Administration & Society current issue

Women, the Military, and Academe: Navigating the Family Track in an Up or Out System

Harris, G.L.A. — 2009-06-19

Academia, the military, and the family are greedy institutions that make total claims on women while vying for their unwavering commitment. This comparative analysis examines the sacrifices that women in the military and academe make in the quest toward promotion and tenure, offers solutions that might prove to be mutually beneficial to all involved, and points to the potential implications for public management and future research.

Can Management Strategy Minimize the Impact of Red Tape on Organizational Performance?

Walker, R. M., Brewer, G. A. — 2009-06-19

This study investigates the effects of red tape and strategy on organizational performance. Data come from 135 English local government authorities. Data are collected on several dimensions of red tape, three types of strategy (prospecting, defending, and reacting), and internal and external perceptual measures of organizational performance. The findings show that red tape lowers performance. The harmful effects of red tape are, however, mitigated by a strategic stance of prospecting. Defending has no effect on the impact of red tape on organizational performance, whereas reacting tends to amplify the harmful effects—thus worsening organizational performance. The primary implication of these findings is that public organizations should move toward more proactive strategies.

Presidential Staffing and Public Opinion: How Public Opinion Influences Politicization

Villalobos, J. D., Vaughn, J. S. — 2009-06-19

Scholars traditionally frame presidential efforts to politicize the federal bureaucracy as the result of divergence between the president's preferences and an agency's output. The authors argue that presidential concern with agency output is dynamic and is in part conditioned by the president's relationship with the public. To assess the relationship between politicization and public opinion, the authors use a data set that combines information on presidential efforts to politicize the Council of Economic Advisers from 1989 to 2004 with that of public attitudes concerning the president's handling of the economy. Their results indicate that public opinion does indeed bear a marginal, yet statistically significant, influence on presidential efforts to manage the federal bureaucracy, thus, providing a new contribution to the debate concerning presidents and the politics of bureaucratic structure.

Public Recreation Administration: An Examination of the Perceived Roles of Local Recreation Administrators

Zimmermann, J. A. M., Allen, L. R. — 2009-06-19

Public recreation agencies are challenged to provide a broad range of programs and activities. The administrator plays a key role in decision making within the park and recreation agency. The purpose of this research is to determine how chief administrative officers of local public recreation agencies perceive their role relating to the administration and delivery of public recreation services. Results indicate two independent yet related administrative roles. As administrative roles are better understood, administrators will be more aware of their behavior and subsequently better equipped to address the demands and expectations of operating a recreation system.

Looking for the FEMA Guy: Part 1

Birdsall, I. — 2009-06-19