The Public Administrator's Companion
A Practical Guide
Second Edition
The second edition of The Public Administrator’s Companion: A Practical Guide examines the most important elements of public administration. The authors provide readers with a keen understanding of how government works, useful for both students and practitioners of public administration. The book discusses governmental structure, human resources, and public funding. It delineates administrators’ actions in strategic planning, consensus building, budget development, performance measurement, and public policy assessment and implementation.
This edition includes new chapters on nonprofit organizations and leadership for administrators, as well as an appendix about preparing and making presentations. The previous edition’s appendix on getting a job in local government has been revised to include interviewing and hiring from the perspectives of both the agency and applicant. Real-world examples and cases from the local, state, and federal level reinforce key topics. Each chapter ends with a “Practicing Public Administration” section that provides helpful exercises for building the skills described in the chapter and a “Bibliography,” which provides useful source materials that can broaden the reader’s comprehension of the chapter.
"The Public Administrator’s Companion: A Practical Guide is a must-read for anyone new to government. It provides an easy-to-read overview of public administration, governmental services, ethics, and public engagement. As policymakers, elected officials should be well-grounded in planning and analysis. The guide outlines the different types of planning and the challenges in making complex decisions." —Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough, KH Consulting Group and University of Southern California
"A great resource for operational level guidance on critical day-to-day work of public administrators." —John J. Kirlin, University of the Pacific
Section 1: THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR'S WORLD
1. Understanding the Context for Public Administration
2. Government Functions and Organization
3. Nonprofit Organizations
4. Ethics
5. Informing and Involving the Public
Section 2: PLANNING AND ANALYSIS
6. Strategic and Other Types of Planning
7. Shaping and Supporting a Strategic Process (SWOT)
8. Understanding Community Sentiment: Surveys and Focus Groups
9. Making Complex Decisions: Multi-Attribute Utility Technique (MAUT)
10. Project Management: PERT and Flowcharts
Section 3: HUMAN RESOURCES, PLANNING, AND RISK MANAGEMENT
11. Managing Human Resources
12. Benefits and Managing Risk
Section 4: FINANCIAL RESOURCES
13. Revenue: Raising Money for Public Purposes
14. Operating Budgets: Funding Programs and Policies
15. Capital Budgeting: Funding Major Projects
16. Contracts and Procurement
17. Grants
Section 5: PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP
18. Performance Measures
19. Leadership for Administrators
Appendix A: Writing Reports and Speaking Effectively
Appendix B: Preparing and Making Presentations
Appendix C: Hiring in Government