A concise history of the four eras of American public administration : clerks, civil servants, administrative managers, and the deep state -- The anti-democratic and racist views of early founders, 1890-1920 -- When an appointed city manager was recalled by the voters : Long Beach, 1922 -- Inventing performance measurement for government in the 1930s -- Political lessons for field operations by New Deal agencies, 1934-1943 -- Government PR comes of age : the first assistant secretary for public affairs in the President's subcabinet and the bureaucratic thickening it triggered, 1944-1953 -- Cutback management in extremis : budgeting, reorganization, and policymaking at the end of World War II, 1945-1946 -- The President's "budget boys" and women librarians : a history of the Bureau of the Budget Library, 1940-1970 -- The last stand of "small government" : the political attack by congressional auditors on agency training programs, 1940 -- Congressional conservatives use PR tactics to enact controls over the bureaucracy, 1943-1946 -- Here comes the "professional government-doctor" : the expert consultants of public administration service, 1933-2003 -- "Real world" training for public service : the origins and pioneering programs of the National Institute of Public Affairs, 1934-1985 -- Creating an organizational home for practitioners and professors alike : the founding of the American Society for Public Administration, 1937-1939 -- Mileposts in knowledge : the University of Alabama's book series, 1944-1999 -- "It wasn't what I expected" : participant observation by a public administration professor as an elected lawmaker, 1977-1989 -- Glimpsing an alternate history of public administration : the later life of William Allen, cofounder of the New York Bureau of Municipal Research, 1914-1944 -- Summing up : historical perspectives on managing the American public sector -- Writing future history : methodologies old and new.
Summary:
"Nowadays, we all tend to complain about bureaucracy, if only because it touches our daily lives, sometimes in frustrating ways. This book examines the gradual emergence of American public administration. As a history of American bureaucracy, it focuses on key and pivotal events in its evolution and development. Chapters highlight major issues and controversies including the anti-democratic origins of the field, Congressional hostility to the bureaucracy, if appointed city managers should be subject to recall by voters, early limits on the role of women, and the establishment of a membership association for practitioners and academics alike - an unusual feature in the American professional world. This book will appeal to university students, university faculty members, and academic libraries interested in American government and US history. The subject is at the intersection of several academic disciplines, including public administration, American history, political science, public management, management history, and organization theory." -- back cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.