Suchergebnisse

Performance and accrual-based financial management systems as envisaged in the 1990 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act, the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the 1996 Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA) and related legislation have been in place since prior to the turn of the millennium. Nevertheless, although performance has been measured and financial accountability improved in U.S. federal government agencies, there remains a gap in reporting on operational efficiency and effectiveness. This dissertation extends research into performance management to determine the extent to which performance measurement systems report on operational efficiency and effectiveness and thereby further facilitate performance management. It examines outputs as the unit-of-analysis within the input-output-outcome framework of performance measurement and reporting systems and their integration with accrual-based financial management systems in assessing government operations. It challenges the predominantly outcomes-focused reporting system as insufficient to the objective of improved operational efficiency and effectiveness. The research methodology employs qualitative analysis of selected agency performance reports, interviews of selected agency senior managers and oversight officials, analysis of previous research on performance reporting, and analysis of GAO survey data. The research examines an increased focus on output reporting as a means to improve operational efficiency and the linkage of outputs to outcomes as an effectiveness measure. The research leads to the conclusion that very little output efficiency or effectiveness measurement and reporting is occurring. The failure to measure performance in this manner is to the considerable detriment of operational efficiency, effectiveness and cost reduction in the federal government. ; Ph. D.

PurposeThe article's purpose is to address complementary perspectives for managing uncertainty by looking at a historical example.Design/methodology/approachThis is done using a case study of the experience of ancient Greek mercenaries that fought in and out of Persia over two years and approximately 2,000 miles.FindingsAn unexpected finding is that the size of an organization can be instrumental to its environment fit.Research limitations/implicationsAn implication is that the application of existing models to the historical example suggests existing perspectives of change do not appear adequate individually in explaining or preparing organizations for change.Practical implicationsA wider implication of the study involves confirming the need for research and society to better understand the role of organization politics in outcomes.Originality/valueThe study uses a unique historical example to examine organizational responses to uncertainty that range between rational and haphazard explanations and it offers insights for management thought and practice today.

Transportation planning has long focused on large scale projects using a civil engineering approach of maximizing throughput and minimizing interactions with the surrounding environment. Such efforts greatly increased the overall mobility and accessibility of individuals within and across metropolitan regions, but it is clear that in the future such enormous initiatives are unrealistic due to political, financial, spatial and social concerns. The field of transportation planning is shifting away from this old model of planning towards one where transportation systems are considered part of the overall quality of life of communities. This dissertation explores how local transportation planning is adapting to these changing dynamics of transportation planning through three essays. The first considers how cities are already planning for transportation through their general plans without strong mandates from regional governments. The second essay estimates the spatial variation in commute mode choice in order to show the complexity of travel due to geographic factors of infrastructure provision and land uses. The final essay discusses what flexible localized transportation policies look like, using cruising for parking as an example. Ultimately this research highlights a way forward for transportation planning as a quality-of-life issue, traditionally the purview of local governments.

For those of us who watch Congress and steep ourselves in its history, there are a handful of theories purporting to explain how and why Congress changes. Political parties behave like cartels gathering power at another's expense. Election-minded members shape Congress to ease the passage of pork-barrel bills and to trade votes. Congress often seems designed to encourage legislators to become policy experts, and their expertise is protected by deference to committees that fairly closely represent the interests of the whole House or Senate. For at least the last 15 years, and in the name of New Institutionalism, full-throated fans of various theories have been arguing over which one is "right."

Jurisdictions are the defining characteristics of committee systems, and they are central in any discussions about the U. S. Congress; yet we know little about them. Where do committee property rights come from? Are they rigid? Are they flexible? I introduce a distinction between statutory jurisdictions (which are written in the House and Senate Rules) and common law jurisdictions (which emerge through bill referral precedents). Turf is gained through common law advances, not through formal rules changes (like the "reforms" passed by the House in 1946, 1974, and 1980). Jurisdictional change is ongoing and incremental. The analysis draws on an examination of hearings held by the House Commerce Committee from 1947 through 1990.