Title: Public Administration in America 11e Michael E. Milakovich and George J. Gordon
1Public Administration in America 11e Michael E.
Milakovich and George J. Gordon
- Chapter Five
- Decision Making in Administration
2The Nature of Decisions
- Decision making product of complex social
process generally extending over a long period of
time - Increasing potential gains
- Monitoring ongoing decisional process
- Reducing resource expenditure, uncertainty or risk
3Approaches to Decision MakingConcepts and
Controversies
- Rational approach
- Works to achieve conscious goals
- Efficiency
- Cost-benefit analysis/cost-benefit ratios
- Value-neutral
- Procedural criteria
4Approaches to Decision MakingConcepts and
Controversies
- Critiques of rational model
- Only applicable to low-level decisions
- Many impediments to rationality
- Competition for resources
- Must deal with different aspects of same problem
- Not usually applicable to government
decision-making processes
5Incrementalism and Mixed Scanning Response and
Counterresponse
- Incrementalism
- Uses limited successive comparisons
- Simplified choices
- Status quo as reference for decisions
- Short-term effects crucial consequences
- Less formalized cost/benefit measurements
- Satisfice
6Incrementalism and Mixed Scanning Response and
Counterresponse
- Advantages of incrementalism
- Can satisfy ambiguous orders and legislative
requirements while buying time - Sometimes economic models inappropriate
- Can use nonquantitative measures
7Incrementalism and Mixed Scanning Response and
Counterresponse
- Critiques of incrementalism
- Marginal changes may not meet policy demands, may
overlook larger needs - Makes inertia and status quo acceptable
8Incrementalism and Mixed Scanning Response and
Counterresponse
- Mixed scanning
- Incorporates elements of rational and incremental
approaches - Decisions made by exploring main alternatives,
but details omitted to permit overview
9Decisions in the Balance The Environment of
Choice
- Decision-maker considerations
- Kinds/quantity of resources to be used
- Benefits vs. probable costs
- How are benefits and costs measured?
- Substantive grounds
- Political grounds
- Organizational grounds
- Which factor predominates?
10Decisions in the Balance The Environment of
Choice
- Different grounds predominate for different
decision makers - Specialists (area of expertise)
- Generalists (political factors)
- Time factors
11Information Quality and Decision Analysis
- Quantity and quality of information
- Decision analysis techniques
- Experimental method
- Technology
- Human judgment and experience
- Limitations
- Imperfect information
- Costs of obtaining
- Biases
- Deliberately distorted information
12Information Quality and Decision Analysis
- Other issues facing decision makers
- Influence by previous decisions, current policy
- Unanticipated consequences
- Groupthink
- Sunk costs
- Bounded rationality framework
13The Problem of Goals
- Organizational goals survival, maintenance,
substantive, symbolic - Symbolic goals attract political support
- Public policy goals may be aims (not attainable)
- Criticism can lead to lowering the bar
14The Problem of Goals
- Personal goals livelihood, advancement or self
improvement, strong policy attachment - Some focus on personal goals only
- Personal goals can lead to conflicts
15The Problem of Goals
- Downs bureaucratic mind-sets
- Climbers
- Conservers
- Zealots
- Advocates
- Statesmen
- Ideal to have goal congruence
16Ethical Dimensions of Decision Making
- What is ethical behavior?
- ASPAs Code of Ethics
- Public and ethical obligations
- Baileys moral attitudes and qualities
- Internal vs. external checks
- Rely on bureaucrats character/inclinations
- Public morality and public trust
17The Ethical Setting New Emphasis on an Old
Challenge
- Challenge in defining, establishing and
maintaining high level of ethical behavior in
government officials - Ethical behaviors
- Professional conduct
- Personal honesty
- Concern for serving public
- Respecting law and democratic beliefs
18The Ethical Setting New Emphasis on an Old
Challenge
- Implementation
- Formal adoption of ethics code
- Professional association codes
- Financial disclosure requirements
- Honoraria restrictions
- Professional activity restrictions
- In-house ethics training
- Moral leadership
19Political Rationality A Contradiction in Terms?
- Can politics and rationality coexist?
- Political rationality
- Political costs, benefits, consequences
- Choice of criteria significant
20Organized Anarchies and Uncertainty
- Organized anarchies
- Garbage can theory
- Decision making characterized by pervasive
ambiguity and unpredictable behavior - Choices often product of chance (not rationality)