Jay M. Shafritz - The Dictionary Of Public Policy And Administration

D EDICATED TO
A LBERT C. H YDE
AND
J. S TEVEN O TT
FRIENDS AND MENTORS

Jay M. Shafritz, the leading U.S. lexicographer of public policy and administration, has produced another useful volume. The 1,600 or so entries in Dictionary of Public Policy and Administration contain an impressive amount of pertinent information, as well as wisdom and insightful humor. This volume will be conveniently located on my desk and consulted often. What distinguishes the Dictionary as a most valuable resource in the field is its comprehensive coverage, succinct definitions, remarkable readability, and sophisticated explanations of both classical and contemporary concepts, ideas, and terms. Its coverage extends to public and public service organizations and policies at all levels of government, including multinational and international.

The Dictionary is not meant to be read cover to cover, but I did so and learned a great deal from it. Each reader will find a variety of fascinating new facts and observations tucked away in entries throughout the book. For example, I was reminded of SWOT analysis, defined as a review of an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then I learned that a slush fund was originally money collected by the military services in the nineteenth century by selling grease and other refuse (the slush). At first, the sixty-two entries beginning with tax surprised me. On further reflection, the Dictionary is also an invaluable inventory of public policy and administration concepts and activities. I will urge my department to present each of our new Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy students with a copy of the Dictionary . I cannot think of any book that would be of greater use, value, and longevity to them.

David H. Rosenbloom
Distinguished Professor of Public Administration American University (Washington, D.C.)

This Dictionary is a tool for all those who must be knowledgeable about the theory, concepts, practices, laws, institutions, literature, and people of the academic discipline and professional practice of public administration. Included are definitions of the major concerns of contemporary public policy and administration: accounting, accountability, administrative management, affirmative action, budgeting, bureaucracy, city/county management, decisionmaking, ethics, federalism, human resources management, implementation, information technology, intergovernmental relations, labor relations, leadership, machinery of government, organization theory and behavior, managerialism, policy analysis, policy studies, privatization, program evaluation, public administration, public finance, public management, public policy, strategic management, and taxation. Also included are brief biographies of major scholars and influential practitioners, summaries of major rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, overviews of significant laws, descriptions of major government agencies, explanations of historical trends and governing doctrines, and definitions of slang and informal processes.

This Dictionary has been created for students, researchers, government officials, and citizens interested in how public policies are evolved, implemented, and administered. It is a ready reference for students and practitioners of public administrationthe book that they should keep beside them while they are reading other books in the field. With more than 1,600 entries, it seeks to capture and codify the living language of public affairs. Generally excluded are terms for which the meanings in the context of politics and economics do not differ from definitions to be found in any college-level dictionary of the English language. Terms that once were, but no longer are, part of the language of public affairs are also excluded. A term has to be relevant to current practices for inclusion.

Note that the Dictionary is continuously alphabetized. This organization is especially useful for comparing entries that sound similar. It also allows for quick comparison of terms with the same root. For example, the entry for tax will be followed by dozens of variants of taxsuch as tax avoidance, tax base, and so on. The book follows this format as often as possible; therefore, if the root is known, variants of the term can readily be found. Cross-references are indicated by SMALL CAPITALS within an entry only when reading the cross-reference will significantly enhance the understanding of the original entry.

The Dictionary was to be based upon my 1985 Facts on File Dictionary of Public Administration. But public policy and administration have changed so much in the last two decades that most of this present work had to be written anew. If you do not find a term that you think should be included, I can only mimic Samuel Johnsons explanation when a woman complained about his 1755 English Dictionary: Ignorance, Madam, pure ignorance. Naturally, all omissions, mistakes, or other flaws to be found herein are solely my responsibility. The consulting editors listed here were just that: consultants. I am grateful for their advice and pleased now to thank them publicly; but all decisions about inclusions and exclusions were mine. I am particularly indebted to David H. Rosenbloom of American University for his extensive review of the manuscript and many helpful recommendations for improvement.