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At the end of the module, the students will;
- demonstrate knowledge of public management theory and concepts needed to study the management and performance of a particular (semi)public organization,
- demonstrate knowledge of qualitative research design and research methods,
- analyze the management and performance of a particular (semi-) public organization from theories of public administration and –management,
- analyse the impact of technology on the management and performance a particular (semi-) public organization.
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The sub-field of public management covers the internal and external functioning of organizations in the public and semi-public sector—defined in a very broad sense—as well as the effects of this functioning on the performance of these organizations (e.g. innovativeness, effectiveness, and legitimacy). Performance is conceptualized primarily from the perspective of the creation of public values: values that are important to society as a whole—rather than making a profit on a consumer market. Public organizations;
a) contribute to, and help to accomplish, collective public values and interests;
b) at least partly depend upon public funds and other resources.
The (semi-) public sector is defined much broader than “government” in its traditional sense. It also encompasses the activities of non-profit organizations and even the interactions between public and non-profit sector organizations with private sector organizations when such public-private partnerships serve the public interest.
The theoretical core of public management research is based on a number of basic assumptions, which have been elaborated and supported by (evidence-based) theoretical-empirical research. The starting point is that the study of (semi-) public organizations requires a specific scientific approach, which is different from the study of organizations in the private sector. Central is the observation that (semi-) public organizations operate in a political-institutional environment which is quite different from the one in which consumer markets function. Consequently, we cannot simply import practices from the market sector into public sector reforms. Therefore, much of the current research in the field of public management has been devoted to investigate to what extent the premises of “New Public Management” are confirmed or not in practice.
The influence of the political-institutional environment of (semi-) public organizations has important consequences for the study of public management. The first consequence is that public management, as a field of study, focuses on the interdependence between semi-public organizations and their environment. The environment of (semi-) public organizations is interdependent with other organizations, institutions, and (organized) citizens. The second consequence of the influence of the political-institutional societal environment is that the field of public management has a broader focus than processes and activities within and between organizations. This broader focus includes effects of organizational internal and external functioning on performance, that is: quality of public service delivery in terms of its efficiency, effectiveness, equity, legitimacy, and client satisfaction. The third consequence is connected to the task and functions that technology performs for internal and external functioning of organizations in the public and semi-public sector. Here the discussions will address the impact of the technology on the management in (semi-) public organizations.
During the module, students study issues that relate to the effects of internal and external management of (semi-) public organizations. For a proper performance, public organizations must tap necessary resources from their interdependent environment, and must buffer from shocks in their environment. While “getting more done with less” (in terms of resources) is often used as a slogan for public sector reform, the fundamental issue is “how to manage the use of resources as effectively and efficiently as possible, given the necessary quality of public service delivery?”
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| Bachelor Management, Society and Technology |
| | Required materialsBook| Owen E. Hughes (2017), Public Management and Administration. An Introduction, Bloomsbury Academic, (5th edition), 9781350311893 |
| Book| Kathy Turner, Lynette Ireland, Brenda Krenus and Leigh Pointon, Essential Academic Skills, Second edition, Oxford University press, ISNB 978-0-19-557605-4, ISBN-13:978019-5576054 |
| Book| Miriam Lips (2019), Digital Government. Managing Public Sector Reform in the Digital Era, Taylor and Francis, 9781138655652 |
| Course material| Additional articles, see Canvas |
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Recommended materials-Instructional modesAssessment| Presence duty | | Yes |
| Lecture| Presence duty | | Yes |
| Self study with assistance| Presence duty | | Yes |
| Tutorial| Presence duty | | Yes |
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TestsIntroduction to Public Management
RemarkWritten exam
| Qualitative Research
RemarkWritten assingnment
| Project: Public Management & Technology
RemarkAssignments
| Technology and the Public Sector
RemarkWritten assignment
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