Schar School of Policy and Government George Mason University

PUAD 502 Administration in Public and Nonprofit Organizations Fall Semester 2019

Professor James K. Conant email: jconant@gmu.edu Office: 631 Founders Hall (Arlington) phone: 703-993-1416 Office Hours: Mon. & Thur. 3:00 – 4:00 PM & 7:15 - 7:45 PM or by appointment Purpose of the Course: This course is designed to give graduate students an introduction to the study and practice of Public Administration in the American governmental system. PUAD 502 is the first of the eight required courses in the GMU MPA curriculum. PUAD 502 is a survey course, with emphasis placed on the breadth of topical coverage rather than depth. Many topics introduced in this course are covered in greater depth in other required or elective MPA courses. GMU MPA Mission, Course Knowledge and Skill Objectives: The GMU MPA program is designed for people who play, or aspire to play, a leadership role in organizations that develop and implement public policy. The focus of the MPA program is on knowledge and skill development. The key knowledge areas are politics, policy, and management. The key skills areas are writing, verbal articulation, analytic, and presentation skills. PUAD 502 is also focused on these knowledge and skill areas. Course Organization: This course is divided into five topical areas, with two or three weeks devoted to most topics. The thematic focus of the course is centered on the relationship between politics, policy, and administration. We will try to follow the calendar outlined in the syllabus as closely as possible, but, like any administrative plan, adjustments may be required by unanticipated circumstances. Class Participation and Ethic: Your participation in the discussion of required readings is an important component of your class discussion grade. If you are not in class you cannot contribute, and if you are not prepared for class, you cannot contribute effectively. Being on time to class, listening carefully to what your classmates have to say, and responding to your classmates in a courteous and professional manner are all important elements of effective class participation. Finally, I respectfully ask you put away and avoid using electronic devices during class, unless you are doing so exclusively for class purposes such as accessing an electronic version of a required text. I will use a variety of techniques to ensure that opportunities to participate in class discussion are evenly distributed among class members during each class session and over the course of the semester. We will have two short breaks during each class session so you can check and respond to your text messages, emails, etc.

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Attendance Policy: If you miss more than one class session during the semester due to illness, work assignments, family circumstances, etc., you can submit a four to five page summary of the required readings for the class session you missed. A maximum of two summaries can be submitted. Summaries are due on the day of the class period during which you are absent. A delay in submission may be requested in the case of an illness or other unanticipated problem. Reasons for the absence must be provided in writing. Course Knowledge Outcomes: At the end of this course you should be able to: 1. Define and employ key terms and concepts used in the study of Public Administration, including politics, policy, and administration. 2. Describe and analyze the “organization and method” of the executive branch and the executive branch departments and agencies. 3. Outline the evolution of the study of Public Administration and identify core public service values emphasized during various stages of this evolution. 4. Outline and employ research methods, models and theories used in the field. 5. Identify factors that contribute to stability and change in making and implementing public policy. 6. Identify some of the resources public administrators can employ and some of the constraints they face in the process of implementing public laws. Course Skill Outcomes and Other Professional Outcomes: At the end of this course, your analytic skills, writing skills, verbal skills, and presentation skills should be stronger than they were at the beginning. Additionally, you will have begun the process of developing a network of MPA and other graduate students, MPA alumni, and administrators whom you will have met through this class. Writing Skills: The principal resource you can use to enhance your writing skills is Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. Another resource you can use is the GMU Writing Center, located in A114 Robinson Hall. You may also connect with the writing center staff by phone at 703-993-1200 or by email at http:/writingcenter.gmu.edu Course Requirements and Grades: The work for this class consists of the readings for each week, participation in discussion of those readings, one memo and two papers. Content and formatting requirements for all written work is provided in Blackboard.

Memo 1 Due: Sept. 23

Paper 1 Due: Class #6

Paper 2 Due: Dec.9

Class Discussion

NEPA Summary Essay Options Distributed at end of class 6

Essay Options distributed at end of

last class session

Class Disc. Grade 15% 60% 25%

Course Grade Scale: A+ =100-98 A =97-92 A- =91-90 B+ =89-88 B =87-82 B-=81-80 C+ =79-78 C=77-72 C-=71-70 F=<70

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Paper Due Dates/Submission of Papers: Memos and papers are due at 4:30 PM on the date specified. Once a memo or paper has been submitted, it cannot be withdrawn or modified. Memo and paper contents, formatting requirements, and submission requirements are outlined in separate documents located on Blackboard. Late Assignments: A one-grade penalty will be applied to a memo or paper that is one or two days late; a two-grade penalty will be applied if the paper is submitted three to seven days late. Incompletes for the course are discouraged, but extraordinary circumstances can be accommodated. Requests for an incomplete must be submitted in writing at the earliest possible date. Honor Code: George Mason University’s Honor Code requires all members of this community to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. Cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing are prohibited. Violations of the Honor Code will be reported to the Honor Committee. The core presumption of the code is that all written work is your own work. Proper citation of material taken from other published work is required. The honor code can be found on-line (catalog.gmu.edu). Disability: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. Enrollment Status: All students are responsible for verifying their enrollment in this class. Schedule adjustments should be made by the deadlines published in the Schedule of Classes. Please note that if you want to withdraw from this class after the dated listed as the last day to drop a class, you must secure the approval of the college Dean, and such permission is only allowed for nonacademic reasons. Other University Policies: http://univesity.policy.gmu.edu is the link to the George Mason University Policy website for all GMU academic and nonacademic policies. Other University Resources: You can reach the staff at GMU’s Office of Counseling and Psychological Services by phone at 703-993-2380 or at: http://caps.gmu.edu Class Email Communications: All instructor initiated email communications will be sent to class members’ GMU email addresses. All communications you send to me should be from your GMU email address. Emergency University Closings: University-wide cancellation of classes may occur as a result of a storm or some other major emergency. In such cases, you should receive an

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email notification of class cancellation. You can also call the main GMU switchboard at 703-993-1000 for information about class cancellations. Required Reading Materials A. Reader I and E-Reserve Readings 1. Reader I: (readings packet) can be found in the Blackboard listings for the class under the “Course Content” tab. 2. E-Reserves: Copyrighted materials from academic journals, newspapers, etc. can be found in the Blackboard listings for the class under the “e-Reserve” tab. B. Books with Required Reading Materials: available at the Arlington GMU Book Store. 1. Richard Beeman, The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution (Penguin Group, USA, New York, NY.) 2010. 2. James K. Conant and Peter J. Balint, The Life Cycles of the Council on Environmental

Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, 1970 – 2035 (New York: Oxford University Press) 2016.

3. Donald F. Kettl, The Politics of the Administrative Process, 7th ed. (Washington DC: CQ Press) 2018. 4. Norma Riccucci, Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press) 1995. C. Recommended Books Strunk and White, Elements of Style. D. Books on 2 Hour Reserve in the GMU Founders Hall Library (second floor) Donald F. Kettl, The Politics of the Administrative Process, 7th ed. (Washington DC: CQ Press) 2018. James K. Conant and Peter J. Balint, The Life Cycles of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, 1970 – 2035 (New York: Oxford University Press) 2016. Norma Riccucci, Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press) 1995. Note: Any royalties I make on the sale of my book for this class will be donated to the GMU Schar School of Policy and Government’s MPA program.

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I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 1. Overview: Course Purpose, Content, Organization (Calendar and Topics), Resources, Ethic, Pedagogy, Processes, Outputs, and Outcomes (Monday, August 26) Required Reading: Reader I, “The Government of the United States,” Table of Organization, (Reader I, p. 1) PUAD 502 Course Outline and Course Syllabus (Blackboard) Conant and Balint, The Life Cycles of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency: 1970 – 2035, Chapt. 1 Reader I, “Definition of Key Terms” (pp. 4-5) (Blackboard) Key Terms Used in the Study of Public Administration (Reader I, Blackboard) Instructions and Rubrics for Writing Assignments (Blackboard) Recommended Reading: Sissela Bok, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life (1999) The Mueller Report, The Washington Post (2019) 2. The Study of Administration in the American Governmental System (Monday, September 9) Required Reading: Kim Tingley, “The Loyal Engineers Steering NASA’s Voyager Probes Across the Universe,” The New York Times, Aug. 3, 2017 (Blackboard, e-reserve) “The Government of the United States,” Table of Organization, (Reader I, p. 1) Conant and Critchfield, “Executive Branch Independent Establishments and Government

Corporations,” (Reader I, p. 2) “How a Bill Becomes a Law,” (Reader I, p. 3) Woodrow Wilson, “The Study of Administration,” (Blackboard, e-reserve) Daniel Elazar, American Political Culture (Class Handout) Kettl, The Politics of the Administrative Process, 7th ed., Chapter 2, “What Government Does and How It Does It” Recommended Reading: Dennis Overbye, “A Reverie for the Voyager Probes, Humanity’s Call Cards,” The New York Times, Aug. 21, 2017 Conant, “Legacies of the Greek Philosophers,” (Reader I, pp. 47 – 48) Graham Allison, “Public and Private Management: Fundamentally Alike in All Unimportant Respects,” (Blackboard, e-reserve) David Rosenblom, “Public Administrative Theory and the Separation of Powers,” Public

Administration Review, 1983 (Blackboard, e-reserve). Kettl, Chapter 3, “What is Public Administration?” and Chapter 1, “Accountability” Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper (2016)

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II. INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 3. The Legislative Branch: making legislation and policy implementation (Monday, September 16) **Assignments Due: Memo 1, NEPA (paper and electronic copy) Required Reading: The Constitution of the United States, Preamble and Article I, Richard Beeman, The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution, pp. 21-39. “How a Bill Becomes a Law,” (Reader I, p. 3) U. S. House of Representatives, “The Legislative Process,” pp. 20 – 22. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, “About the United States Code,” (Reader 1 p. 23-25) United States Senate: Committees for the 112th Congress (Reader I, p. 26) United States House of Representatives: List of Committees for the 112th Congress

(Reader I, p. 27) Conant and Balint, pp. 1-4, Chapts. 1 & 2, and The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Appendix 1) Recommended Reading: The Declaration of Independence, Richard Beeman pp. 3 – 19. Richard Beeman, “The Revolutionary Origins of the U.S. Constitution” and “America Struggles to Achieve Independence, Liberty, and Union Under the Articles of Confederation,”The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution, pp. 117-143. Mann and Ornstein, It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional

System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism (2012) GAO “High Risk Series,” (Reader I, p. 28 - 31) The U.S. Congress (Web) Jones, C. O., Introduction to the Study of Public Policy, Chapter 2. Studying the Policy

Process (1977) (Blackboard, e-reserve) 4. The President and the Executive Branch: implementing public law (Monday, September 23) Required Reading: The Constitution of the United States, Preamble and Article II, Richard Beeman, The Penguin Guide to United States Constitution, pp. 39-47. The Government of the United States, Table of Organization, (Reader I, p. 1) Conant and Balint, The Life Cycles of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, Appendix 2, “Executive Branch Organization and Change,”p. 162-163. Department of Health and Human Services Materials, including biography of Secretary

Kathleen Sibelius, Organization Tables, and “Budget.” See more on DH&HS web site. (Reader I, p. 6 - 14)

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Conant, Management Levels in U.S. Cabinet Departments, (Reader 1, p. 15.) Conant, “Table 20: Key Skills Needed by Managers at Each Level of Management,”

(Reader I, p. 16) “The Wallace S. Sayre Model of the Federal Decision-Making System,” (Reader I, p. 17) Map of Washington, D. C.; Location of Executive Branch Departments/Agencies (Reader

I, p. 18-19) Luther Gulick, “Notes on the Theory of Organization” (Blackboard, e-reserve) Kettl, Chapter 5, “The Executive Branch” Pfiffner, “The Unusual Presidency of Donald Trump,” (Blackboard, Course Content) Recommended Reading: Peter Baker, “Trump’s Conspicuous Silence Leaves a Struggle Against Russia Without a

Leader,” The New York Times, Feb. 17, 2018 Thomas Freedman, “Whatever Trump is Hiding is Hurting All of Us Now,” The New York

Times, Feb. 18, 2018. Conant, “In the Shadow of Wilson and Brownlow: Executive Branch Reorganization in

the States,” Public Administration Review, 1988. (Blackboard, e-reserve) Conant, “Reorganization and the Bottom Line,” Public Administration Review, 1986.

(Blackboard, e-reserve) Max Weber, “Bureaucracy,” Essays in Sociology, ed. and trans. H.H. Gerth and C. Wright

Mills, 1964. (Blackboard, e-reserve) Kettl, Chapter 4, “Organizational Theory” 5. The Judicial Branch: adjudication and administrative oversight (Monday, Sept. 30) Required Reading: The Constitution of the United States, Article III, Richard Beeman, The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution, pp. 47-50 The Constitution of the United States, Articles IV-VII , and Amendments 1-10, Richard

Beeman, The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution, pp. 50-71. “Supreme Court of the United States,” (Reader I, pp. 32 – 33) “Structure of the United States Court System,” (Reader I, p. 34) Beeman, Chapt. 6, “Supreme Court Decisions That Have Shaped America’s

Constitutional History” Linda Greenhouse, “A Question of Legitimacy Looms for the Supreme Court” The New

York Times, June, 2018 Recommended Reading: Anthony Lewis, Gideon’s Trumpet (Vintage Books) 1964. James McGregor Burns, Packing the Court: The Rise of Judicial Power and the Coming

Crisis of the Supreme Court (Penguin Books) 2010. U.S. Supreme Court website

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Steven Perlstein, “This high court pick could cement trump’s real economic legacy,” The

Washington Post, pp. G1 and G5, July 15, 1918. Tuesday, Oct. 7 @ 4:30, Paper 1 is Due (electronic submission, Blackboard) III. DEMOCRATIC THEORY, FEDERALSIM, IGR, & STATE and LOCAL GOVERNMENTS 6. Evening at Prince William County: local government, state government, federalism, and intergovernmental relations **TBD, Oct. 7 or alternate date. Class held at Prince William Co. Government Center** Required Reading: Prince William County Web Site Organization Table of Prince William County (Reader I, p. 35) Sources and Uses of Prince William County Revenue (Reader I, pp. 36 - 38) Prince William County, Handout for GMU Local Government Night Writ, C. L., “Dillon’s Rule,” (Reader I, pp. 39 - 46) Recommended Readings: Conlan and Posner, Intergovernmental Management for the 21st Century (2008) Mona Hanna-Attisha, What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in

an American City (2018) Janesville: An American Story, Amy Goldstein (2017) James Fallows and Deborah Fallows, Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Hear

of America (2018) James K. Conant, Wisconsin Politics and Government: America’s Laboratory of Democracy (2006) 7. Democratic Theory, Democratic Institutions, Public Opinion, Elections, and Voting **(Tuesday, October 15) Required Reading: Conant, “Legacies of the Greek Philosophers,” (Reader I, pp. 47 - 48) Robert Dahl, Polyarchy, Chapter 1, “Democratization and Public Opposition,”

(Blackboard) U.S. National Archives, “What is the Electoral College?” (Reader I, pp. 49 - 50) U.S. National Archives, “Electoral College Calculator” (Reader I, pp. 51 - 53) “Voting” (USA.gov), (Reader I, p. 54) “Voter Registration” (USA.gov), (Reader I, p. 55) Associated Press, “Could tougher voting laws squelch the youth vote?” (Blackboard) Pew Research Center:

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http://www.people-press.org/2015/11/23/beyond-distrust-how-americans-view-their-government/

Recommended Reading: Mark Mazetti and Katie Brenner, “12 Russian Agents Charged in Drive to Upset ’16

Vote,” The New York Times, pp. A1 & A14, July 14, 2018 Michael S. Schmidt, ‘Russia, if You’re Listening…,’ Trump Said. Perhaps It Was., The New

York Times, pp. A1 & A16, July 14, 2018. Julian E. Barnes, “Intelligence Chief Warns U.S. Digital infrastructure Is Literally Under

Attack,” p. A14. Robert Dahl, Polyarchy (1971) Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, How Democracies Die (2018) David Runcinman, How Democracy Ends (2018) Jane Mayer, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires behind the Rise of the

Radical Right (2016) Nancy MacLEAN, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth

Plan for America (2018) Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (2005) IV. EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES, ORGANIZATION THEORY, & THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC LAW 8. Organization Theories and the Lifecycles of Executive Branch Agencies (Monday, Oct. 21) Required Reading: Conant and Balint, Preface and Chapters 1 - 4 Recommended Reading: Dan Egan, The Life and Death of the Great Lakes (2017) Tom Pelton, The Chesapeake in focus: transforming the natural world (2018) Kettl, Chapters 4 & 6 9. Organization Theories and the Lifecycles of Executive Branch Agencies (Monday, Oct. 28) Required Reading: Conant and Balint, Preface and Chapters 5, 6 and 7 Recommended Reading Eric Lipton, “New EPA Chief Rejects Pruitt’s Management Style, but Not His Policies, The New York Times, July 2018, p. A15. Jared Diamond, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005) United Nations 2019 Global Climate Change Report.

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V. ADMINISTRATORS, ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES, AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE 10. Top Level Leadership of Executive Branch Departments and Agencies: Political Appointees and Senior Executives (Monday, Nov. 4) Required Reading: Kettl, p. 244-256 John M. Broder, “E.P.A. Chief Set to Leave; Term Fell Shy of Early Hope,” The New York

Times, Dec. 7, 2012, (Blackboard) Ben Protess and Susanne Craig, “Rebuilding Wall St.’s Watchdog,” The New York Times,

Nov. 26, 2012, (Blackboard) Conant, “Table 20: Key Skills Needed by Managers at Each Level of Management,”

(Reader I, p. 16) Conant, “Profile of Managers in State Governments” and “The Managers View of the

MPA” (Reader I, p. 62) Norma Riccucci, Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference, Chapt. 3.

Eileen Claussen. Recommended Reading: Riccucci, Chapter 1 Robert Katz, “Skills of an Effective Administrator,” Harvard Business Review, 1974. Conant, “The Managers View of Management Education and Training,” Review of Public

Personnel Administration, 1996. Conant, “Senior Executive’s Resources and Constraints” (Class Handout) United Nations Climate Change Report 11. Administrative Decision-Making and Rulemaking (Monday, Nov. 11) Required Reading: Lindbloom, “The Science of Muddling Through,” (Blackboard, e-reserve) Kettl, Chapter 10. CRS (Congressional Research Service), “Figure 1. Federal Rule-making Process,” (Reader

I, p. 63) Federal Register (cover page and partial listing for Aug. 14, 2013), (Reader I, pp. 64 -68) “About the Code of Federal Regulations,” (Reader I, p. 69) Office of the Federal Register, “The Federal Register Publication System: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO USE IT,” 1999. (Blackboard) CFR-Table of Contents (Reader I, pp. 70 - 71) Kettl, Chapt. 13.

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12. Budgets and the Budgetary Process (Monday, November 18) Required Reading: U.S. Income Tax Table (Reader I, pp. 72 - 73) Fiscal Year 2012 Budget of the U. S. Government (EPA Section), (Reader I, p. 56 -61) Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: (Nov. 2017) “Policy Basics: Where Do Federal Tax Revenues Come From?” “Policy Basics: Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go? Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, The Tax Policy Briefing (Nov. 2017) “How does the federal government spend its money?” “Federal Taxes are Very Progressive” “Tax cuts won’t make America Great Again” Kettl, Chapter 11. Recommended Reading: Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2018 Appendix, Budget of the United States Government, FY 2018 Robert D. Lee, Ronald W. Johnson, and Philip G. Joyce, Public Budgeting Systems, 9th

ed. 2013 James K. Conant, “Introduction, The Great Recession, State Budgets and State Budget

Deficits,” Public Budgeting and Finance, Vo. 30, No. 1, Spring 2010 Symposium on the Impact of the Great Recession on six states (same journal/volume) 13. The Civil Service System and the U.S. Executive Branch Ethics Code (Monday, November 25) Required Reading: Kettl, Chapter 8. “U.S. Merit System Principles,” (Reader I, p. 74) Conant and Dresang, “Retaining and Recruiting Career Professionals,”(Reader I, p.75-76) Conant, “Universities and the Future of the Public Service,” (Blackboard, e-reserve) U.S. Government Code of Ethics (Reader I, p. 77) U.S. Office of Government Ethics, USA.gov Patricia Cohen and Robert Gebeloff, “Public Servants Losing Foothold in Middle Class,”

The New York Times, April 23, 2018, pp. A1 & A12. Recommended Reading: Attracting Quality Graduates to the Federal Government: A View of College Recruiting,

U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, June 6, 1988. U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, “Attracting the Next Generation,” Jan. 2008. Chetkovich, “What’s in a Sector? The Shifting Career Plans of Public Policy Students,”

(Blackboard, e-reserve) Mosher, “The Professional State,” (Blackboard, e-reserve)

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American Society for Public Administration, “ASPA Code of Ethics,” (Reader I, pp.78 -79) 14. The Nonprofit Sector, the Distribution of Income and Wealth, Third Party Governance, and the Implementation of Social Welfare Policy (Monday, Dec. 2) Required Reading: Salamon, “The Nonprofit Sector: Scope and Structure” (Blackboard, e-reserve) U.S. Census Bureau, Table F-2, (Reader 1. P. 80) Income and Wealth Distribution in the United States, (Reader I, pp. 81 – 83) Riccucci, Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference, Chapter 6, Dr. Vince Hutchins Recommended Reading: Kettl, Chapter 12. Dolbeare and Edelman, Chapts. 2 & 4 (Blackboard, e-reserve)

*Paper 2, Essay options will be distributed at the end of class. * Paper 2 is Due on Monday Dec. 9, 2019 @ 4:30 PM: (electronic submission) JKC: 8.1.18