Democratizing public management towards practice-based theory / [electronic resource] :
Marta Struminska-Kutra.
- Cham, Switzerland : Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Practice-oriented reflection on governance -- Metagovernance, governance, and learning -- Governance learning from an institutional perspective -- How framing transforms governance : public dispute over the closure of three small schools in a rural community -- Public administration leaders as institutional entrepreneurs : dispute over the location of a marketplace -- Institutionalization of governance and the transition from "fake" learning to "real" learning : dispute over the modernization of a wastewater treatment plant and an incineration plant -- Governance failure and social trust : dispute over building a flood prevention system -- Towards a practice-based theory of governance learning and institutionalization : a cross-case analysis -- Making social sciences matter for public administration and public policy. Intro; Acknowledgement; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; 1: Practice-Oriented Reflection on Governance; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Between Ideal Type of Governance, Governance Practice, and Research on Governance; 1.2.1 Prescriptive and Normative Considerations of Governance; 1.2.2 Descriptive and Explanatory Considerations; 1.2.3 Practice Relevance of Research on Governance: Methodological Considerations; References; 2: Metagovernance, Governance, and Learning; 2.1 Governance in the Broad and in the Narrow Sense; 2.2 Governance and Learning 2.3 Uncertainty and Lack of Consensus over Values2.4 From an Idealized Model to a Practice-Based Description; References; 3: Governance Learning from an Institutional Perspective; 3.1 Linking Individuals and Institutions; 3.2 Public Dispute as a Trigger of Governance Learning; 3.3 Institutional Context of Governance. An Empirical Analysis of Governance Practice; References; 4: How Framing Transforms Governance: Public Dispute over the Closure of Three Small Schools in a Rural Community; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Description of Events 4.3 Governance and Framing: Managerialism, Legalism, and Representative Democracy4.4 Dynamics of the Decision-Making Process: Reducing Uncertainty by Pushing Out Any Dissenting Voices; 4.5 Conclusion; References; 5: Public Administration Leaders as Institutional Entrepreneurs: Dispute over the Location of a Marketplace; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Description of Events; 5.3 Participation Experiments: Governance Learning and Institutionalization at the Municipality Level; 5.4 City-Level Processes of Governance Learning and Participation: Fake Learning and Leadership for Governance 5.5 How Does Change Happen? Looking for a Favourable Configuration Between Leadership, Structure and Environmental Pressures5.6 Institutional Void as Governance Void: An Institutional Entrepreneur Meets an Institutional Leader; References; 6: Institutionalization of Governance and the Transition from 'Fake' Learning to 'Real' Learning: Dispute over the Modernization of a Wastewater Treatment Plant and an Incineration Plant; 6.1 Introduction; 6.2 Description of Events; 6.3 Institutional Change and Local Governance Learning; 6.4 Introducing Learning into an Institutional Perspective.
This book argues that contemporary society in general, and public administration specifically, can benefit from more reflexive learning processes through democracy and public involvement. It identifies the most central social practices, dilemmas, and challenges for public management as well as the mechanisms needed to enact institutional change. Offering a model of reflexivity and learning in the face of public dispute, it explores phenomena such as problem solving, democratization, public learning, and uncertainty to address certain tensions in governance theory and practice. Through a range of well-sourced case studies, this book demonstrates how institutions can manage difficult situations by not only resolving the conflict but addressing the underlying problem. It uses both theoretical and practical approaches to observe the micro foundations of political behavior and its institutional underpinnings, and will be a valuable resource for public administration researchers, practitioners, and graduate students seeking empirical studies of learning processes in the public sphere.
Political science--Government--Executive branch. Public administration.