June 13, 2018

   
ASPA Website | PA TIMES.org


In This Issue:

Economic Development, Infrastructure, Budgets of Top Concern to City Mayors

According to analysis performed by the National League of Cities (NLC) to create its fifth annual State of the Cities report, mayors across the country are most concerned about economic development, infrastructure and budgets and management. So much so that these topics edged out public safety from its previous top spot on the list of topics discussed, and infrastructure moved up one spot, from number 3 to number 2.

"My goal is for every neighborhood in Birmingham to become... a place that people actively choose to live [in]," commented Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin regarding economic development in his city.

He's not alone. According to the NLC report, "Cities are enhancing the arts scene and supporting innovation, recognizing that attracting big employers is not enough to spur economic growth."

The annual report, compiled by the NLC each spring, analyzes speeches mayors from across the country give from January through April of a given year, categorizes major topics and sub-topics discussed (based on the quantity of words used on each topical area), and looks at trends across demographics and over time.

Fifty-eight percent of state of the city speeches given this year included significant coverage of economic development issues such as downtown development, arts and culture, neighborhood vitalization, jobs and business attraction and retention. This topic only took the lead on infrastructure by two percent though, with 56 percent of city speeches looking at that topic. Where was the focus? Water infrastructure, equitable access to public transit and high-speed Internet access.

"We must continue to provide transit options for our working families and build on the largest expansion in MARTA history," stated Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms, according to the report.

While MARTA is specific to Atlanta, public transit was on many mayors' minds this year, with this topic being discussed in 28 percent of state of the city speeches. It kept good company: Roads, streets and signs were featured in 53 percent of speeches and water infrastructure was featured in 31 percent.

The data goes on, looking at budgets and management, housing, public safety, health and human services, education, energy and environment, government data and technology and demographics, cataloging shifts within each topic and sub-topic category, as well as over time.

"Despite variations over time and among mayors... one thing this analysis makes clear is that mayors are inherently problem-solvers with keen insights into how they can effect change within their communities," states the report. And it is no wonder: Mayors cite growing concerns that their partnerships with state and federal government are not being reciprocated. In fact, as the report notes, "Intergovernmental relations [as a topic area] keyed in on broad conflicts between state, federal and local government as well as specific concerns on tax and revenue tensions."

In other words: Mayors are learning that if they want to solve their cities' problems, increasingly they have to do it themselves.

Find the report and a variety of resources on the NLC website.

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State-Level Infrastructure: A Case Study

A recent in-depth article from Governing magazine has put the nature of our country's infrastructure in sharp relief as it details the State of Mississippi's current level of decaying roads and bridges. It offers an unfortunate example of the way in which transportation administration and taxation intersect with intergovernmental challenges, emergency management, business, equity and more, leaving Mississippi (in this case) stuck with an intractable, and perhaps unsolvable, problem.

As stated in the article's opening paragraph, "Mississippi's increasingly unreliable infrastructure—its crumbling roads and hundreds of deteriorating bridges that have been closed or weight-limited—is straining the state's businesses and local governments. It's no wonder, then, that they... have pressed the legislature to do something about it. Yet year after year, lawmakers in Jackson have come up empty-handed."

What impact is this policy stagnation having on the state? Plenty, from business progress and emergency management to residential needs and disaster relief. What's standing in the way? The same thing affecting most infrastructure challenges across the country: Money to fix the problem.

Those interested in learning more about this issue can read the full Governing article online here, and take a look at some research articles on related subjects through PAR:

Public–Private Partnerships in Urban Infrastructures: Reconciling Private Sector Participation and Sustainability
The Future of Local Government: Twenty‐First‐Century Challenges
State and Local Fiscal Sustainability: The Challenges


Do you know of more resources related to this issue? Let us know!

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KeepingCurrent, BookTalks and Student Series on the Horizon

ASPA's webinars are ongoing throughout the year. Averaging 75 attendees per event and free to ASPA members, these e-learning opportunities provide you with valuable insights and information at your fingertips. Visit our website to stay informed about all upcoming webinars including KeepingCurrent, BookTalks and the Student and New Professionals Series.


KeepingCurrent: Steering Clear of Scams
June 15 | 1 p.m.
Presenter:
Alec Hilliard, FedSolutions, Inc.

Join us for this live discussion about how to avoid being phished! New scams crop up regularly and scammers are getting better about getting past even the savviest techie, much less those who don't know all of the signs. Our tech expert will give you practical guidance and advice for avoiding being taken in by phishing scams. Chapter and Section Leaders: Plan to have your leadership attend!




KeepingCurrent: Performance Management Trends in Cities, Counties and States
June 21 | 2 p.m.
Presenters:
Dana D'Orazio, National League of Cities
Richard Green, Moderator, Barrett and Greene, Inc. and Chair, ASPA Center for Accountability and Performance
Jeffrey McLeod, National Governors Association
Natalie Ortiz, National Association of Counties

This webinar, hosted in partnership with ASPA's Center for Accountability and Performance, will bring participants the latest information about progress and trends in performance-informed government from the three major local governmental units: cities, counties and states. Panelists will offer an expert view of the state of the art in their respective levels of government. In addition to a broad view, they will focus on efforts made by their organizations in this field.




Student and New Professionals Series: Writing a Strong Curriculum Vitae
June 26 | 2 p.m.
Presenter:
Alex Henderson, Long Island University

This webinar will help you focus on crafting your CV. Dos, don'ts and musts will all be covered! Just some of the questions that will be answered include: How is a CV different from a resume? How should I organize my material? What should I leave out? This is one of our most popular webinars; register today to participate.




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Now in the E-Learning Archives: Fiscal Administration

If you have not yet had a chance to access and use ASPA's webinar archives, take time this summer to do so! With more than 120 hours of archived webinars stored there, you are guaranteed to find topics of interest.

For instance, in late 2017 we hosted a BookTalk with John Mikesell and Kurt Zorn, looking at Mikesell's book, Fiscal Administration (10th ed.). As an international expert in the field of retail sales taxation, tax compliance and administration, Mikesell has held numerous positions throughout his career related to budget, finance, taxation and more, making his textbook a must-have for your collection.

During the BookTalk, Zorn and Mikesell discussed the textbook, which aims to provide a hands-on resource for MPA students to teach them what they will need to know when they hit the job market. Each edition in publication reflects added knowledge Mikesell gained during his career, as well as what he learned his students needed to know as time passed.

Mikesell walked our BookTalk audience through the resource's major themes, including fiscal sustainability, fiscal transparency and financial control, and fielded a number of questions from Zorn and the audience.

Click here to find the webinar in our archives and pick up some knowledge about fiscal administration this summer.

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Calling All Public Administration Review Aficionados!

Do you have any issues of Public Administration Review (PAR) from between 1940 and 1955? Do you have several volumes' worth—or maybe dozens? ASPA wants your help to complete its collection!

Contact us to let us know what hard-copy issues of PAR you have; we would be honored to help arrange for your donation.

Whether it is one issue or multiple volumes, any support you can offer will go leaps and bounds toward preserving this vital piece of ASPA's history. We hope you will help support our Society as we complete our collection.

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Annual Conference Presentations Now Online

More than 50 presentations from ASPA's 2018 Annual Conference, which took place this past March in Denver, are now available on our conference website.

Grouped by author name, track in which it was presented and title of presentation, you should be able to determine easily the content available. Even more, this page is open to the public, so even if you did not attend the conference, check the listings and see if there are presentations of value to your research or career needs.

If your presentation is not posted and you'd like us to include it, please send it to us and we'll add it to the page.

Accessing and using these presentations is the final step in ensuring you make the most of your conference experience. Take a look at these resources today!

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Welcome New ASPA Members!
Click here to view the most recent new ASPA members!

 

"Willingness to Donate" Survey Closes on June 30

If you have not already done so, click the link below to participate in a survey by researchers from Rutgers University and James Madison University that explores "willingness to donate." The survey takes only a few minutes to complete and participants can register for a $5 Western Union gift card. Survey questions are related to association members' preferred donation amounts when supporting professional associations (including those such as ASPA). Results of this survey will hopefully help inform dues-level decisions for association leaders. Click here to access the survey. The survey will be closing at the end of June for ASPA members. Please contact Cleopatra Charles with any questions.

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2018 Sino-U.S. International Conference Begins Friday

The ninth Sino-U.S. International Conference on Public Administration begins this Friday, June 15, in Beijing. Hosted by Suffolk University, Institute of Public Service; Rutgers University—Newark, School of Public Affairs and Administration; ASPA; and the Chinese Public Administration Society, the theme for this year's conference will be: "Implementing Public Policy Toward Good Governance". This conference focuses on public policy creation and implementation toward good governance around the world. Click here for more information.

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CIMPAD Begins June 21; Accepting Registrations

Taking place June 21-29 at the University of Botswana, Africa, the 2018 Consortium for International Management, Policy and Development (CIMPAD) is accepting registrations. The conference will feature six conference tracks: policymaking governance and public administration; health and wellness in the global environment; tertiary education, research and technology; youth gender and cultural empowerment; immigration, productivity and skill development; and justice, social equity and civil society. Click here for more information.

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2018 IIAS Congress Begins June 25

The 2018 Congress of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) will take place June 25-29 in close collaboration with the Presidency of the Tunisian Government and ENA Tunis (National School of Administration). This year's Congress will focus on the theme of administrative resilience. Resilience refers to the capacity of public administration to provide appropriate responses to shocks, risks and disasters of any kinds. Click here for more information.

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Policy White Paper Request for Proposals

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA), through its Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee (GAPC), and The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), are seeking proposals to develop a policy white paper: "Blockchain Technology: Local Government Applications and Challenges." This white paper aims to identify leading practices in blockchain technology that are being tested or may be applied to improve local government services, address financial efficiencies and accessibility, and achieve community goals. ICMA is offering a $6,000 stipend to the selected author. All proposals must be submitted no later than June 29 to Elizabeth Kellar, ICMA. Click here for more information.

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2018 Teaching Public Administration Conference

As national governments around the world continue their efforts to ameliorate the impacts of global shifts in migration; inequalities between rich and poor countries; collapse of global financial markets; and an ongoing lack of trust in politicians, they are also making decisions on how to organize and structure representative democratic institutions fit for the 21st century. The complexity of 'wicked issues' not only are demanding greater levels of public spending in an era of financial constraints, but also are forcing public servants and politicians to situate innovation and enterprise as core governmental activities. This year's Teaching Public Administration Conference (TPAC) joins the UK Public Administration Committee of the Joint University Council Annual Conference at Northumbria University, Sept. 10-12, to discuss these significant topics. Abstracts/ideas for themes/open panel/papers must be submitted by TPAC's extended deadline of June 30, 2018 to Pamela Dunning of Troy University. Click here for more information.

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2018 SECoPA Boorsma Award Call for Nominations Open

SECoPA is accepting nominations for the Boorsma Award, honoring a practitioner or academician for facilitating over a period of many years the international exchange of knowledge and administrative practices that foster better performance in the public sector. The Boorsma Award Committee will receive and assess all submitted nominations. All individuals or organizations wishing to submit names of individuals to be considered should provide either a letter describing the individuals' qualifications for the award or a copy of the resume of the individual being proposed (or both). The deadline to submit nominations is July 1, 2018. The award will be presented at the 2018 SECoPA conference, taking place Sept. 20-23 in Birmingham, AL. Please send nominations to Allan Rosenbaum of Florida International University. Click here for more information about the Boorsma Award.

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Professional Development through the Andrew Young School's Center for State and Local Finance

The Andrew Young School's Center for State and Local Finance invites you to register for a full year of executive education courses, beginning this summer. Class participants typically include chief financial officers, finance directors, budget and procurement staff, county administrators and others looking to hone their skills and advance their careers. The full course schedule is as follows:

  • Government Financial Statement and Accounting: July 17-20, 2018 (Deadline July 2)
  • Governmental Leadership: Politics, Communication and Influence: Aug. 15-17, 2018 (Deadline Aug. 1)
  • Debt Management: Sept. 12-14, 2018 (Deadline Aug. 28)
  • Treasury and Investment Management: Nov. 7-9, 2018 (Deadline Oct. 24)
  • Forecasting (Special Session): Jan. 24-25, 2019 (Deadline Jan. 9, 2019)
  • Operating and Capital Budgeting: March 13-15, 2019 (Deadline Feb. 27, 2019)
  • Cost Analysis (Special Session): April 16-17, 2019 (Deadline April 2, 2019)
  • Retirement, Risk Management and Procurement: May 15-17, 2019 (Deadline May 1, 2019)

Fees for the two-days courses are $350; three-day courses are $500; four-day courses are $700. Click here to learn more about the executive education program and to register.

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2018 NECOPA Call for Proposals

The 2018 NECOPA will take place Nov. 2-4 at the University of Baltimore. Its theme will be, "Blind Spots in Public Administration: Looking Inward to Improve Responses to Changing Landscapes". We all have intellectual blind spots: those issues or topics where our view is obstructed from seeing clearly. In these spaces, we are literally blind to what is happening and, as a result, unable to gather information to change our point of view. What intellectual blind spots exist for public administration and our broader system of governance? On what topics is our view obstructed? Where are voices hushed or silenced and whose voices are they? This conference aims to consider these questions in an attempt to uncover, explore and address these blinds spots. The deadline for priority proposal consideration is Aug. 1, 2018. Submit paper or poster proposals (250 word limit) or fully formed panel proposals (400 word limit) here. Click here for more information.

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World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Economic Inequality Takes Place This September

Scheduled for Sept. 26-29 in Brazil, this conference will encompass disparities in public health, education, civic engagement, socioeconomic standing and representation. Subtopics include: longer term consequences of persistent poverty and inequality in access to quality health care among low income, racial and ethnic minority group members; comparative analysis of the effectiveness of alternative policy interventions designed to reduce racial and ethnic economic inequality; problems of political corruption and uneven development; causes and consequences of inequalities in access to health care and alternative health care delivery systems; racial identity and the evolution of policies in higher education, public employment and government contracting and procurement; and innovative policies designed to remedy racial and ethnic economic inequality: baby bonds, universal employment, guaranteed minimum income plans. Click here for more information.

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Biden Challenge at University of Delaware Scheduled for September

This Sept. 27-28, the University of Delaware is hosting The Biden Challenge: How to Revitalize the Middle Class. Based on a challenge Vice President Biden issued last fall—What policy solutions do you propose to ensure America has a growing and thriving middle class, and that they continue to be relevant?—this event is built entirely for scholars and practitioners to provide policy solutions for the problems facing the middle class, which Vice President Biden may be able to put into action. Participants will engage in panels and idea exchanges on the future of employment and education, the role of innovation, budget priorities and infrastructure investments. Click here for more information and registration details.

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ABFM 2018 Research Conference This October

The Association for Budgeting and Financial Management's annual research conference will be held Oct. 4-6 in Denver. Click here for more information.

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PAR Update

PAR announces the table of contents for issue 78(4). Check out what is appearing in next month's issue of PAR today!

The Limits and Possibilities of Volunteering: A Framework for Explaining the Scope of Volunteer Involvement in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
Rebecca Nesbit, Robert K. Christensen and Jeffrey L. Brudney

Who Engages in the Coproduction of Local Public Services and Why? The Case of Atlanta, Georgia
Kelechi Uzochukwu and John Clayton Thomas

Intermunicipal Cooperation in the Netherlands: The Costs and the Effectiveness of Polycentric Regional Governance
Pieter‐Jan Klok, Bas Denters, Marcel Boogers and Maurits Sanders

How Voluntary Environmental Programs Reduce Pollution
William McGuire, Phi Cong Hoang and Aseem Prakash

Should Government Go It Alone or With a Partner? A Comparison of Outcomes from a Work Release Program Using Different Policy Tools
Haeil Jung, Deanna Malatesta and Robert J. LaLonde

Regional Governance and Institutional Collective Action for Environmental Sustainability
Hongtao Yi, Liming Suo, Ruowen Shen, Jiasheng Zhang, Anu Ramaswami and Richard C. Feiock

Theory to Practice: Policy Recommendations for Fostering Economic Development through Social Capital
Trent A. Engbers and Barry M. Rubin

Explaining Self‐Interested Behavior of Public-Spirited Policy Makers
Eyal Zamir and Raanan Sulitzeanu‐Kenan

Assessing Qualitative Studies in Public Administration Research
Sonia M. Ospina, Marc Esteve and Seulki Lee

RNICE Model: Evaluating the Contribution of Replication Studies in Public Administration and Management Research
Mogens Jin Pedersen and Justin M. Stritch

Understanding Local Service Delivery Arrangements: Are the ICMA ASD Data Reliable?
Meeyoung Lamothe, Scott Lamothe and Elizabeth Bell

Does the Motivation for Market-Based Reform Matter? The Case of Responsibility-Centered Management
Amanda Rutherford and Thomas Rabovsky

The Future of Leadership in Public Universities: Is Shared Leadership the Answer?
Craig L. Pearce, Christina L. Wassenaar and Bob G. Wood

The Political Use of Evidence and Its Contribution to Democratic Discourse
Caroline Schlaufer, Iris Stucki and Fritz Sager

Also, be sure to check out our two virtual issues, with articles available free of charge for a very limited time:
Lessons from and For Latin American Public Administration and
Highly Cited PAR Articles


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Public Integrity Update



For the latest news on Public Integrity's articles and topics getting international attention, join the Journal's Twitter page: https://twitter.com/PubIntegrity, or our other active sites at:

Websites:
Public Integrity
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Ethical leadership and the Integrity of Public Institutions
Special symposium for Public Integrity

Guest editors:
Leonie Heres, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Karin Lasthuizen, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Werner Webb, University of South Africa, South Africa

With the rise of populist leaders such as Donald Trump (US), Geert Wilders (the Netherlands) and Marine Le Pen (France), who openly question not only the current roles of administrators and the quality of work, but also the integrity of public institutions, the relations between political and public leaders seem to become more and more strained. Meanwhile, high profile corruption scandals suggest that ethical conduct in the public sector cannot be taken for granted. It is against this backdrop that administrative leaders find themselves under increasing pressure to more proactively safeguard the integrity of their organization and provide employees with clear moral guidance.

In response to the increasing demands on public institutions, many (trans- and international) governmental bodies have implemented extensive ethics infrastructures and programs. Research on ethical decisionmaking and behavior, however, shows leadership to be a critical factor that cannot be substituted for ethics codes, hotlines, and training: leadership remains a key factor that sets the tone for the rest of the organization and affects the extent to which employees recognize, deliberate and act on ethical issues in their work.

While empirical research on ethical leadership has proliferated over the last decade, scholars have largely ignored the role of the public-private context in which such leadership exists.

Most studies on ethical leadership are conducted in proprietary business settings and draw exclusively on social and organizational psychological insights. Ethical leadership studies that have either a specific focus on the public sector or examine the role of organizational publicness from a comparative perspective are extremely limited. A few notable exceptions indicate that leadership does, in fact, matter to the ethics of and within public organizations and—conversely—that the publicness of organizations may be relevant to how leaders can and do exert their role in fostering ethics. However, the full implications of the public context within which administrative leaders operate and attempt to foster ethical behavior remain unclear.

This symposium issue aims to further the understanding on how the public, nonprofit, and private sectors impact the meaning, processes, and effects of ethical leadership. Topics for papers in this symposium may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • What are the interactive effects of ethical leadership between politicians and their political appointees on one hand, and senior civil servants on the other?
  • What moral dilemmas do major value changes imposed by political leaders evoke for public administrators? And how can administrative leaders deal with the resistance and role confusion that may result from such value changes, especially when executive leaders and legislative lawmakers may be in conflict?
  • How do public, nonprofit and proprietary organizations compare in terms of conceptions, the prevalence and effectiveness of ethical leadership, and how might differences (if any) be explained? What role does culture play?
  • What is the role of organizational publicness in the emergence of ethical leadership? What, if any, unique impediments do leaders of public organizations face in their practice of ethical leadership?
  • How can leaders ensure that public values are maintained and protected amidst blurring public and private sector boundaries, and in public-private partnerships? What are the implications of collaborative or network governance structures for the effects and scope of ethical leadership?
  • To what extent are public leaders able to instill moral norms and values in semi-public organizations, such as nationalized banks or public hospitals?
  • How is ethical leadership understood and practiced in transnational and international governmental institutions? How do leaders deal with the—sometimes fundamental&mdsah;cultural differences in moral values and norms that occur in international intergovernmental collaborations?
  • How and to what extent does ethical leadership of top-level public management contribute to the responsiveness of governments, the credibility of governments, and to citizens’ trust in government? And, how is ethical leadership contingent on and responsive to (country) culture(s), and the level of corruption within public institutions, to begin with?

By bringing together papers on ethical leadership and the integrity of public institutions, either from a sector-specific or a comparative public-private sector perspective, this symposium highlights the value of incorporating public administration research and theory into the field of ethical leadership, and vice versa. It is thereby hoped that it will inspire further research in this area. Moreover, by focusing on the public domain, the aim is to provide public officials with insights that help them to better understand and deal with the unique characteristics of the context in which they operate and how that shapes, and perhaps deters, their efforts to foster ethics.

Manuscripts are due no later than Sept. 1, 2018 to the guest editors via [email protected].

This special ethical leadership symposium for Public Integrity, aimed for publication mid-2019, originates from collaboration within the Public and Political Leadership (PUPOL) international academic research network. For more information, see: www.pupolnetwork.com.

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New on PA TIMES Online


Every Monday and Friday, ASPA publishes a curated collection of original content that covers public service, management and international affairs.

This quarter, we welcome submissions that focus on women in public administration. Send your contributions to us at any time; the deadline is rolling. Contact us for more information.

Check out our recent articles and columns:

Should Policy Research Increase the Use of Experimental Research?
By Bill Brantley

Barriers to Improving Government Performance
By Prajapati Trivedi

Pay Equity and a Statistical Review of the Wage Gap
By Caitlin Stein


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PublicServiceCareers.org


Find your next career opportunity at publicservicecareers.org. This online job board is the perfect resource for making a career change or landing your first job in the public service. It lists dozens of positions in academia, government and the nonprofit sector. Below are just a few current listings.

Deputy Director Planning and Building – County of San Luis Obispo – San Luis Obispo, CA

Director of Human Resources – L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

Performance Analyst – City of Alexandria – Alexandria, VA


American Society for Public Administration
1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036
     

Please send inquiries to Managing Editor Karen E. T. Garrett.