The Accountable Juggler: The Art of Leadership in a Federal Agency

by Beryl Radin

Overview

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND POLICY ADMINISTRATION SERIES Edited by Donald Kettl

How should a manager handle different accountability expectations? While a commonplace term in government lexicon, accountability has escaped precise definition, leaving managers at a disadvantage when trying to monitor the performance of their programs.
Including more than 300 programs, over 60,000 employees, and a budget of over $400 billion, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an ideal canvas for starkly illustrating competing accountability demands. With a bird′s-eye view of the agency′s inner workings, Radin tackles big issues such as strategies of centralization and decentralization, coordination with states and localities, leadership, and program design, while using the apt analogy of a juggler to show how managers must keep in the air disparate demands and developments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483371184
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/01/2002
Series:	Public Affairs and Policy Administration Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	137
File size:	653 KB

About the Author

Beryl A. Radin is a professor of government and public administration at the University of Baltimore. An elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration, she is also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. She served as a special adviser and consultant to the assistant secretary for management and budget at HHS. She has written a number of books and articles on public policy and public management issues and is the recipient of the 2002 Donald Stone Award, given by the American Society for Public Administration′s Section on Intergovernmental Relations and Management to recognize a scholar′s distinguished record.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xi
	Annotated List of Abbreviations and Terms	xiii
1	Introduction	1
	An HHS Primer	6
	This Book	8
	Notes	9
2	Thinking About Accountability	10
	Accountability in the U.S. Context	11
	Traditional Approaches to Accountability	12
	Reaching for a Broader Definition of Accountability	16
	Contemporary Demands on Accountability	20
	Thinking About Accountability as a Juggling Process	22
	Notes	25
3	Can Anybody Manage This Organization? The HHS Case	27
	HHS/HEW History: Strategic Choices	28
	An Internal Centralization Strategy	31
	The HHS Portfolio Circa 2001: The Pieces in the Portfolio	35
	Conclusion	39
	Notes	39
4	Accountability and the Policy Lens	41
	Types of Federal Aid	43
	Issues of Policy Design	45
	Multiple Strategies	49
	The Extent of the Federal Role	50
	A Collection of Separate Cultures	53
	Conclusion	57
	Notes	57
5	Accountability and the Politics Lens	59
	Dealing with Interest Groups and Constituencies	62
	Congressional Expectations and Roles	70
	Politics and the White House	79
	Conclusion	84
	Notes	85
6	Accountability and Management Processes	88
	Public/Private Differences	90
	The Context of the Management Responsibilities	91
	Managing HHS	93
	The Office of the Secretary	98
	Sources of Oversight	112
	Conclusion	115
	Notes	115
7	Dealing with the Public	118
	HHS Staff Offices	120
	Advisory Committees	124
	The Department Tells Its Story	125
	Conclusion	127
	Notes	128
8	Advice to a New HHS Secretary	129
	A Matter of Life and Death	131
	Controversy and Conflicting Values	132
	The Federal Government as Partner	133
	A Range of Well-Honed Professional Identities	134
	Fragmentation of Approaches	135
	Living in a Web of Accountability Expectations	136
	Notes	137
Appendix 1.	HHS Historical Highlights	138
Appendix 2.	Secretaries of HEW and HHS	140
Appendix 3.	HHS Regional Offices	141
Appendix 4.	The HHS Portfolio	142
	Suggestions for Further Reading	152
	Index	154