You are here

Book > Textbooks > Public Policy & Public Administration
Politics of the Administrative Process
Share

Politics of the Administrative Process

Eighth Edition
January 2020 | 512 pages | CQ Press
Download flyer
“Kettl's Politics of the Administrative Process continues to resonate well with students of public administration because it discusses key concepts and theories in a straightforward, cogent, and contemporary manner that both faculty and students appreciate.” 
—Brian Bulla, Appalachian State University

Efficient public administration requires a delicate balance—the bureaucracy must be powerful enough to be effective, but also accountable to elected officials and citizens. Donald F. Kettl understands that the push and pull of political forces in a democracy make the functions of bureaucracy contentious, but no less crucial. Politics of the Administrative Process gives students a realistic, relevant, and well-researched view of the field while remaining reader-friendly with engaging vignettes and rich examples. With a unique focus on policymaking and politics, the Eighth Edition continues its strong emphasis on politics, accountability, and performance.  


Included with this title:

The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.
 
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
Abbreviations and Acronyms
 
About the Author
 
Chapter 1 • Accountability
Chapter Objectives

 
The Foundations of Public Administration

 
Historical Roots

 
The Meaning of Accountability

 
Governmental Power and Administrative Ethics

 
The Public Service

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
PART I • THE JOB OF GOVERNMENT
 
Chapter 2 • What Government Does—And How It Does It
Chapter Objectives

 
The Size of Government

 
What Government Does

 
How Government Does It

 
Implications for Public Administration

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 3 • What Is Public Administration?
Chapter Objectives

 
The Meaning of Public Administration

 
The Study of Public Administration

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
PART II • ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT’S STRUCTURE
 
Chapter 4 • Organizational Theory
Chapter Objectives

 
The Structural Approach to Large Organizations

 
Systems Theory

 
Challenges to the Traditional Theories

 
The Humanist Challenge

 
The Pluralist Challenge

 
Formal Models of Bureaucracy

 
The Challenge of Interwoven Government

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 5 • The Executive Branch
Chapter Objectives

 
Executive Branch Components

 
Leadership of the Executive Branch

 
E-government

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 6 • Organization Problems
Chapter Objectives

 
The Search for Effective Organization

 
Reorganization

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 7 • Administrative Reform
Chapter Objectives

 
Reform in America

 
Conflicting Theories

 
All the World’s a Stage

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
PART III • PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
 
Chapter 8 • The Civil Service
Chapter Objectives

 
Fundamental Elements of the Civil Service System

 
Challenges

 
Employee Rights and Obligations

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 9 • Human Capital
Chapter Objectives

 
The Human Capital Challenge

 
Managing the Human Capital Challenge

 
New Flexibility for the Personnel System

 
Leadership in the Public Service

 
The Problem of Top-Level Leadership

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
PART IV • MAKING AND IMPLEMENTING GOVERNMENT DECISIONS
 
Chapter 10 • Decision-Making: Rationality and Risk
Chapter Objectives

 
The Challenge of “Fake News”

 
Information and Values

 
Rational Decision-Making

 
Public Choice

 
Bargaining

 
Participative Decision-Making

 
Limits on Decision-Making

 
Managing Risk

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 11 • Budgeting
Chapter Objectives

 
Why Budgets Matter

 
The Budget’s Twin Roles

 
Budget Preparation

 
Appropriation by the Legislature

 
Budget Execution

 
Budgeting for State and Local Governments

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 12 • Implementation and Performance
Chapter Objectives

 
Judging Program Success and Failure

 
Factors Leading to Success

 
Problems of Performance

 
Interweaving through Federalism

 
Interweaving through Contracting

 
Performance Management

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
PART V • ADMINISTRATION IN A DEMOCRACY
 
Chapter 13 • Regulation and the Courts
Chapter Objectives

 
Regulation as a Foundation for Government’s Work

 
The Job of Regulation

 
The Courts’ Regulation of the Regulators

 
Regulation of the Regulators

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Chapter 14 • Accountability and Politics
Chapter Objectives

 
The Separation of Powers

 
Committee Oversight of Administration

 
The Government Accountability Office

 
An Assessment of Legislative Control

 
How Does Accountability Work?

 
Big Questions

 
Conclusion: Ethics and the Public Service

 
Key Concepts

 
For Further Reading

 
Suggested Websites

 
 
Notes
 
Glossary of Key Concepts
 
Index

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
edge.sagepub.com/kettl8e

Online resources included with this text

The online resources for your text are available via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site, which offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.
Student Study Site
edge.sagepub.com/kettl8e

The open-access Student Study Site makes it easy for students to maximize their study time, anywhere, anytime. It offers flashcards that strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts, as well as learning objectives that reinforce the most important material.

For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

“Good foundational text to teach intro to public administration at the upper-level undergraduate or graduate level… I like the emphasis on the need to be both effective and accountable. It is a reader-friendly text.”

Susan Spice
Auburn University

“Kettl's Politics of the Administrative Process continues to resonate well with students of public administration because it discusses key concepts and theories in a straightforward, cogent, and contemporary manner that both faculty and students appreciate.”

Brian Bulla
Appalachian State University

“Thorough coverage of subject matter that promotes critical analysis and provides opportunities for student engagement. Illuminates historical roots and contemporary political contexts that shape administration. It provides frameworks for understanding management challenges and explaining policy outcomes…I have used the text for many years and the students appreciate its authoritative, reference book quality”

Gina L. Keel
State University of New York, Oneonta

Excellent textbook, last edition contains many contemporary issues and examples that facilitate class discussions and analysis.

Joseph Martin
Truman School of Public Affairs, University Of Missouri
January 26, 2021
Report this review

Good update to a great textbook.

Dr David Chapman
Political Science and Geography, Old Dominion University
February 28, 2020
Report this review

Well organized and written for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Professor Clifton Wilkinson
Government and Sociology, Georgia College/State Univ
December 1, 2020
Report this review
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • The new edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect
    • The growing distrust in American government and entrenched administrative power.
    • Debates about government’s basic purpose and its basic capacity to accomplish what it sets out to do, from managing natural disasters to caring for immigrant families.
    • New scholarship, data and events, giving students multiple opportunities to apply ideas and analysis as they read. 

  • Five new cases are included in the eighth edition, including: 
    • “How Much Should the Government Pay to Rebuild after Hurricane Harvey?”, which focuses on the administrative challenges of setting rules to provide government support but ensure efficient use of public resources.
    • “Bargaining over Body Cameras,” which examines the complex bargaining over whether local police departments should end partnerships with federal officers if the feds are not allowed to wear body cameras.
    • “DARE-ing to Challenge Policy,” which questions what to do when policy analysis collides with popular police programs aimed at discouraging kids from using drugs.
    • “Are Public-Private Partnerships the Future of Budgeting?”, which asks how far governments can go in using partnerships with private companies to stretch scarce public dollars.
    • “Weed Rush,” which peels apart the administrative challenges that legalization of marijuana has brought to many states. 
    • “Jenga Federalism,” which asks how federal officials can engage in actions to undo state and local policies—and vice versa.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Engaging writing by renowned scholar, author, and columnist Don Kettl.
  • A full-color interior design effectively showcases photos, as well as data in a range of tables, figures, maps, and charts.
  • The Ripped from the Headlines boxes connect the themes of politics, accountability, and performance to current issues recently in the news.
  • A Diving into Data box uses numbers to bring key concepts to life. 
  • Every case study ends with “Questions to Consider” encouraging critical analysis.
  • All chapters end with key concepts, for further reading, and suggested website lists.
  • Bolded key terms, a full glossary, and a list of abbreviations and acronyms rounds out the book’s pedagogical tools.
 

For instructors

Select a Purchasing Option

Rent or Buy eBook
ISBN: 9781544374314
Paperback
ISBN: 9781544374345
$150.00

Related Products

Little Bites of Big Data for Public Policy
Little Bites of Big Data for Public Policy