Innovation in American government : challenges, opportunities, and dilemmas / Alan A. Altshuler, Robert D. Behn, editors.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Altshuler, Alan A., 1936-

Behn, Robert D.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political planning--United States.

Political planning.

United States.

Administrative agencies--United States--Management.

Administrative agencies.

Management.

Organizational change--United States.

Organizational change.

Agencias administrativas--Administración--EE.UU.

Cambio organizacional--EE.UU.

Local Subjects:

Agencias administrativas--Administración--EE.UU.

Cambio organizacional--EE.UU.

Physical Description:

xii, 394 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, [1997]

Summary:

Innovation does happen -- even in government! Despite all the news about government scandals and failures, public officials are innovative. This book analyzes numerous examples of ingenious problem solving -- in education in California, in the Department of Juvenile Justice in New York City, in government operations in Minnesota, and in human service programs across the country.

This book identifies a number of dilemmas that complicate the process of innovating in American government. For example, there is the "trust dilemma": Innovation may be necessary to establish public faith in the ability of government agencies to perform, but before the public grants agencies a license to be truly innovative, it needs to be convinced that these same agencies have the ability to perform.

The authors analyze a number of issues, including: Who is responsible for innovating? What kinds of organizational arrangements beget the most innovation? How can innovation be fostered in agencies devoted to routinization? And what exactly is an "innovation" anyway?

The contributors gathered data for this book from winners and finalists in the Ford Foundation's Innovations Awards program, as well as from other innovators.

Contents:

Part 1 Why Innovate?

1 The Dilemmas of Innovation in American Government / Alan A. Altshuler, Robert D. Behn 3

2 Bureaucratic Innovation, Democratic Accountability, and Political Incentives / Alan A. Altshuler 38

3 Innovation and Public Management: Notes from the State House and City Hall / Alan A. Altshuler, Marc D. Zegans 68

Part 2 Innovation and Organization

4 Innovation and the Public Interest: Insights from the Private Sector / Laurence E. Lynn, Jr. 83

5 The Dilemma of the Modern Public Manager: Satisfying the Virtues of Scientific and Innovative Management / Marc D. Zegans 104

6 Innovation in the Concept of Government Operations: A New Paradigm for Staff Agencies / Michael Barzelay, Babak J. Armajani 119

7 Innovation in Public Sector Human Services Programs: The Implications of Innovation by 'Groping Along' / Olivia Golden 146

Part 3 Innovation and the Media

8 Why Government Innovation Is Not News: The View from the Newsroom / W. Lance Bennett 177

9 Mass Media and Policy Innovation: Opportunities and Constraints for Public Management / Robert M. Entman 202

Part 4 Innovation in Policy Fields

10 State Innovation in Health Policy / Deborah A. Stone 219

11 The Paradox of Innovation in Education: Cycles of Reform and the Resilience of Teaching / Richard F. Elmore 246

12 Innovation in Policing: From Production Lines to Jobs Shops / Mark H. Moore, Malcolm Sparrow, William Spelman 274

Part 5 Implementing Innovation

13 Resolving the Dilemmas of Ad Hoc Processes: Parallel Processes as Scaffolding / Thomas N. Gilmore, James Krantz 301

14 Replication: Adapt or Fail / Paul Berman, Beryl Nelson 319

15 Public Sector Innovations and Their Diffusion: Economic Tools and Managerial Tasks / Lee S. Friedman 332

16 Notes from a Reflective Practitioner of Innovation / Ellen Schall 360.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0815703589

9780815703587

0815703570

9780815703570

OCLC:

37043886