The Public Administration

Public administration is a craft that demands real-world application of concepts and theories often learned in a classroom. Yet many students find it difficult to make the leap from theory to practice completely unaided.The Public Administration Workbook, 8e is specifically designed with the theoretically-grounded, practice-minded student in mind. It reviews scholarship in political science, law, industrial psychology, and the sociology of organizations and then allows students to see how these intellectual fields inform the analytical and managerial tasks that comprise public administration. Where standard public administration textbooks examine the nature of public agencies and explain how bureaucracies relate to other institutions, this workbook promotes a more effective way of learning—by doing—and more directly prepares those who will pursue careers in public agencies.

Each chapter begins with a discussion of relevant concepts and scholarship before moving into a hands-on exercise analyzing core analytical and management challenges. This edition includes an all-new exercise on contract negotiation, many international examples interwoven throughout the book, and a fully updated HRM section to reflect alternative ranking and compensation systems. Each chapter is further supported by a detailed Instructor’s Manual written by the author to guide instructors on solutions, explanations, and ideas for using or modifying the exercises to fit a variety of course needs, as well as downloadable datasets and exercises, providing students with a unique opportunity to apply and test classroom concepts outside of the job.

Dennis Dresang is Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs and Political Science and founding director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His research focuses on state politics, public personnel management, and community issues. He has contributed to public service in a variety of ways: directing a research and public service seminar of La Follette School students examining community health issues and youth violence, chairing two major gubernatorial task forces, and serving on numerous tribal and local government commissions on human resource management issues. He is author ofPersonnel Management in Government Agencies and Nonprofit Organizations, 5e (Routledge, 2008).