Public Management I

Year 2011-12

Public Management I (21677)

Qualification: Degree in Political Science and administration
Year: 3rd
Term: 2nd
Number of ECTS credits: 6
Hours of student dedication: 150 hours.
Teaching language: Catalan
Teacher: Carles Ramió

1 . Introduction to the course

Public Management I is set as an in-depth course in different field of public management. It combines descriptive aspects of contemporary public administrations with a more applied focus. It also aims at developing competences linked to areas such as the analysis of organic structures and processes, human resources management, the introduction and use of information and communication technologies in public management or programmes and techniques to improve modern public management in a context of poor economic resources.

Given the contents and focus of the course, it complements Political Science III. A course taught in the third term of the first year of the degree in Political Science and Administration.

2. Competences to be achieved

Generic competences

Sepecific competences

Instrumental

-Cognitive abilities:

Deduction

Abstraction

Analytical capacity

-Information management:

Searching for sources of information

Critical analysis of data

Selection of relevant data

-Oral anr written communication:

Presentation of group essays in public

Discussion of texts

Critical and argumentative writing

Systematic

-Comprehension and analysis of different political and contextual realities

-Orientation to results

-Investigation and comparative abilities (application of basic methodological principles)

-Critical reading of texts

-Capacity to apply knowledge to practise

Interpersonal

-Preparation of group work

-Critical and self critical capacity

Development of specific competences linked to recognising, analysing and formulating proposals for improvement in the main fields of public management such as:

a. Organic structures

b. Administrative procedures

c. Management of human resources

d. Introduction of information communication technologies into public management

e. Programmes of quality management

f. Information and evaluation systems

g. Modernisation and improvement programmes

3. Contents

Topic 1. Approaches to public management

1.1. Introduction to the basic concepts of public management.

1.2. Currents of public management: from administration science to New Public Management.

1.3. Public management and political system.

Topic 2. Dimensions of a public organization

2.1. Dimensions of a public organization.

2.2. Changes in the public Administration in a context of economic crisis.

Topic 3. Administrative structure I

3.1. The organizational design of public administrations. Guidelines for its analysis.

3.2. Conceptual references for the analysis of organizations: Herny Mintzberg.

Topic 4. Administrative structure II

4.1. The evolution of organizational designs: new orientations for the structure of public administrations.

4.2. Management of projects and administration structure.

Topic 5. Human resources management I

5.1. Basic concepts of human resources management: personal management versus people management.

5.2. The perspective of people management: leadership and motivation.

5.3. The perspective of staff management: policy-management-administration.

Topic 6. Human resources mangement II

6.1. Staff management: The subsystems.

6.2. Staff management: Planning, recruitment, selection, training, remuneration, evaluation and career
6.3. Motivating human resources.

Topic 7. Power and conflict in public organizations.

7.1. Power and organizations.

7.2. The sources of power in public organizations.

7.3. Conflict and its management.

7.4. Informal organization.

Topic 8. Administrative culture

8.1. The configurations of a administrative culture.

8.2. The elements and indicators of an administrative culture.

8.3. Administrative culture and organizational change.

Topic 9. Electronic government and online management

9.1. Basic concepts: e-government, e-administration, e-democracy and e-governance

9.2. The singularities of introducing information communication technologies in public management.

9.3. Dimensions of electronic government and improvement programmes.

Topic 10. Reform projects and modernization of Public Administration

10.1. Basic concepts associated to change management to public management.

10.2. Global modernization programmes: applied examples and results. Critics of the New Public Management.

10.3. The micro initiatives of change management: references and results.

4. Assessment

1. Continuous assessment (Compulsory individual and in group) (50%)

1.1 Individual part:

- Individual participation in class discussion.

- Participation in exercises developed in seminars.

1.2 Group part:

- Exercises developed in seminars.

2. Final assessment (Compulsory individual) (50%):

- Final examination: with short questions and of conceptual development.

In the continuous assessment the attendance and active participation in the sessions will be very important. It will account for 20% of the final mark.

In the practical exercises the adoption of a critical perspective will be very important. Plagiarism will be heavily penalised.

The assessment will be complemented with a final examination which will be made up of short questions and questions where student will be required to develop concepts seen in the course.

5. Bibliography and other resources

1. Basic resources

Readings Unit 1. Aproaches to public management

Ramió, C. and Ballart, X. (1993): Lecturas de Teoría de la Organización. BOE-MAP. Madrid. (pp. 9-26)

Ramió, C. and Salvador, M. (2005): Instituciones y Nueva Gestión Pública en América Latina. Fundación CIDOB. Barcelona. (pp. 5-35)

Readings Unit 2. Organizative dimensions.

Ramió, C., 2010, Teoría de la Organización y Administración Pública, Tecnos. Madrid. (pp. 17-20).

Reading Semminar I: Economic crisis and public administration.

Ramió, C (2011): La Administración postcrisis, text no publicat.

Readings Unit 3 and 4. Organic structure

Mintzberg, H. (1993): La estructuración de las organizaciones. Tecnos. Barcelona. (pp. 69-88)

Reading Semminar II: Project management and administrative structure.

Cas Gestió de projectes i estructura administrativa

Readings Unit 5 and 6. Human resources management.

Prats i Català, J. (1987): "Política, gestión y administración de recursos humanos en las Administraciones públicas" en Documentación Administrativa, nº 210-211. (mayo-septiembre 1987).

Ballart, X.; Ramió, C. y Salvador, M. (2000): "Los Recursos Humanos en las Administraciones Públicas" en Ballart, X. y Ramió, C. (2000): Ciencia de la Administración. Ed. Tirant Lo Blanc. València. (pp. 75-127)

Readings Semminar III: Project management and human resources motivation.

Cas gestió de projectes i recursos humans.

Readings Unit 7. Power and conflict in organizations.

Ramió, C., 2010, Teoría de la Organización y Administración Pública, Tecnos. Madrid. (pp. 163-192).

Readings Unit 8. Administrative culture.

Ramió, C., 2010, Teoría de la Organización y Administración Pública, Tecnos. Madrid. (pp. 193-220).

Readings Unit 9. Electronic govrnment.

Salvador, M. (2005): "Integrando el gobierno electrónico en el ámbito local: el alcance de la transformación más allá de las modas" en Sancho, D. (coord): Sociedad de la Información y Gobierno. Instituto Andaluz de Administración Pública. Sevilla. (pp. 77-96).

Ramió, C.; García, O., 2006, "La externalización de servicios públicos en España: la necesidad de repensar una nueva gestión pública planificada, controlada y evaluada" en la Revista del CLAD Reforma y Democracia, nº 35. ( pp. 207- 246).

Readings Unit 10. Reform and modernization projects in public administration.

Ramió, Carles, 2001, "Los problemas de la implantación de la nueva gestión pública en las administraciones públicas latinas: Modelo de Estado y cultura institucional" Reforma y Democracia, núm. 21. (pp. 75 a 116).

5.2. Other resources

Reading dossier.

Exercises for strengthening the teaching units and solutions.

6. Methodology

The teaching methodology is based in a combination of classes and seminars where individual and group activities will be set as well as activities to be done outside the class.

There are two group lectures per week in which the contents of the units will be introduced. The main function is to present and analyse the contents of each unit. Later there will be two hours of seminars each week in small groups where we will deal with activities related to the contents of the lectures. The activities are designed to reinforce theoretical aspects presented in class, to allow students to present and discuss in public, assimilate concepts, develop critical and analytical perspective of texts or other material.

The autonomous activities consist of investigation activities, readings, reflection, and group exercises.

7. Programme of activities

week	Ses	Type	Contents of the session	Student work during the week
				Learning activity		Hrs in class	Hrs out of class
				In class	Outside class	Hrs in class	Hrs out of class
Iª	1	T	Unit 1. Approaches to public management	Active participation	Prepare reading unit 1	2	2
Iª					Prepare reading unit 1		2
IIª	2	T	Unit 2. Dimensions of a public organization	Active participation	Prepare reading unit 2. Prepare reading for seminar I (group A and B). work for the seminar A: write 5 reform proposals for public administration	2	7
IIª	A	S	Groups A and B. Changes in administration in a context of economic crisis	Active participation		2	7
IIIª	3	T	Administrative structure I	Active participation	Prepare readings Units 3 and 4 Prepare seminar reading I (groups C and D). Work for the seminar A: write 5 reform proposals for public administration	2	7
IIIª	A	S	Groups C and D. Changes in the administration in a context of economic crisis	Active participation		2	7
IVª	4	T	Administrative structure II	Active participation	Preparation readings unit 3 and 4 Groups A and B. Case reading. Work for the seminar B: Resolving the case	2	7
IVª	B	S		Active participation		2	7
Vª	5	T	Human resources management I	Active participation	Preparation readings units 5 and 6 Groups C and D. Case reading. Work for the seminar B: Resolving the case	2	7
Vª	B	S	Groups C and D. Seminar about management of projects and administrative structure	Active participation		2	7
VIª	6	T	Human resources management II	Active participation	Preparation of readings Units 5 and 6 Groups A and B. Reading on management of projects and motivation. Work for seminar C: Resolving the case.	2	7
VIª	C	S	Groups A and B. Seminar about motivation of human resources.	Active participation		2	7
VIIª	7	T	Power and conflict in public organizations	Active participation	Preparation reading unit 7 Groups C and D. Reading on management of projects and motivation. Work for seminar C: Resolving the case.	2	7
VIIª	C	S	Groups C and D. Seminar about motivation of human resources.	Active participation		2	7
VIIIª	8	T	Administrative culture	Active participation	Preparation reading unit 8. Groups A and B. Reading on organizational change. Work for seminar D: Resolving the case.	2	7
VIIIª	D	S	Groups A and B. Study case about organizational change	Active participation		2	7
IXª	9	T	Electronic government and online management.	Active participation	Preparation reading unit 9. Groups C and D. Reading on organizational change. Work for seminar D: resolving the case.	2	7
IXª	D	S	Groups C and D. Study case about organizational change.	Active participation		2	7
Xª	18	T	Modernization and change programmes	Active participation	Preparation reading unit 10	2	7
Xª	19	T	Conclusions	Active participation	Preparation reading unit 10	2	7
Hours of dedication: 100						30	70
XIª XIIª	Hours dedicated to prepare for the final evaluation						20
120 TOTAL HOURS FOR THE SUBJECT