Networking in the Penumbra: Public Management, Cooptative Links, and Distributional Consequences

O’Toole, Laurence J.; Meier, Kenneth J.

doi:10.1080/10967490600899580

Cited by 26 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Because the contracting relationships and spending more than the typical amount of time with interest group leaders is associated with more perceived influence, we can conclude that direct access enables interest group influence over the decision making of public managers, probably in much the same manner that legislators are influenced by interest groups. Thus, our findings further highlight some of the potential downsides of decentralized governance networks that involve close collaborative relationships between public managers and representatives of external groups (Kelleher and Yackee 2009;O'Toole and Meier 2006;Whitford 2002;Witko 2011). However, our finding that more legislative power is also associated with greater perceived interest group influence indicates that, whatever the other benefits of increased centralization (Whitford 2002), more centralization would perhaps not limit interest group influence over agencies because groups can mobilize central political principals to pressurize agencies on their behalf (Stigler 1971).…”

Section: Discussion Of Findingssupporting

confidence: 51%

Bayesian Analytical Methods: A Methodological Prescription for Public Administration

Gill¹,

Witko

2013

Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

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In this article we describe in detail the Bayesian perspective on statistical inference and demonstrate that it provides a more principled approach to modeling public administration data. Because many datasets in public administration are population-level, one-time unique collections, or descriptive of fluid events, the Bayesian reliance on probability as a description of unknown quantities is a superior paradigm than that borrowed from Frequentist methods in the natural sciences where experimentation is routine. Here we provide a thorough, but accessible, introduction to Bayesian methods and then demonstrate our points with data on interest group influence in US state administrative agencies. IntroductIon This essay introduces Bayesian statistical inference and argues that it provides an ideal research paradigm for empirical scholars in public administration. We work in a field that generally uses data incompatible with standard Frequentist statistical thinking because they are usually population measures that can never be repeated as if in a standard experimental setting. Those working with public administration data need an approach that recognizes that the data are one-time events or collections that usually describe an entire set of objects of interest. Samples also often emerge from survey research collections, and these data are also treated appropriately by the Bayesian approach. Most nonstatisticians are nonplussed in learning that there are different "philosophical" approaches to statistics. Understandably, basic courses in graduate school emphasize collecting a set of useful tools rather than an introspective look at the theoretical underpinnings of statistical analysis. Unfortunately this leads to practices that are often wrong later in one's career. Therefore some research that we read in public administration journals and texts is misleading and unproductive to the discipline, Our thanks to Cynthia Bowling for sharing and assisting us with the data; Christine Kelleher for pointing us towards data sources; and three anonymous referees for useful comments.

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Section: Discussion Of Findingssupporting

confidence: 51%

Bayesian Analytical Methods: A Methodological Prescription for Public Administration

Gill¹,

Witko

2013

Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

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“…Therefore, network governance is focused on establishing complex interaction processes in terms of solving the collective action dilemmas [34]. It links relevant stakeholders by forming formal or informal relationships embedded in vertical and/or horizontal cooperative networks [35][36][37].…”

Section: Water Governance Network Governance and Ecology Of Gamesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative Environmental Governance, Inter-Agency Cooperation and Local Water Sustainability in China

Huang

Chen

et al. 2017

Sustainability

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Administrative fragmentation among government agencies has posed a significant challenge to environmental governance. However, few studies have theoretically examined and empirically measured how local governments in China address this with collaborative approaches. Informed by the ecology of games framework (EGF), this paper examined the status of inter-agency water governance in Dongguan City: the pilot city of aquatic ecologically friendly city of China. The research question we seek to address is: What are the main characteristics of the water governance network in local China? With empirical data collected via survey questionnaires and semi-structured in-depth interviews following the EGF, we find that local agencies have realized the need for cooperation in water resource management. However, they were not substantially familiar with each other in the local policy network, failing to reach their full potential in collaboration. Social network analysis was used to analyze the collaborative network. We found that the network has a weak to moderate density, allowing for collective action problems and leading to insufficient cooperative governance. The network has presented central actors with strong bridging capital to control information and resource flows. We also find strong bonding capital among some policy actors as shown in high reciprocity, clustering coefficient and transitivity. To strengthen the effectiveness of local water governance, efforts should be made to establish a functional department and extend the boundary of collaborative network.

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“…Similarly, Mincheva and Gurr (2008) discuss ‘unholy alliances' and ‘marriages of convenience’ between terrorist and criminal organizations. And Laurence J. O’Toole, Jr and Kenneth J. Meier (2004a, 2006) persuasively argue that even legitimate networks may have a dark side to them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Dark and Bright: Towards a More Holistic Understanding of Inter-Group Networks

Hejnova

2010

Public Administration

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Networks are becoming a popular organizational form for structuring human activities. To date, scholars have addressed networks in a variety of fields, including sociology, economics, public administration, criminology, political science, and international security. However, little has been done so far to systematically examine the similarities, differences, and connections between network forms of organization across different academic disciplines. This has important implications for both theory and practice. The lack of attention paid to organizational similarities and differences prevents the exchange of knowledge developed across fields. In turn, policy-makers cannot take full advantage of existing research, and may miss opportunities to improve the work of some networks and combat that of others. To address this gap in the literature, this paper uses the combination of organizational environments and organizational goals to develop a new typology of inter-group networks, and thus improve our understanding of how human behaviour is coordinated through networks.

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Networking in the Penumbra: Public Management, Cooptative Links, and Distributional Consequences

Cited by 26 publications

References 54 publications

Bayesian Analytical Methods: A Methodological Prescription for Public Administration

Bayesian Analytical Methods: A Methodological Prescription for Public Administration

Collaborative Environmental Governance, Inter-Agency Cooperation and Local Water Sustainability in China

Beyond Dark and Bright: Towards a More Holistic Understanding of Inter-Group Networks

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