Introduction
Efficiently managing staff agencies’ financial and structural structure is a crucial concern in public administration. In the past decades, researchers have focused their attention on the strategies for increasing staff agencies’ productivity while simultaneously decreasing the needed costs (Shafritz et al., 2016). Two academic works by Gore (1993) and Shafritz et al. (2016) have researched this issue, presenting available evidence and outlining government organizations’ most prominent budgeting and restructuration methods. This paper comparatively summarizes two publications mentioned above, discussing their potential applications, benefits, weaknesses, and impact on the field of public administration.
Main Contrasts between NPR and Introduction to Public Administration
The National Performance Review (NPR) report, written by Gore (1993), presents an overview of a study conducted to evaluate the cost-efficiency of the United States government agencies. NPR is a comprehensive examination of 6-month research that assessed cabinet departments and ten agencies operating in the US. With the introduction of the Clinton Administration’s proposal to improve government services and make them more efficient, it was necessary to analyze the productivity of national agencies and suggest trajectories for their enhancement (Gore, 1993). Therefore, NPR ascertained the restructuration of federal agencies, exploring the limitations of currently implemented tactics and presenting twelve recommendations to be incorporated into the governmental organizations’ activities.
On the other hand, Shafritz et al. chose a different approach to their research, giving an educational review, not for scholars but for students. One of the main points was examining the Obama administration’s impact on the discipline, mainly financial and economic administration and budgeting strategy. Such a choice was made to motivate students to apply the text’s ideas and concepts to current US government practice, as there are evident similarities in its core factors (Shafritz et al., 2016). An examination of the 2008 financial crisis and its implications for financial market regulation, cutback management, and social equality is another topic discussed in the book. Based on the authors’ analysis, the modern economy has several negative trends, manifested in people’s distrust of the banking system in terms of personal deposits and the continued growth of inflation due to decisions made by the government. In contrast to NPR, the main focus of this research is on social issues and a general retrospective on the long-lasting consequences of the crisis at the beginning of the 21st century.
From this perspective, although both studies focus on state government management and its efficiency, their approach to resolving the problem is enormously different. Shafritz et al. aimed to present comprehensive information for the future specialists to have a broad understanding of how social fluctuations and methodology of different political parties affect the economic state of the US (2016). Consequently, the proposed set of solutions in the book consists of different approaches and involves financial practices and socio-economic analysis (Shafritz et al., 2016). In contrast, the national performance review report explores the empirical data and evidence obtained through direct observation and knowledge gathering, suggesting viable pathways for the government to become cost-effective (Gore, 1993). After that, the national performance review report outlines twelve recommendations on how the United States government should perform its duties, while the book introduces methods for implementing the societal approach in government operations.
Considering the discussed evidence, the possible applications of these works also differ tremendously. Thus, Gore’s publication could help decentralize personnel policy, improve market dynamics, and enhance US citizens’ work-life (Gore, 1993). In comparison, Shafritz et al. are beneficial for creating a generation of socially responsible experts capable of interacting with citizens and not entirely relying on the financial reports (2016). As a result, both analyzed writings are essential for acquiring a profound understanding of how to operate financial and social regulations in the country.
Potential Benefits and Weaknesses
The described works have several significant advantages and disadvantages for improving public administration in the United States. Considering that the National performance review report ascertained the data retrieved from national government agencies, its evaluation is exceptionally comprehensive, and the proposed recommendations can be efficiently implemented when restructuring state agencies (Shafritz et al., 2016). Moreover, as the report prescribes how the government should conduct its operations, its solutions are versatile and could be quickly adopted by any public administration entity. Nevertheless, such limitations as outdated knowledge and non-specific approaches should also be noted. Given that the evaluation was conducted in 1993, and the government structure has been reshaped drastically over the past decades, NPR is more beneficial for understanding the public administration’s development than reforming state agencies (Shafritz et al., 2016). Additionally, separate government branches might require distinct methods for restructuration, meaning that the outlined general strategies will not be effective for them.
The work by Shafritz et al. appears to be highly beneficial for gaining an insight into the changes which occurred after the 2008 crisis and the Obama administration’s involvement in the future development of economics. The strong points of this work are how the same events and tendencies are analyzed from different perspectives. Such direction is helpful for students as they may not consider either social or political methodologies (Shafritz et al., 2016). However, the lack of sections with a financial approach to the statistics and empirical data is an evident disadvantage. The reason for such a statement is that the reader is required to incorporate additional papers such as NPR to gain additional insight into the processes present in modern economics. Furthermore, the focus on Obama’s administration suggests that the authors might be biased, as social and political discussions subsequently tend to reflect subjective opinions rather than evident truths.
In overall, both of the discussed publications could be applied while devising the strategies for current government operations. However, as each work focuses on a specific area, the utilization of these articles would also differ significantly. Gore’s (1993) NPR may be an excellent addition to the research on practices used by government entities in the 1990s. At the same time, Shafritz et al. book could be implemented to highlight the importance of the social and political factors and their connection with major world events (2016). Nevertheless, as each of these works implements partial and outdated data, such applications should be conducted with caution and the integration of more contemporary evidence.
The Publications’ Importance for the Field of Public Administration
The two discussed works are incredibly advantageous for the public administration field, as they offer a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge necessary for efficient government reorganization. While the national performance review report highlights the general strategies to be implemented to improve federal agencies’ cost-efficiency and provide high-quality consumer services, the review article outlines the necessity of the post-bureaucratic vision. Consistent with the public administration practices, Gore highlights four areas of improvement for federal agencies. Although cutting red tape, putting customers first, empowering employees, and cutting back to basics methods have been highlighted by previous research, the report clearly describes how these guidelines could be followed by the US government (Gore, 1993). From this perspective, Gore’s report greatly impacted the field of public administration, establishing approaches to be utilized by numerous US government organizations.
Alternatively, Shafritz et al. explain why public opinions and societal mood must be acknowledged by the state government and what future directions the public administration research should follow to gain more information. By highlighting the critique of different administrations, the authors introduce the significance of the analytical vision, suggesting that this approach is more beneficial for improving the field of public administration entities (Shafritz et al., 2016). In this regard, the discussed book influenced the approaches implemented by public administration organizations, developing a more promising vision to be utilized instead of purely numeric analysis.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the report by Gore addresses the issues encountered by the US public administration system and mitigation possibilities, while the book by Shafritz et al. has a social view and educational manner of propositions. Considering that governmental and bureaucratic endeavors are necessary for strengthening society, these works provide a solid academic basis for devising and conducting strategies to improve national agencies’ efficiency. In the modern age, governmental and staff organizations have become significant large-scale entities that perform various functions and require consistent financial support, labor supply, and restructuration to enhance their productivity. The publications discussed in this paper are precious for public administration research and application, as they have positively impacted the development of this academic area. Moreover, their analysis and discussion are essential ways to develop the analytical abilities that are critical features for public administration researchers and future representatives.
References
Gore, A. (1993). From red tape to results: Creating a government that works better & costs less. Report of the National Performance Review. Diane Publishing.
Shafritz, J., Russell, E. W., Borick, C., & Hyde, A. (2016). Introducing public administration (9th ed.). Routledge.