Search

Administrative leader turnover adversely affects the organizational stability of U.S. federal executive agencies, as well as undermines presidents' policy goals. An incentive compatibility theory of administrative leader turnover is proposed that distinguishes between proponent (policy priority) versus caretaker (non-policy priority) loyalist executive appointees. This theory predicts that the proponents ' tenure will be comparatively more stable since it reflects incentive compatibility for both the president and executive appointee compared to caretakers where such a relationship is lacking. The evidence comports with this logic by demonstrating that appointee loyalty results in a longer tenure in office when their agency constitutes a stated policy priority for the president at the time of agreed upon service compared to when this happens not to be the case. Responsive competence in executive administration requires incentive compatibility that benefits both the president and executive appointees for ensuring stable leadership of U.S. federal agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory diffusion occurs when an agency adopts a substantially similar rule to that of another agency. Indeed, regulatory texts proliferate just like other forms of law do. While this insight has been explored across countries, this dynamic also occurs closer to home: American administrative agencies regularly borrow language from one another. Our research shows that, in recent years, agencies reused one out of every ten paragraphs of the Code of Federal Regulations. These findings are timely given the Supreme Court's call for judges to be less deferential to agency regulatory interpretation. There is thus newfound significance to understanding how legislative rules are written and why. This Article explores the descriptive and normative implications of regulatory diffusion. The empirical analysis reveals a fairly steady rate of text reuse, with a notable increase during the Trump Administration--perhaps the result of well-documented staffing problems and vacancies. More generally, the number of both borrowing and lending agencies has increased, with a relatively small number of agencies borrowing text from an increasingly larger group. In other words, regulatory text has diffused from more agencies. This behavior appears to vary by whether the agency is executive or independent in nature. These findings raise important questions about whether such diffusion is desirable, as well as how to interpret the regulations that result. To assess the relevant tradeoffs, we propose that agencies should be required to explain why they are emulating other regulatory texts to allow executive-branch oversight over the practice. We also argue in favor of the in pari materia canon--the idea that similar regulations should be interpreted similarly by judges--and propose ways for judges to determine when and how to apply it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author provides insights into the concept of visible hands and its domain in the management of a business enterprise and industrial markets in the U.S. Topics discussed include Alfred Chandler's concept of the visible hand in his book "The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business," the application of visible hands beyond firms including hospitals, schools, and government agencies, and the concept of governance in pursuit of value creation.

We develop a theory of policymaking between an agent and an overseer, with a principal whose welfare is affected by agent-overseer interactions. The agent can increase the quality of policy outcomes through costly capacity investments. Oversight and agent bias jointly determine optimal agent capacity investments. We show that when oversight improves agent investment incentives the principal always benefits from an agent with biases opposite the overseer. Competing agent-overseer biases translate into higher quality policy outcomes than the principal could induce were she monitoring the agent. Effective oversight is necessary for these incentive effects. The results imply that political principals ought to consider the nature of the broader policymaking environment when appointing agents to make policy on their behalf and when designing managerial strategies aimed at motivating agents. (JEL D73, D82, H11) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relationship between lifestyles, household and household wastes, by exploring possible future development path for the lifestyle and the possible consequences for household waste composition. The study predicates on a reasonably simple and straightforward idea that the waste generated from homes is a product of the way the people live and since the way of life of people change overtime, getting an idea of how people may live in future may give an insight into the sorts of composition of waste produced by them. It tends to provide a contribution to the evidence base on household waste at a general level. Design/methodology/approach: The overall approach hinged on the notion that the household is the appropriate analytical unit of household waste production composition. This specified inputs needed to develop scenarios for future waste composition. The weekly generation of sorted wastes from their various sources was determined by direct measurement in kilograms on a weighing scale. Questionnaires were administered to elicit information on key drivers and factors that influence lifestyles scenarios and their development. Interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders and government agencies on waste management. Findings: The results indicated that food related waste constituted the major percentages and tonnages (44 percent, 269,870 tons) of household waste, while the least portion was glass (1.2 percent,7,278 tons). The key drivers responsible for generation of food waste include level of income, subsistence farming that generate organic food waste and rise in fast food outfits that give preference to readymade food over cooking at homes. The drivers for developing future scenarios include population, government regulations, nature of apartment, level of income, consumer spending, management technology. Three scenarios were developed: status quo trends, strong government and destination point. Research limitations/implications: Models should be developed for better simulation studies of lifestyle scenarios by quantifying household wastes in terms of carbon footprint and money instead of relying on quantities generated in tons. Further studies should extend to other sources of waste such as industrial waste, electrical and electronic waste, among others. The implication from research findings shows the need for sustained for sustained awareness on people's lifestyle with regard to handling of household wastes by government agencies, institutions and non-governmental organizations. Scenario planning is required to enable, encourage and engage householders to make changes in their lifestyles. Practical implications: Food waste, by virtue of its tonnage and percentage composition, dominated the overall picture during the study period and will continue to do so in the near future. The composition of household waste in the future will be driven by the population and lifestyles of the householders. The drivers of lifestyles are crucial factors that determine the picture of the future. Furthermore, it is possible to conjecture circumstances in which household waste is converted to wealth at the destination point but the period before then imply some radical changes in both lifestyles and underlying economic growth facilitated by a strong political will. Originality/value: This research could be of enormous benefit to policy makers, practitioners and others with an interest in or responsibility to the development and implementation of sustainable waste management. Scenarios are devices for enabling organizations and the individuals within them better to understand their operating environment, so as to make better decisions. This research is a scenario-planning exercise, considering how future changes in lifestyles of people in Port Harcourt metropolis now and in future may impact on the future composition of wastes they generate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of collaborative networks in the public sector has been mostly approached from structural and managerial perspectives. Cultural dimensions, however, have not been sufficiently studied. Drawing in a cognitive approach of culture, this article studies how emerging cultural constructs shape the operation of a municipal association in Chile. The study relies on 48 semi-structured interviews and the review of archival data coming from network meetings. The data analysis reveals that cultural constructs shape network operations by predisposing members to interact in certain ways. These ways of operation demonstrate functional and non-functional effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the first phase—from 2014 to 2016—of the Swedish Public Employment Service's renewal journey by examining how the agency worked to achieve its new strategy through processes of strategic management and entrepreneurship. We did this through the theoretical lens of strategic entrepreneurship (SE). The results showed that the agency's renewal processes are simultaneously entrepreneurial and strategic. The agency is historically well known for its detailed management and control, which creates several tensions with entrepreneurship. We contributed to previous literature by focusing on the organizational aspects of these tensions and the SE practices of balancing entrepreneurship with strategic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six dimensions of administrative climate (viz., pathology, impotence, futility, flexibility, effectiveness, and responsiveness) were identified and refined empirically through factor analysis of interview items about perceptions of the work environment in programs to improve rice production in Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, and Thai- land. Analyses utilized within-nation variance in responses rather than the pooled variance across nations. Identification of the relationships between dimensions in each program provided insight into the shared perceptions of their administrative systems held by officials in the four programs. A preliminary analysis of sources of perceptions of administrative climate (viz., social back- grounds, personal attitudes, administrative careers, and administrative relations) strongly suggests that the concept of administrative climate is an amalgam of these motivational and structural elements in a perceived environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a normative strategic management process for the public sector. It focuses on the state agency or department as the strategic public planning unit (SPPU). Each department within a state Government provides a distinctly different service to a more or less homogeneous segment of the stole's citizenry. Therefore, for strategic management purposes, each stale unit operates in its unique context and must meet the demands of varied constituency publics if it is to be a viable and effective provider of its service. The process herein described recognizes the unique aspects of public sector strategic management and integrates several stages that specific to the public sector into an established private sector strategic management framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A predictive model is presented to test the hypothesis that the actor who perceives an administrative role conflict situation will fulfill the role that he evaluates as more legitimate and/or more obligatory. The legitimacy and obligation dimensions of role have been operationalized for an analysis of conflict resolution in five situations. The proportion of correct predictions made range from .842 to 1.000, in all cases significantly beyond chance expectancy. Data for the analysis were obtained by interviewing 71 district councilors, local officials in Idoma Division, Northern Region of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates and attempts to explain some relationships between control achieved through structural arrangements and control achieved through supervisory style. Eighty large governmental psychiatric hospitals and 52 small private hospitals were studied. With some exceptions--and these apparently traceable either to the differential effects of size or sponsorship--maximum structural control (approximating that of bureaucratic organizations) was found in association with a limited employee control, and, minimal structural control (resembling that of less bureaucratic institutions) was found in association with more pervasive employee control. In general, the scope of employee control varied inversely with the scope of patient control--sometimes because of structural arrangements and sometimes because of supervisory style. These basic patterns are discussed in their relation to classical Weberian conceptions of formal organizations, as well as to more recent theoretical formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational techniques were used to trace and measure the transmission of influence in two municipal administrative hierarchies. Two hypotheses were tested. The first asserted that subordinates were relatively more influential than their superiors in the formulation and execution of novel decisions. This hypothesis was confirmed by observation. The second hypothesis claimed greater influence for organizational superiors in programmed decision making, but the observations did not support it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theory is based on the idea that both bureaucratic and community primary groups are essential for achieving most tasks in our society. At the same time they have antithetical atmospheres. Therefore, they are best linked when they are at some midpoint of social distance. If they are too close, there will be conflicts because of their atmospheres. If they are too far, they will not be able to coordinate to solve their mutual problems. The paper suggests eight possible mechanisms of coordination which can link bureaucratic organizations with primary groups. It suggests the theoretical bases for determining which of these mechanisms tends to close social distance and which tends to open distance. It further suggests what kinds of bureaucratic structures can tolerate each type of coordinating mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of two governing boards on the effectiveness and morale of two state government wildlife management agencies. Participation in the decision-making process constitutes the core of the boards' performance; only secondarily do they engage in control activities, and they perform no economic role for the organizations. The boards' major function for effectiveness is service as a buffer group between the full-time staff and the public. With respect to dysfunctions for effectiveness, the boards act for the benefit of their home communities and require a sizable amount of attention from the staff to be kept informed on the problems of wildlife management. The staff is of the opinion that the boards create more contributions than problems with respect to effectiveness, and are basically satisfied with this system of authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time when the President is under investigation, and in the wake of a controversial dismissal of the FBI Director, the need for an "independent" FBI has appeared to many to be more important than ever. Indeed, the Senate would not have confirmed the new FBI Director, Christopher Wray, if he had not promised to be independent of the President and the Attorney General. This Article argues that calls for an independent FBI are misguided and dangerous. The Article analogizes presidential control of the FBI to civilian control of the military by demonstrating that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the FBI and the military share the same purpose. It then explores in depth how the FBI has often infringed on civil liberties in the same way that the framers worried an out-of-control military might do so, and it explains why the independence that the FBI has often enjoyed was a cause of those violations. Finally, it concludes that if it is necessary to preserve the FBI's investigative independence, the solution is to split the FBI to reflect the model of many western democracies--creating an independent agency to investigate crime (like Britain's New Scotland Yard) and a separate agency to continue the FBI's national security functions (like Britain's MI5). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many public administration studies have argued that agency network activity brings about important policy benefits such as informational advantages and stakeholder support. Given the proposition, agency network activity would positively affect congressional delegation because policymaking authority tends to be delegated to the agencies that can achieve appropriate policy outcomes. This hypothesis is examined by several regression tests using data from U.S. federal agencies. Statistical results indicate that the agencies with significant network ties are likely to yield more appropriate public policies and have greater statutory discretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a continuation of previous work that emphasizes an alignment between the internal management (strategy formulation) of public organizations and their environment (strategic stance). As public organizations formulate strategy through strategic planning or logical incrementalism, they relate to their external environments through the strategy stances of prospector or defender. Current research asserts that organizations with a prospector stance perform better when they adopt logical incrementalism, whereas organizations with a defender stance perform better when they formulate their strategy through formal strategic planning (FSP). Our study on the transit industry, however, could not find support to these assertions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: First embodied by the European Supervisory Authorities in 2010, agency governance in the financial sector has gained momentum with the creation of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) – an EU agency with considerable competencies in banking prudential policy. Within a short period, backed by the ‘ESMA‐Short Selling case’ judgment, agencies have progressed from supporting the European Commission with their quasi‐rule making, to a more prominent role in the decision‐making process, potentially influencing policy‐makers' agenda. By engaging in a qualitative analysis of legal documents, official texts and relevant scholarship, this research note examines the formal framework and practical aspects of SRB's governance, in order to substantiate whether its establishment presents a ‘qualitative increase’ in financial sector agencification. At the same time, the research note highlights problematic issues arising because of the limitations set by the Meroni doctrine arguing that the Board's wide powers ‘on paper’ may prove challenging to implement in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1993, the United Nations has promoted national human rights institutions (NHRIs); these have spread to almost 120 countries. We assess what makes NHRIs effective, using quantitative and qualitative methods. We find that formal institutional safeguards contribute greatly to NHRI efficacy even in authoritarian and transition regimes. Complaint-handling mandates are particularly useful because they help NHRIs build broad bases of support. Our findings show how international organizations can wield great influence with soft tools such as recommendations and peer-review mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agency size is generally assumed to be positively correlated with survival: the bigger an agency, the less likely it is to be terminated. Yet, recent research finds a very small effect of size on survival. The reason, we argue, is that it only addresses size in terms of overall operating budget - what this article calls objective size. By contrast, we use an interpretive historicist approach to show how perceived size - the meanings and beliefs of key actors concerning an agency's size - affects termination. Drawing on a case study of Australia's independent aid agency, AusAID, which endured a tumultuous history of cuts, reorganizations and rebirths, culminating in termination, we show how perceptions of the agency's size mattered. These findings both support and extend recent research showing that adaptation and reputation are critical to the survival of government agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of fostering high performing culture on organization performance particularly in the government. It offers tips on how to improve culture performance such as establishing clear culture vision build on public service purposes, the importance of empowering employees to make change and generate result on their own, and the aspects of considering talent management also known as people analytics.

The author comments on the intense scrutiny that the Parole Board for England and Wales has been subjected to since its decision to release John Radford in 2017, including a review on the future constitution of the Board and whether more fundamental reform requiring primary legislation is needed.

The article analyzes the management of government agencies in Central and Eastern Europe. It seeks to explain the similarities and differences of agency control and steering in the two selected post-communist countries: Lithuania and Romania. Our comparative research is based on desk research and statistical analysis of the COBRA data. In contrast to Romania whose agency management has gravitated around the Weberian-style model, Lithuania has shifted its agency landscape more towards the NPM-style management as a result of more extensive and centralized managerial reforms in the 2000s. This is attributable to a more systemic and top-down approach to result-oriented management in the latter country. Despite the adoption of NPM-inspired reforms in Romania and Lithuania, agencies in these countries do not exhibit systematic relationships between the level of autonomy and ex post control, which can be related to incomplete implementation, differences in the selected management instruments, and certain agency specificities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shared services are a popular reform for governments under financial pressure. The hope is to reduce overheads and increase efficiency by providing support services like HR, finance and procurement once to multiple agencies. The authors identify five risks that shared services won’t live up to expectations. Each is illustrated with international evidence, before the conclusion discusses ways to manage these risks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The past decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of regulatory agencies (RAs) across countries and policy domains. To establish credible regulatory regimes, many RAs are formally shielded from direct political influence and thus enjoy high levels of legal autonomy. While granting formal independence to an agency may erect some institutional barriers to politicization, it also generates a strong incentive to appoint ideologically likeminded individuals to the agency leadership. An analysis of about 700 top-level appointments to over 100 RAs in 16 West European countries between 1996 and 2013 shows that individuals with ties to a government party are much more likely to be appointed as formal agency independence increases. Higher levels of legal independence are thus associated with greater party politicization--a finding that casts doubt on the effectiveness of formal independence as a tool to reduce political influence in RAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the annual enforcement report from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the U.S. Particular focus is given to the legal foundations of agency reporting. Additional topics discussed include problems with SEC reporting, the reliability of this reporting and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and its reports on air quality.

Australian legislation indicates a special relationship between Parliament and independent watchdogs such as the Auditor General and Ombudsman. These statutory provisions are reviewed and a new model conceptualizing watchdogs as satellites of Parliament is presented and assessed in the context of the debate about where these watchdogs fit in our system of government. The model assists consideration of the interdependence of Parliaments and watchdogs and tensions in the relationship. It is identified that giving primacy to the relationship with Parliament mitigates some risks and creates others, and that it provides a democratic legitimacy to the watchdogs. The article concludes that there can be benefits to the community where primacy of the role of Parliament is embedded in legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To summarize the results of the major management review of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (2009-2010) and note related outcomes.Method: Narrative from the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, who directed and oversaw the management review.Results: The management review led to 46 recommendations, all of which have since been implemented. The subsequent organizational and operational changes have unified reporting structures, streamlined the administrative Corps organizational structure, and transferred support services to providers with expertise in uniformed services to create a new integrated personnel and payroll system. Related processes have also prompted a systematic billet review as well as establishment of explicit criteria for eligibility to become a Corps officer. Corps leaders report improvements in recruiting talented officers, increased selectivity from the candidate pool, and enhanced matching of incoming officers with agency assignments. Furthermore, Corps activity has grown in both traditional and innovative ways.Conclusion: The Corps has enjoyed heightened activity and outcomes in the era of health reform. The management review and its implementation have strengthened the Corps, helping officers to do their job and achieve their mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations perform all activities and operations within a framework, which are built on its vision and mission. The performance of each activity and operation can be measured using Key Performance Indicators (KPI), which indicate the organization's success in achieving its strategic objectives. KPI is widely used not only by profit-oriented organizations, but also by non-profit organizations such as government agencies. Government agencies have different characteristics in terms of funding, programs, and culture. This research describes the development of KPI in an Indonesia government agency. This research was conducted in three stages: evaluating the organization's vision and mission; determining the organization's position using Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis; and preparing a strategic plan, and developing the priorities of that plan using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The result of KPI development shows that the government agency has eight strategic objectives and five KPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]