Carmine Scavo

Public administration: the role of information technology in the reinventing government paradigm—normative predicates and practical challenges

This article looks at the intersection of the two paradigm shifts of the information revolution and reinventing government (REGO) by examining the role of information technology (IT) in the REGO movement. The authors question three implicit assumptions made by REGO adherents about the role of IT in REGO: that IT is necessary for REGO to take place, that the actual adoption and increased use of IT is an indicator of the success of REGO, and that the adoption of IT is something that is both self-evident and simple. After reviewing the recent record of federal program’s adoption and use of IT, we find some empirical support for the first assumption but find the second and third to be particularly problematic. The authors conclude that REGO is a process rather than an outcomeŠmuch like the adoption of IT in government. By refocusing attention on both of these as processes rather than outcomes, the important and essential role of IT in REGO is more carefully identified.

Reinventing Government in Reformed Municipalities Manager, Mayor, and Council Actions

The authors place reinventing government (REGO) efforts in the context of mayor-council municipalities. After briefly reviewing the emerging body of local government research on reinventing government, they address two principal research questions: First, what are the correlates and extent of REGO actions by managers, mayors, and city councils? Second, what is the nature of REGO interactions among managers, mayors, and councils? Employing two International City Management Association data sets, the authors conclude that although managers may be the prime movers of REGO in U.S. municipalities, they can only accomplish what their community, governmental, and political environments permit.

The impacts of local arts agencies on community placemaking and heritage tourism

ABSTRACT The arts and culture have been shown to foster economic development by attracting workers and businesses in the knowledge industry, spurring tourism, and improving the housing market. However, beyond financial capital, they significantly impact other forms of capital in the community, as well. The Community Capital Framework (CCF) is an analytical tool widely used to observe and critique the relationships among various types of community assets: social, human, financial, creative, built, natural, and political. This study used the CCF to assess the impacts of community-based arts centers on their communities, particularly on heritage tourism. The results demonstrated effects on social, environmental, and business assets, primarily in the financial, social, cultural, and human capitals. The results can be used by community leaders as a starting point when discussing the costs and benefits of investing in a new local arts agency.

Design and Implementation Issues in the First Russian Master of Public Administration Program

Abstract This paper examines the design and implementation of the first working master of public administration program in Russia. This program has been in existence at the Urals Academy of Public Administration (UAPA) in Yekaterinburg since 2001 and graduated its first class in 2003. The development of the program from 2001 through 2004 was aided by a U.S. State Department Newly Independent States Colleges and Universities Partnership Program (NISCUPP) grant. The article examines why public administration education is important to Russia and how UAPA is implementing innovative public administration education through its MPA program while also meeting the national standards for such education issued by the Russian Ministry of Education. At the current time, the Urals Academy is partnering with London Metropolitan University under a British government Russian-UK Partnerships in Higher Education (BRIDGE) grant to increase the number of students in the MPA program, to build faculty expertise further, and to prepare to meet the challenges of European integration as negotiated in the Bologna Process.

Adapting SETUPS for Microcomputer Use

This year, for the first time, the data for the 1984 American National Election Study sETUPS (Supplementary Empirical Teaching Unit in Political Science) will be available for use with microcomputers. In the past, the Voting Behavior SETUPS data set was only available for mainframe computer users, either in OSIRIS or SPSS format. These SETUPS data will still be available in a format suitable for mainframe (or supermini) computers, but now users will have the option of a microcomputer version. The 1984 SETUPS data set is composed of 115 variables and 1989