Reserve),

     Also to be found in Kharasch, The Institutional Imperative,.

     at pp 158 – 167.

Reader, pp 258 – 270.

Riser, “U.S. Forestry Service.”  To be found in Peters & Nelson. Culture…,  pp 146 – 156.

Fiorina, “Congress and the Bureaucracy.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Rourke, Bureaucratic Power, 4th edition, pp 220 – 230.

Nelson, “How to Break The Ties That Bind.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Peters & Nelson, Culture …, pp 276 – 278.

 

C.      Administrative Direction

 

Kharasch, “The Imperative and Its Corollary” (Reserve)

      To be  found in Kharasch, The Institutional Imperative at

      pp 23 – 30

Downs, “Life Cycle of Bureaucracies.“  (Reserve) To be found in Yarwood, American Bureaucracy,  pp 97 – 108.

Holden, “Imperialism In Bureaucracy.”  (Reserve)  To be found in Rourke, Bureaucratic Power, 4th edition, pp 28 – 31, 43 – 44.

Halperin, “Why Bureaucrats Play Games.”  (Reserve) To be found in Bach & Sulzner, Perspectives On the Presidency  at pp 397 – 411.

 

 

** Exam Over Unit VI **