Categorie archief: Book

Rethinking Public Governance

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Jacob Torfing* | 2023, Edward Elgar Publishing

In this innovative book, Jacob Torfing, a leading scholar, critically evaluates emerging ideas, practices and institutions, transforming how public governance is perceived, theorised and conducted in practice.

A novel rethinking of how current societies are governed, this book will inspire students, scholars and practitioners of political science, public policy, regulation and governance, and public administration management to reconsider how public governance and administration may be organised in the future to present innovative solutions to societal problems.

Identifying cutting-edge developments in public governance, this incisive book analyses new forms of political leadership, public management, public organisation, administrative steering, cross-boundary collaboration, public regulation and societal problem-solving. Examining some of the most significant instances of public governance transformation, chapters explore the effects of transformations from sovereign to interactive political leadership, from national to multi-level governance, and from hard to soft power.

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Third-Party Risk Policies in The Netherlands

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A Historical Sketch 

Ben Ale | April 2023, Cambridge Scholars Publishing

It is not easy to keep the population safe in a country that is one of the most densely populated in the world, a hub of international transport over land and water and through the air, about one-third of which lies below sea level.

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Third-party risk policies developed gradually in The Netherlands but became acute in the late 20th century as various industries increased their use and production of hazardous materials.

The Dutch government, considering its constitutional responsibility to protect the life, health and well-being of its people, must resolve the ongoing debate between the general population, who are exposed to these risks, and those profiting from the creation of said risks-the resultant policies are a product of this balancing act.

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Silent Spring

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Rachel Carson | 1962

This sensational book, Silent Spring (1962) by Rachel Carson, warned of the dangers to all natural systems from the misuse of chemical pesticides such as DDT, and questioned the scope and direction of modern science, initiating the contemporary environmental movement.

Silent Spring began with a “fable for tomorrow” – a true story using a composite of examples drawn from many real communities where the use of DDT had caused damage to wildlife, birds, bees, agricultural animals, domestic pets, and even humans. Carson used it as an introduction to a very scientifically complicated and already controversial subject. This “fable” made an indelible impression on readers and was used by critics to accuse Carson of being a fiction writer rather than a scientist.

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Creating Public Value

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Strategic management in government

Mark H. Moore | 1995

Public Value is a theory for public management advanced by Professor Mark Moore of the Harvard Kennedy School. Over the previous two decades, staff and students at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where Moore taught, engaged in conversations about producing excellence in public management.

“Public value refers to the value created by the government through laws, regulations, services and any other action. In a democratic society, this value is defined by the public themselves. Value is determined by citizens preferences expressed in a variety of ways and thus it provides a rough yard stick against which to gauge the public institutions and government policies.”

A seminal figure in the field of public management, Mark Moore presents his summation of 15 years of research, observation, and teaching on what public-sector executives should do to improve the performance of public enterprises.

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Een waterschap voor het waterbeheer van de toekomst

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Strategie als gedeelde betekenisgeving door de Nederlandse waterschappen

Myrthe van Delden, Johan Oudega, Martijn van der Steen en Marise van ’t Wout | 2023

In 2023 zijn er opnieuw waterschapsverkiezingen in Nederland. In de aanloop naar die verkiezingen voerden de waterschappen met elkaar een strategisch gesprek over de uitdagingen die er op waterschappen afkomen, over de kansen die er liggen en over de onzekerheden die er zijn. Ze zijn in gesprek gegaan over hoe waterschappen, vanuit hun sleutelrol in het veilig, leefbaar en veerkrachtig houden van Nederland, zich het beste zouden kunnen organiseren en profileren. Om met dit gesprek de publieke waarde waar ze voor staan ook in een sterk veranderende tijd te blijven realiseren.

Het verkennen van de toekomst en het ontwikkelen van strategie om daar mee om te gaan, betekent het omgaan met inherente onzekerheid. De toekomst ‘is’ nog niet. Er kunnen geen metingen over verricht worden en het is ook nooit met zekerheid te zeggen hoe de toekomst zal zijn. Dat betekent dat het nodig is om de onzekerheid in alle mogelijke vormen te onderkennen.

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Maatschappelijke bestuurskunde

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Hoe verbindende bestuurskundigen (kunnen) inspelen op maatschappelijke vraagstukken

Tom Overmans, Marlies Honingh & Mirko Noordegraaf  (red.) | Boombestuurskunde.

Het vakgebied bestuurskunde heeft zich de afgelopen jaren bewezen. Via opleidings- en onderzoeksprogramma’s, academische netwerken, internationale verbanden, publicaties, symposia en prijzen wordt gewerkt aan de versterking van het openbaar bestuur. Door de jaren heen is het bereik van bestuurskundigen gegroeid. De bestuurskunde draait niet enkel om de overheid, maar richt zich tevens op maatschappelijke dienstverlening, publiek-private samenwerking, coproductie van beleid en diensten en publieke waardecreatie. De laatste tijd werken bestuurskundigen bovendien aan maatschappelijke impact.

Deze bundel gaat een stap verder. De auteurs laten zien dat het tijd is voor een meer ‘maatschappelijke’ bestuurskunde, die zich nadrukkelijker en zichtbaarder richt op de analyse en aanpak van maatschappelijke vraagstukken. Dat is meer dan ‘maatschappelijke impact maken’. Dat is je verbinden aan andere academische disciplines en maatschappelijke velden, waarin de aanpak van concrete issues centraal staat. Denk aan klimaatadaptatie, duurzame landbouw, energietransitie, migratie, wonen, kansengelijkheid, georganiseerde misdaad, houdbare zorg en digitalisering.

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The Power of Organizations

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A New Approach to Organizational Theory: How organizations developed in history, how they operate, and how research on them has evolved.

Heather A. Haveman | 2022

Organizations are all around us: government agencies, multinational corporations, social-movement organizations, religious congregations, scientific bodies, sports teams, and more. Immensely powerful, they shape all social, economic, political, and cultural life. They are critical for planning and coordinating every activity, from manufacturing cardboard boxes to synthesizing new drugs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To understand our world, we must understand organizations.

The Power of Organizations defines the features of organizations, examines how they operate, traces their rise throughout a millennium, and explains how research on organizations has evolved from the mid-nineteenth century to today.

Heather Haveman shows how almost all contemporary research on organizations fits into three general perspectives: demographic, relational, and cultural. She offers constructive criticism of existing research, showing how it can be remade to be both more interesting and influential. She examines how we can use existing theories to understand the changes wrought by digital technologies, and she argues that organizational scholars can and should alter the impact that organizations have on society, particularly societal and global inequality, formal politics, and environmental degradation.

The Power of Organizations demonstrates the benefits and dangers of these ubiquitous foundations of modern society.

Bibliography

Haveman, H. (2022). The Power of Organizations: A New Approach to Organizational Theory. Princeton University Press.