HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: Public Policy

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: Hebrew

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Prof. Sharon Gilad

Coordinator Email: sharon.gilad@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Mon 16:00 to 17:00

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Inbal Hakman

Course/Module description:
This course will provide students with theoretical tools to analyze the field of public administration. During the course we will explore theoretical explanations as to who or what shapes administrative bodies’ behavior, and what means are there for enhancing bureaucratic effectiveness, political responsiveness and legitimacy. Among others, we will delve into theories of the relations of bureaucracies with politicians and the public, and the multiple means for strengthening external control over the bureaucracy and/or public agencies’ self-direction in pursuit of public values.

Course/Module aims:
The main objective of this course is to give students theoretical and conceptual tools to understand and analyze the factors underlying administrative behavior and the means for enhancing the effectiveness, and bureaucraceis' responsiveness to politicians and the public.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Define central concepts in public administration literature.

Compare different theoretical approaches to the study of administrative behavior and performance.

Identify the main influences on public agencies’ effectiveness, political responsiveness and legitimacy.

Demonstrate how different theoretical approaches explain a case of administrative agencies’ behavior, effectiveness, political responsiveness and legitimacy.

Analyze the theoretical and methodological strengths and weaknesses of individual studies of public administration.

Attendance requirements(%):
80%

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Whole-class lecture and discussion, as well as small-group work in relation to an empirical case study.

Course/Module Content:
1.Introduction to the Course: The "Public" in Public Administration

2.Rational Choice Theories in Public Administration

3.Political Control Over Public Administration

4.The Impact of Bureaucratic Appointment Methods on Public Administration Performance

5.Political Control and Bureaucratic Willingness to Speak Out Against "Bad" Policy

6.Between the Professional and Political Levels: The Tension Between Professional Expertise and Political Control in Public Administration

7.The Role of the Public and Interest Groups in Policy Design

8.Street-Level Bureaucracy and the Exercise of Discretion

9.Citizen Strategies in Interaction with Bureaucracy

10.Administrative Burden on Citizens

11.Measurement and Evaluation of Effectiveness as a Policy Design Tool

12.Who Wants to Work in the Public Sector?

13.Course Summary

Required Reading:
Dunleavy, P. 1991. Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Choice: Economic Explanations in Political Science. New York; London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, Ch. 6.


Wood, B. D. and R. W. Waterman. 1991. "The Dynamics of Political Control of the Bureaucracy." American Political Science Review 85, 801-828.

Dahlström, C., Lapuente, V., & Teorell, J. (2012). The merit of meritocratization: Politics, bureaucracy, and the institutional deterrents of corruption. Political Research Quarterly, 65(3), 656-668.
Waterman, R. W., & Ouyang, Y. (2020). Rethinking Loyalty and Competence in Presidential Appointments. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 717-732.



Jennings, Will. 2009. “The public thermostat, political responsiveness and error-correction: border control and asylum in Britain, 1994–2007.” British Journal of Political Science 39(4): 847–870.


Coleman, S. C., Brudney, J. L., & Kellough, J. E. 1998. Bureaucracy as a Representative Institution: Toward A Reconciliation of Bureaucratic Government and Democratic Theory. American Journal of Political Science, 42, 717-744.


Gallo, N., & Lewis, D. E. (2012). The consequences of presidential patronage for federal agency performance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22, 219-243.

Moynihan, D.P., and Sanjay K. Pandey.2007. "The Role of Organizations in Fostering Public Service Motivation." Public administration review 67, 40-53.
Golden, M. M. (1992). Exit, Voice, Loyalty, And Neglect: Bureaucratic Responses to Presidential Control During the Reagan Administration. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2(1), 29-62.

Schuster, C., Mikkelsen, K. S., Correa, I., & Meyer-Sahling, J. H. (2022). Exit, Voice, and Sabotage: Public Service Motivation and Guerrilla Bureaucracy in Times of Unprincipled Political Principals. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 32(2), 416-435.

Aberbach, J. D., Putnam, R. D., & Rockman, B. A. (1981). "Introduction." Bureaucrats and politicians in western democracies. Harvard university press. pp. 1-23.

Baumgartner, F. R., & Leech, B. L. (1998). Basic Interests: The Importance of Groups in Politics and in Political Science. Princeton University Press, Chapters 3 & 6.

Ege, J., Gofen, A., Hadorn, S., Hakman, I., Malandrino, A., Ramseier, L., & Sager, F. (2024). Understanding street-level managers’ compliance: a comparative study of policy implementation in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Israel. Policy and Society, 43(3), 317-333.

Nielsen, V. L., Nielsen, H. Ø., & Bisgaard, M. (2021). Citizen reactions to bureaucratic encounters: Different ways of coping with public authorities. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 31(2), 381-398.

Moynihan, D., Herd, P., & Harvey, H. (2015). Administrative Burden: Learning, Psychological, And Compliance Costs in Citizen-State Interactions. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(1), 43-69.

Heinrich, C. J. (2012). Measuring public sector performance and effectiveness. The SAGE handbook of public administration, 32-56

Gilad, S., Sulitzeanu‐Kenan, R., & Levi‐Faur, D. (2024). A taste for government employment also rests on its political flavor. Public Administration Review.

Additional Reading Material:
None

Grading Scheme :
Essay / Project / Final Assignment / Home Exam / Referat 70 %
Submission assignments during the semester: Exercises / Essays / Audits / Reports / Forum / Simulation / others 10 %
Presentation / Poster Presentation / Lecture 20 %

Additional information:
Course requirements:
-Attendance of at least 80% of the classes.
Weekly reading assignments include up to two articles or book chapters, which students are required to read.
Leading a case study discussion in one class session during the semester.

Course Assessment:
Group-led discussion (20%) in one of the designated weeks marked with an asterisk (*).
Preparation for guest lectures (10%).
Final paper (80%).