Product Description: 'How big is good? Leaders committed to one answer have spent billions, destroyed entire cities and towns, and created new bureaucracies - from Scandinavia to Japan. This study should transform discussion of how a 'simple' question is asked, and answered...read more

Product Description: Written by scholars who have been at the forefront of the NPG debate as well as by scholar-practitioners, this book provides lessons learned from experience on how networked, contract-based and partnership-centered approaches to government can be undertaken in ways that preserve the values at the center of the American constitutional and political system...read more

Product Description: This is a true state-of-the-art volume in the fields of local governance, decentralization, and local democracy. It summarizes many of the insights emerging from original research of the past decade. It is also a future-looking volume with explicit policy relevance, paving the way for innovative thinking, and acting, on the next phase of development in the field...read more

Local Government is an area where management skills are tested to the extreme. With political considerations evident both locally and nationally, managing resources can be complex and subject to change. This book introduces new concepts and new ways of doing business that can greatly enhance the value of the services a local government provides to its citizens, without putting a greater financial burden on taxpayers. Padovani and Young present out-of-the-box thinking based on solid research and experience to discuss topics such as: Incorporating outcome indicators into strategic planning and budgeting Building a LG’s budget with ‘cost drivers’ Expanding the concept of ‘enterprise funds’ Assessing and better managing the risk associated with outsourcing Using the concept of ‘shadow pricing’ to compare public with private sector costs for services This book is a must-read for students of public administration and management, senior and middle managers in local governments around the world, and citizens who are concerned with more effective management of their local government’s programs and services. A list of suggested extra case studies for each chapter, and a description of the process to follow for ordering them, may be obtained by sending an email to CrimsonCenter@cs.com. You should request the document "Case Study Suggestions for Managing Local Governments".

Product Description: Gathers and presents topical research in the study of local government. This book discusses topics that include the empowerment and sustainability of the local government of Sudan; political issues through new forms of communication such as chat rooms, listservs, e-mail and bulletin board systems; and, more...read more

Product Description: Local governance has become a subject of particular interest, even in the context of globalization. As a bottom-up strategy, it aims is to increase the opportunities for civil society to engage in affairs of their own. As a top-down strategy, it wants to mobilize all endogenous potential available to improve political steering capacity...read more

Product Description: Estimates suggest that decentralization is currently being pursued in over 80% of developing countries worldwide. For many people, local government is the part of government that most directly impacts on their lives, particularly via the provision of local services like water, sanitation, primary education and primary healthcare...read more