Recommending Books for Purchase (Bulletin 30 - Nov 2018) : Edward Elgar Publishing: Public Sector Management

Price : £80
Format : Print

Despite the growth in literature on political corruption, contributions from field research are still exiguous. This book provides a timely and much needed addition to current research, bridging the gap and providing an innovative approach to the study of corruption and integrity in public administration. The volume contributors provide insights from eight different countries, all drawing on extensive fieldwork data and following ethnographic methodologies. The topics discussed in this book include: the role of anti-corruption legislation; organizational change and integrity; party corruption; socio-cultural dimensions of corruption; gift-exchange; and clientelism. Analyzing these topics comparatively, the volume concludes that in countries where public perception of corruption is high, citizens are well aware of the generalized damage of these practices and the loss of trust they cause for public administrations. On the other hand, corruption in public administration takes place following patterns that mirror some of the fundamental social and cultural features that characterize interactions among citizens and institutions.Scholars and students from fields including public policy, public administration, sociology and anthropology will find this book to be of use to their research and studies. It will also be of interest to policy makers internationally and public sector practitioners.

Price : £100
Format : Print

The recent economic crisis has had severe and negative impacts on the EU over the last decade. This book focuses on a neglected dimension by examining European political entrepreneurship in times of economic crisis with particular emphasis on EU member-states, institutions and policies. Governance and Political Entrepreneurship in Europe examines the role that the political entrepreneur can play in promoting entrepreneurship and growth. The book includes an actor and a structure perspective by focussing on politicians and institutions within the public sector that use innovative approaches to encourage businesses with a goal of growth and employment. This exemplary book is a useful tool for entrepreneurship and political science scholars wishing to gain a better understanding of the ways in which political bodies can impact economic development. EU politicians and public servants would also benefit from reading this timely book as it offers key information on how they can help to promote growth.

Price : £220
Format : Print

This forward-thinking Handbook draws on the expertise of established and emerging scholars to provide a comprehensive review of the current state and future direction of theory and practice in US public administration. Chapters offer a cross-disciplinary, holistic review of the field, pulling together leaders from subfields such as public administration, public and nonprofit management, finance, human resource management, networks, nonprofits, policy, and politics. Chapter authors conclude that the field is intellectually rich and highly nuanced, but also identify numerous opportunities for growth and expansion in the coming years. The Handbook charts an agenda for future research in the field.The Handbook of American Public Administration is geared toward academics, researchers, and advanced graduate students. As an authoritative text on the history and state of US public administration, it proves equally suitable for national and international audiences. Practitioners who may be looking for background information or state-of-the-art knowledge about practice will also benefit from this Handbook.

Price : £135
Format : Print

A History of American State and Local Economic Development presents the history of American local and state economic development from 1790 to 2000. This multi-variable, multi-disciplinary history employs a bottom-up policy-making systems approach through three eras of American state and local economic development.The history offers insight into why the practice and profession evolved as it has and comments on its present-day complexity. It stresses mainstream economic and community development as an output of jurisdictional policy systems driven by political culture and three key forces of change--industry/sector profit cycle, population mobility, and three competitive urban hierarchies--which continue to impact policy-making. With several chapters on each major US region, this book observes two macro political cultures, Privatism and Progressivism, that have persisted since the Early Republic and have inspired two often-conflicting approaches to confront urban growth and decline.The model employed to organize and explain the evolution of American state and local economic development puts great stress on the three 'competitive hierarchies' (urban, metropolitan, and global) - the last anticipating and incorporating populism and the future election of Donald Trump. The discussion concerning political culture and the Big Sort also reflects implications from the 2016 election.This history of American state and local economic development will be of main interest to the academic community and economic development professionals, particularly those in political science, public policy, history, economics, planning, urban sociology, and geography. Research institutes, policy institutes, and NGOs will also find value in the comprehensive history.

Price : £29.95
Format : Print

In the neoliberal world, rising individualism has frequently been linked to rising inequality. Drawing on social theory, philosophy, history, institutional research and a wealth of contemporary empirical data, this innovative book analyses the tangled relationship between individualism and inequality and explores the possibilities of rediscovering individualism's revolutionary potential.Ralph Fevre demonstrates that a belief in individual self-determination powered the development of human rights and inspired social movements from anti-slavery to socialism, feminism and anti-racism. At the same time, every attempt to embed individualism in systems of education and employment has eventually led to increased social inequality. The book discusses influential thinkers, from Adam Smith to Herbert Spencer and John Dewey, as well as the persistence of discrimination despite equality laws, management and the transformation of individualism, individualism in work and mental illness, work insecurity and intensification. This multi-disciplinary book will be essential reading for students and scholars of sociology, economics, philosophy, political science, management science and public policy studies, among other subjects. It will also be of use to policymakers and those who want to know how the culture and politics of the neoliberal world are unfolding.

Price : £85
Format : Print

Applying a comparative analysis on law and practices, combined with extensive data, this book considers the legal consequences for public servants who make unauthorised disclosures of official information and the protections available for whistleblowers.The author provides an in-depth treatment of the law of unauthorised disclosures in the UK to explore the protections available and discusses the theoretical and legal justifications for the making of disclosures, as well as the arguments for maintaining official secrecy. The book discusses the legal consequences of leaking information and a full assessment of the authorised alternatives, providing recommendations for reform throughout. This book will be of interest to academics working on whistleblowing, as well as their students. The various recommendations provided in the book will be of use to whistleblowing NGOs, policymakers and Members of Parliament.

Price : £75
Format : Print

Political Entrepreneurship explores the role of political entrepreneurs in regional growth and entrepreneurial diversity. The authors define a political entrepreneur as a politician, bureaucrat or officer within the publicly funded sector who encourages entrepreneurship for growth and employment using innovative approaches. This book aims to enrich the established research on entrepreneurship with in-depth knowledge of the conditions conducive for political entrepreneurship in Sweden. Political entrepreneurs have the potential to be innovative and encourage entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial diversity by fundamentally challenging the prevailing formal and informal institutions. It is argued that, in times of economic stress, political entrepreneurship is essential to find new ways of promoting growth, employment and welfare. By using social science perspectives, this study complements the dominant business administration research on entrepreneurship by increasing our knowledge of the economic and political contexts in which entrepreneurship and private enterprise is conducted.This book is essential reading for students, researchers and policymakers interested in politics, economics and entrepreneurship, as well as for those working in the public sector.

Price : £80
Format : Print

This exciting book provides fresh insight into how institutions, governments, regulations, economic freedom and morality impact entrepreneurship and public policy. Each chapter contains a rigorous analysis of the consequences of public policy and the effects of institutional decisions on the productivity of entrepreneurs. Expert contributors highlight the importance of institutions for economic outcomes while focusing specifically on the impact of public policy. One standout feature is the presentation of concrete examples regarding the role of institutions as well a clear analysis of entrepreneurship research. The editors also examine and compare productive versus unproductive public policies. Some of the conclusions made within this book include:* Successful recruitment spending by states creates an incentive for unproductive entrepreneurs to seek economic rents* Regulatory measures impact firms in a continuous and evolving fashion* Economic actions and morality may converge given certain conditions * More economic freedom in a given country is associated with greater levels of entrepreneurshipPublic Policy, Productive and Unproductive Entrepreneurship will help policymakers direct their efforts at creating a positive economic environment for entrepreneurs to flourish and give scholars a better understanding of the role policy plays in entrepreneurial activity. Its practical application for academic research will be great for students, helping them to connect theoretical economic fundamentals to real and familiar economic outcomes.

Price : £85
Format : Print

University research has played an essential role in economic growth by generating public good outputs that have not readily lent themselves to private market development. As funding for universities and governmental research units has declined, these institutions have turned to the private sector to augment their research and development budgets. This book presents a framework for structuring public-private research partnerships that protect both these institutions' academic freedom and the private firm's corporate interests. The authors present a four-stage framework that recognizes the critical role of 'control rights' and reveals how these rights can be effectively identified, valued, and allocated between research partners. The book provides a number of template designs for a variety of research partnerships, including tactics and strategies for implementing successful public-private research partnerships. It further provides case studies with examples of both successful and unsuccessful research partnerships. The book demonstrates that universities are empowered when they pursue private partners actively and when contracts preserve academic freedom, address confidentiality, specify intellectual property rights, define access to proprietary data, clarify the conflict resolution process, and address potential publication delays.This book is an essential and illuminating resource for academic researchers in economics and public policy departments, technology transfer offices, as well as others involved in university and public administration.

Price : £80
Format : Print

Collective decision making seems a straightforward matter: people come together and decide. But why is it that today's winners can turn into tomorrow's losers? Why can't you always get what you want? How does the interaction between the decision makers influence the outcome? And are opportunists better off than stubborn decision makers?This book takes a refreshing look at collective decision making by using models of evolutionary biology and naturalistic decision making to analyse real-world cases. These cases include the rise and fall of the Dutch high-speed railway project and the unexpected effects of introducing public-private partnerships to connect the new Thai national airport to Bangkok. Gerrits and Marks successfully guide the reader towards an in-depth understanding through rich empirical research and uncover the beautiful complexity of collective decision making. Understanding Collective Decision Making will be of great interest to academics working in public administration, political science and evolutionary theory. Public managers will also find this book helpful to understand why and how collective decisions are formed.