Planning on attending the SECoPA Conference this week? Be sure to stop by and meet me, Patricia Yearwood, ASPA’s Senior Director for Membership Development. I’ll be available Wednesday through Friday to answer any questions you may have regarding ASPA or your membership. Chapter officers are also welcome to stop by to see a demo of the Chapter/Section Resource Area of the ASPA website.
Patricia J. Yearwood
Filed under ASPA Membership
What does it actually mean to “Re-Invent” something? I was surfing the web recently and it seemed that everything that I read pertaining to public administration,public governance, finance and budgeting, and others had articles that focused upon re-inventing something.
The reason that I find this to be an oxymoron is because; once something is initially invented, can it be reinvented? I mean really, it sounds good on the surface, but aren’t we really talking about changing something for the better? Which, if you really think about it, if it is being changed, updated or restructured it is not a matter of re-inventing but more of a matter of superseding?
Of course after embracing the fact that reinvention is nothing more than ones plight to do something new, I began to wonder the reasons why. It’s simple, because whatever it is either does not work any longer or it no longer fits the stated goals and expectations.
Public Administration is one of the fields that is currently trying to re-invent itself, the question is why? and can anyone actually definitively state what is needed?
Vanessa
One of the things that I love about the field of Public Administration is the fact that there is such a diversity of experience and expertise across the discipline. As a Master’s of Public Administration candidate, I took classes with police officers, health care administrators, city administrators, and all manner of public employees. We all took the same core classes, but because of our varied careers, we all brought different experiences to the table.
In my work, I have had the opportunity to work with demographers, engineers, telephone network engineers, transportation experts, and more, all in the pursuit of making life better for our constituents. I am exposed to many different fields of expertise on a daily basis – all public administration practitioners.
My gardening hobby recently gave me the opportunity to meet another, very different kind of public administrator. This past Friday I attended a talk about the history of victory gardens in the United States and the place victory gardens have in the modern day. Rose Hayden-Smith, the speaker, is a practicing U.S. historian and Director of the Ventura County, California/University of California Extension Service. While our fields of expertise and range of experiences are quite different, it is easy to see that our passion for public service is much the same.
Much like people in general, no two public administrators have the same experiences. Our experiences as people and as public administrators are what make us good at what we do. Our diverse experiences and expertise are what make our government work.
Filed under General, Practitioner Perspective
Having heard the president of the United States address the Joint Session of Congress in both systemic and transactional norms, where does the field of “public administration” enter into this lingo? Do you not think our language is “old hat?” Should we now have another concept to this whole field of contention that involves public, private, government, politics, policymaking infrastructure? As the field of study developed, we remember separating politics from bureaucracy, and we came up with the classification of “public administration.” It is not valid in the 21st century. We must be realistic in understanding what we are doing. The umbrella of public administration does not cover this profession any longer. Who wants to carry the ball to make things happen, and change the name of our profession? Once upon a time we were known as the “manufacturers of red tape.”
These days we too are involved in “bucking the system.” In the English language BUCK has several interpretations. Among the descriptive meanings are, when a horse tries to buck his rider – the horse is trying to unseat his rider by leaping with an arched back and landing with stiffened forelegs. In football the “bucking” is to charge into the opposing line with head down. Beyond the concept of resistance and obstinacy, a buck is a kind of leather covered frame in the shape of a sawhorse used by gymnasts in vaulting exercises.
To buck the bureaucracy is not to thwart it, but to educate its personnel in operations and systems . Without the regimentation of bureaucracy, knowing “what color socks go in which bureau drawer,” chaos is created. Bureaucracy, as a term, should generate positive activity rather than smerks of inefficiency. It also means that our academic systems, divided into public administration and business management have to fuse in order for the public and private sectors to work hand in hand for future generations. The president of the United States cannot demand this fusion and expect us to accept it gracefully.
Filed under General
Similar to the act of biting into a giant tri-level, stacked turkey sandwich — full of juicy tomato, iceberg lettuce, and provolone cheese on sourdough bread — is the jaw-breaking, mouth gaping attempt by governments setting out to conquer so many public policy issues at one time. An example of such a task at hand is the Obama administration’s lofty agenda in just year one of President Obama’s administration. Barely half of a year into his first term, the President is tackling issues such as an economic recession, healthcare, global conflicts, budget deficits, energy consumption, and immigration. The wide array of issues being addressed has led some critics to state the President seems to have bitten off more than he can chew, with certain issues becoming diluted or poorly resolved in the process of lawmaking, funding allocation, and program changes. Indeed, the difficult role of influencing Congressional leaders to see things his way and author and/or support specific policy legislation falls on President Obama’s shoulders. However, when it comes down to implementing actual changes, public administrators will take on this task.
As public administrators behind the scenes, we are responsible for enacting most of these policy changes. We are tasked with achieving agency missions and providing public service in the heat of such political environments. It is simply not possible to approach a policy issue in American government without considering the leading political party behind the final decision or voting power. Understanding the political ramifications confronting elected officials in light of our bureaucratic processes and final recommendations is essential to accomplishing our agency tasks and achieving success. If an elected official is facing reelection, he or she will understandably vote differently than he or she might have had with a close election cycle closing in. The expressed justification for voting a certain way may not be heard or even addressed if the elected official is facing public scrutiny.
An added challenge in setting policy is to consider the multiple political interests facing a potential policy shift, such as those experienced in a multi-member elected council, board of supervisors, or commission system. To accomplish a task, management must consider the political interests and voting climate in which policy changes will occur. Knowing the political climate for an issue will change the timeframe, implementation, and message utilized by public administrators who set out to address new policy changes.
Management and administrators higher up in the organizational structure generally understand the politics of policy making better than field staff and others situated further from government leaders and elected officials. Policy making is typically a confusing and unknown activity for field staff who do not directly concern themselves with the political maelstrom that is the governmental decision making process. It is no wonder that field staff tend to identify management and agency bureaucratic leaders as being out-of-touch and ineffective when they do not deal with the political system in the same way these leaders do. Decisions like what programs to cut or public facilities to close may not seem logical or justified to field staff, when in fact, there may be political heat facing bureaucrats making such decisions.
By ensuring agency or department staff are aware of the political process in which an organization exists, a clearer understanding may be achieved by staff regarding how certain decision outcomes are made. In taking the time to educate staff regarding the political process and bureaucratic measures bills, policy changes, and how other government decisions are made, staff can develop awareness for why things are the way they are. At least then, public administrators might also be better supported in biting off the giant policy change they are asked to take on.
By Melissa Clary, Southern Nevada ASPA Secretary
Filed under Practitioner Perspective
As public servants, how do we mobilize our public partners to serve the public? It isn’t a riddle – it is a problem that I run into frequently with my agency based work.
Here is my issue: I work on a CDC funded program with my state Department of Health. The program has a steering committee that functions as a governing body and also has several special interest work groups. There are about 30 members on the steering committee who each belong to multiple workgroups. Each of the steering committee members have made a commitment to the program and the subject area.
Overall, meeting attendance is low and momentum is lacking. A focused steering committee could be mutually beneficial to the Department of Health and the organizations involved. It seems as if the members of the steering committee don’t have the time – or aren’t making the time to move the program forward and impact the state.
My question is the following – in a fast paced setting – how do you mobilize public partners to serve the public good? Any ideas/comments would be appreciated.
Filed under Practitioner Perspective
