What is Public Management?

Craig ThomasProfessor

Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance(since 2006)

A Curious SituationThe Evans School PhD program has been called “Public Policy and Management” since its inception ten years ago.

Yet there is very little “management” content in the core curriculum.• “Institutional Perspectives on Management” is primarily an institutions course,

not a management course.• There are no management electives at the doctoral level.• But there will be a new management core course next year (assuming we have

someone to teach it).

So why does the name of the PhD program not match the current content of the program?

A Curious Situation Explained (I Think)

The Evans School faculty have defined “management” in a much broader way than other schools in the US and internationally.

This has several implications:• Our doctoral students interested in public management have had to

train independently with faculty on the side.• The Evans School writ large does not sufficiently look like a public

management school (which may be why we are ranked #11 in public management, compared with #3 in nonprofit management).• We attract very few public management PhD applicants.

What I’ll Cover Today

How “public management” has been defined at the Evans School.

How the field defines itself.

How we might reconcile these differences based on the School’s new name: Public Policy and Governance.

My Perspective Regarding the Field

• Board Member (5 years), Public Management Research Association (PMRA) – the leading public management research organization.• Editor (5 years), Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

(JPART) – the leading public management journal over the last decade, and the top-ranked public policy/management journal since 2008 in terms of rolling citation counts. • Regular attendee at PMRA, APPAM, and political science conferences.• Editorial Board member of PAR, ARPA, JPART – and PSJ.

Public Management at the Evans School

I’ve heard “public management” defined various ways here since 2006:• All things Political Science• All things not Economics• All things not policy analysis, policy evaluation, or policy topics• All things policy processes (particularly implementation)• Public management and/or administration

Policy “versus” Management at the Evans School (looking back)

Policy ManagementPolicy analysis Public managementPolicy evaluation Nonprofit managementEconomics Political scienceStatistics Policymaking processesPolicy topics (e.g., implementation)

Public Policy and Governance(looking forward)

Public Policy Governance Methods and ValuesPolicy analysis Public management Quantitative methodsPolicy evaluation Nonprofit management Qualitative methodsPolicy topics Policymaking processes Economic theory

Political systems Political theory (e.g., ethics/values)

The Evolution of Public Management as a Field

Traditional public administration (~1900-present)

First-generation public management (1980s-present)

Second-generation public management (1990s-present)

New public management (1990s-present)

Traditional Public Administration

Focuses on:• agency structure (e.g., hierarchy and rule-following to constrain discretion) • nuts-and-bolts systems (e.g., human resources management systems)• one-best-way training (i.e., the belief that there are “correct” ways to do

administer programs)• low political content (i.e., the politics/administration dichotomy)

We have awarded the “Master of Public Administration” degree since 1962.• but we are no longer a traditional public administration program• and thus should considered renaming our masters degree

The Evolution of Public Management as a Field

Traditional public administration

First-generation public management

Second-generation public management

New public management

The Evolution of Public Management as a Field

Traditional public administration

First-generation public management

Second-generation public management

New public management

First-Generation Public Management

Case studies of public managers solving problems by seeking discretion.

“Successful” management strategies were inductively generated through the accumulation of patterns among qualitative variables.

Case studies were typically selected on the dependent variable (Y = success).

Pre-eminent books:• Creating Public Value (Moore, 1995)• The Effective Public Manager (Cohen & Eimecke, now in 5th Edition)

The Evolution of Public Management as a Field

Traditional public administration

First-generation public management

Second-generation public management

New public management

Second-Generation Public Management

Large-N studies of relationships among management variables.

Much more empirical than normative, with particular emphasis on performance (at the individual, program, and agency levels).

Leading journals: JPART, PAR, ARPA, PMR, PPMR, and IJPM

Backseat journal: JPAM

Second-Generation Methods

Highly quantitative:• Hierarchical linear models• Structural equation models• Regression discontinuity• Cluster analysis• Experimental methods• network analysis• agent-based modeling

Second-Generation Variables

• Performance• Goal ambiguity• Red and green tape• Motivation and job satisfaction• Knowledge acquisition• Public participation• Collaboration• Contract specificity• Publicness• Etc.

The Evolution of Public Management as a Field

Traditional public administration

First-generation public management

Second-generation public management

New public management

New Public Management

Derived from economic theory (rather than political or management theory).

Emphasizes efficiency and downsizing government through contracting out and competition among programs and agencies.

Mostly in UK, New Zealand, and other Westminster governments.

Pre-eminent books:• The New Public Management (Barzelay, 2001)• Reinventing Government (Osborne and Gaebler, 1996)

Where Things Stand Now

Traditional public administration• More often taught at smaller, regional public universities

First-generation public management• Predominant for teaching at top MPA/MPP programs

Second-generation public management• Predominant in top journals

New public management• In decline in Westminster governments and journals

Academic Conferences

PMRA is pre-eminent.

APPAM became less relevant, but there are many papers at the upcoming meeting.

ASPA is no longer a “must attend” research conference.

APSA Public Administration Section is dying (while the Public Policy Section is thriving).

PMRA Hotspot Schools in the U.S.

Initial schools – Georgia, Syracuse, Kansas, Indiana

Subsequent schools – Arizona, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio State, Florida State, American

Newer schools – UW, ASU, NYU, UC-Denver

Disappearing schools – USC, Berkeley, and Harvard

MIA schools – Michigan, UCLA, Virginia, Texas, Princeton, Chicago, Duke

Top Public Mangement/Administration

Schools(US News 2012 rankings)1. Syracuse

2. Georgia3. Indiana4. Harvard (move down)5. Kansas6. USC (move down)7. Rutgers8. American (move up)9. NYU10. George Washington

11. UW (move up?)12. Ohio State (move up)13. Arizona14. Albany15. Texas (move down)16. Wisconsin (move up)17. Virginia Tech18. FSU (move up)19. ASU (move up)20. Texas A&M

21. Maryland22. Minnesota (move up)23. Nebraska24. UC Denver (move up)25. Georgia State (move up)26. Delaware (move down)27. Missouri (move up)28. Berkeley (move down)29. Penn

Not ranked: Chicago, UCLA, Virginia, Michigan, Princeton, Duke, Georgetown, Columbia, Cornell

Top International Public Management Schools

(in Craig’s opinion)

Alphabetical order

Aarhus (Denmark)Bocconi (Milan)Cardiff (Wales)Erasmus (Netherlands)Hong KongSeoulSingaporeUtrecht (Netherlands)

How Do We Want To Be Known?

As a top-ranked or mid-ranked public management program?

As the premier public management school in the West? (ASU, Arizona, USC and UC-Denver are the challengers.)

For a PhD program that places candidates at top public management schools?

The search committee selected 11 candidates with these questions (among others) in mind.

Questions, Comments, Concerns?

Public Policy and Governance(looking forward)

Public Policy Governance Methods and ValuesPolicy analysis Public management Quantitative methodsPolicy evaluation Nonprofit management Qualitative methodsPolicy topics Policymaking processes Economic theory

Political systems Political theory (e.g., ethics/values)