Public Administration 1999-2000

UNIT 1. Introduction to Public Administration 1. The Big Questions of Public Management, Robert D. Behn, Public Administration Review, July/August 1995. Robert Behn helps public administrators to define their profession by focusing on the big questions of how to get results, motivate people to work, and measure the results of their efforts. 2. The Difference between Neutral and Mindless, Gerald E. Caiden, PA Times, January 1997. This article explores the concept of neutrality and its impact on public administrators. For public administrators there should be clear guidelines as to what should be considered ethical, partisan, political, or, indeed, permissible. 3. Pragmatism: Exploring Public Administration's Policy Imprint, Patricia M. Shields, Administration & Society, November 1996. Because public administration is a combination of theory and practice, this article examines pragmatism, which is identified as an organizing principle that explains public administration. UNIT 2. Government and Organizational Behavior A. HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION 4. Preventing Sexual Harassment: A Fact Sheet for Employees, Bureau of National Affairs, 1998. David Kadue explains what sexual harassment is and is not under federal law, the kinds of behavior that may be interpreted as sexual harassment in the workplace, how a workplace environment can become "sexually hostile," how to avoid sexual harassment of coworkers, how to deal with sexual harassment if it arises, and what a person can do if he or she becomes involved in a sexual-harassment investigation. 5. Administrative Benchmarks in Management Training, Susan C. Paddock, Public Productivity & Management Review, December 1997. This article discusses management training in the public sector. Benchmarks are used to develop, test, and evaluate training programs that have meaningful outcomes for public organizations. 6. Privatizing Justice Agencies: The Due Process Dilemma of At-Will Employees, James D. Calder and Gary A. Mattson, Government Union Review, Fall 1990. Privatization of criminal justice functions has in many cases led to the degradation of employee rights and due process. This article addresses the problem of employee rights when principles of private employment supplant principles of administrative law. 7. A Midterm Case Study Assessment of Skill-Based Pay in the Virginia Department of Transportation, Reginald Shareef, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Winter 1998. The use of skill-based pay by public organizations is increasing. Implemented correctly, these new compensation systems can have a positive impact on productivity within the organization. (Part contents)