Abstracts of Books ReceivedAuthor(s): Michael ParrishSource: Public Administration Review, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Jul. - Aug., 1984), pp. 360-363Published by: Wiley on behalf of the American Society for Public AdministrationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/976083 .

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360 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW

The Game Plan: Governance with Foresight

John B. Olsen and Douglas C. Eadie

Since its introduction in 1955, strategic planning has been a major management activity in most profit and not-for-profit organizations. Public sector organiza- tions have, however, eschewed this promising technique for other less effective planning and budgeting pro- cesses. This is not to say public sector officials are not strategic in their management and policy processes. However, strategic planning and more recently strategic management, are seldom seen in public sector organi- zations.

Should public sector organizations embrace the con- cept of strategic planning? Olsen and Eadie argue that they should. In their book The Game Plan they point out that planning is not new to the public sector and that its applications in some agencies has taken a strategic emphasis. Still, for most agencies and managers, in the public sector, strategic planning is a concept that has little meaning.

This book represents their attempt to raise the level of awareness of concepts in the public sector as well as to suggest a way that strategic planning can be applied within the constraints of public management. This is a very readable book. It moves quickly, does not bog the reader down in tangential issues, and is sensitive to the constraints and limits of public organizations and their managers. It is not, however, a book on strategic plan- ning. Rather, it describes what strategic planning is and how it might be applied in the public sector. Reading

this book will not make you a strategic planner. It will, however, provide you with some insights into the pro- cess and highlight some of the key issues and concepts in the process. The bibliography is good, and it should provide a point of departure for those seriously inter- ested in learning about strategic planning.

This is not a "state of the art" book on strategic plan- ning. Indeed, for many, strategic planning is only one aspect of a more fundamental management process- strategic management. It is an essential part of this pro- cess, however, and successful managers need to under- stand its strengths, weaknesses and limits. The strength of this book is not in its coverage of strategic planning as is its exposure of the failure of public sector managers and policy makers to be more innovative in their man- agement activities. Perhaps models from the private sec- tor are not appropriate, but little is being done in the public sector to develop a more proactive model of management within the context of the field. If for no other reason this book is an important contribution for it offers the best justification for developing new and more relevant models of managing public sector organi- zations. Until, and unless this is done, we need to learn more about the strategic planning and strategic manage- ment processes. This book is a good beginning in this regard.

-Robert C. Myrtle, D.P.A. University of Southern California

Abstracts of Books Received

Michael Parrish, Indiana University

Kahn, Herman. The Coming Boom. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1983. 237p. $8.

The late Herman Kahn argues that we not only are recovering from our recent national malaise, but are on the verge of a major economic, political, and social boom.

Kamarck, Andrew. Economics and the Real World. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1983. 165p. No price listed.

A controversial critique of economics as is practiced today by a veteran observer.

Kolb, Deborah. The Mediators. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1983. 230p. $22.50.

A study of what mediators actually do across agen- cies. Cases and settings suggest that mediator prac- tice tends to follow predictable patterns in terms of roles, strategies, and relations with the disputing parties.

Labor Management Relations in the Public Sector. New York: Garland. 1983. 395p. $32.

A detailed annotated bibliography of the subject.

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BOOK REVIEWS 361

Lichtenstein, Nelson. Labor's War at Home. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1982. 312p. $30.

An examination of a critical period in American political and labor history, beginning with the out- break of war in 1939 through the wave of major in- dustrial strikes that followed the war and the return to a peacetime economy.

Litan, Robert and William Nordhaus. Reforming Federal Regulation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1983. 204p. $8.

Some practical and innovative suggestions about regulatory reform to make government more effi- cient.

McKelvey, Natalie. Pension Funds Investments in Real Estate. Westport, CT: Greenwood. 1983. 299p. $40.

An informative guide for pension funds managers who would like to diversify their investments in real estate.

Matrix Management Systems Handbook. New York: Van Nostrand. 1983. 755p. $52.50.

This massive reference book shows how to use organizational resources efficiently by relying on the most effective management methods available.

Melman, Seymour. Profits Without Production. New York: Knopf. 1983. 344p. $19.

An indictment of America's industrial and govern- ment managers for the institutions of shortsighted policies which has allowed the decline in industrial output.

Melnick, R. Shep. Regulation and the Courts. Washing- ton: Brookings Institution. 1983. 402p. $12.

The author analyzes the effects a variety of court decisions have had on federal air pollution control policy and assesses the courts' institutional capacity for policy making in such a complex area.

Menzel, Paul. Medical Costs, Moral Choices. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1983. 260p. $22.50.

A probing study of the moral and economics issues involved in health care in America.

Miewald, Robert. The Bureaucratic State. New York: Garland. 1983. 600p. $93.

An exhaustive bibliography that covers not only the contributions of political science, but also sociology, public administration, and psychology to the under- standing of the controversial concept of "bureauc- racy. "

Moore, Peter. The Business of Risk. New York: Cam- bridge University Press. 1983. 242p. $15.

JULY/AUGUST 1984

A study of how decision makers should evaluate risks involved in any action if choices are to be made meaningfully.

Nelson, Robert H. The Making of the Federal Coal Policy. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 1983. 255p. No price listed.

This detailed study in addition to providing an analy- sis of how federal coal policy was debated and devel- oped also makes many trenchant observations on the policy-making process in the federal government.

New Directions in Economic Justice. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. 1983. 231p. $11.

Collection of essays based on lectures given at the University of Notre Dame during the 1979-80 aca- demic year. The authors try to find connections be- tween economic and social cooperation and the con- cept of justice.

Nuclear America. A Historical Bibliography. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Press. 1983. 183p. $25.50.

The 824 article abstracts have been drawn from a database which includes 2,000 journals from 90 countries.

The Nuclear Weapons Industry. Washington: Investor Responsibility Research Center. 1983. No price listed.

The first comprehensive look at the leading corpora- tions that build the American weapons and equip- ment that would be used in a nuclear war.

Nygard, Fredrik and Arne Sandstrom. Measuring In- come Inequality. Atlantic Heights, NJ: Humanities Press. 1983. 436p. No price listed.

In this study the interest is focused on one- component measures of abundant and confusing sug- gestions regarding such measures which are found in the literature.

Olenick, Arnold and Philip Olenick. Making the Non- Profit Organization Work. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 1983. 1407p. No price listed.

This informative guide is written for those who head, staff, and advise nonprofit organizations and know that accountability is central to success.

Organization and Change in Health Care Quality Analysis. Rockville, MD: Aspen. 1983. 318p. No price listed.

Collection of papers given in 1980 in a conference on quality assurance in public health facilities.

Partners in the Research Enterprise. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1983. 176p. No price listed.

Collection of essays from a conference held in 1982 touching on many aspects of university corporate relations.

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362 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW

A Planner's Guide to Land Use Law. Chicago: Ameri- can Planning Association. 1983. 369p. $29.

This anthology includes the work of 44 of the best known authors involved in land use law.

The Politics of Hazardous Waste Management. Dur- ham, NC: Duke University Press. 1983. 314p. $12.75.

A collection of articles about the process and politics of hazardous waste rather than its physical or eco- nomic implications.

Professions and Professional Ideologies in America. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. 1983. 144p. $17.50.

This volume presents four essays that offer new in- sights into the process of professionalization in American society.

Program Evaluation. Boston: Kluwer. 1983. 366p. $36. This book is a part of a set of materials designed for professional training in private and public agencies in program evaluation.

Public Finance and Economic Growth. Detroit, MI: Wayne University Press. 1983. 426p. $40.

Proceedings of the 37th Congress of the Inter- national Institute of Public Finance held in Tokyo in 1981.

Public Sector Economics. New York: St. Martin. 1983. 230p. $25.

Collection of studies of public sector pricing and in- vestment problems as well as theoretical and empiri- cal analyses of public decision making.

Retirement and Income. New York: Garland. 1984. 120p. $21.

This nationwide survey conducted by Louis Harris reports on the attitudes of employees, retirees, and business leaders toward pensions and the retirement income system.

Robertson, Leon. Injuries, Causes, Control Strategies, and Public Policy. Lexington, MA: Lexington. 1983. 220p. $25.

In this pioneer study, the author examines a broad range of injuries, assessing such factors as the sex and age of victim, location and time of the incident, fatality rate, and economic cost. He shows how logical and systematic analysis could be used to develop options for injury control.

Rybczynski, Witold. Taming the Tiger. New York: Vik- ing. 1983. 242p. $16.

A study of historical attempts to resist technology.

Safety and the Work Force. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Uni- versity, ILS Press. 1983. 192p. $26.

Collection of essays edited by John Worrall that study in detail the effect of workers' compensation on labor supply.

Setting Municipal Priorities. New York: Columbia Uni- versity Press. 1984. 192p. $10.

By publishing the fifth volume in the series, the pro- ject directors seek to contribute to improved policy making and management in New York City.

Siy, Robert Jr. Community Resource Management: Lessons from the Zanjera. Honolulu, HA: University of Hawaii Press. 1983. 192p. $8.50.

Strategies for rural development are heavily reliant on the formation of effective local organizations. This is a multidisciplinary analysis of one such organization devoted to irrigation development.

Sowell, Thomas. The Economics and Politics of Rage. New York: William Morrow. 1983. 324p. $16.

Pioneering a new approach to issues of race and eth- nicity, Thomas Sowell uses an international frame- work to analyze group differences.

Springer, Allen. The International Law of Pollution. Westport, CT: Quorum. 1983. 218p. No price listed.

The author provides an analytical framework through which to evaluate the current status inter- nationally of environmental law and its prospects for the future.

Statistics Resources. Detroit: Gale Research. 1983. 2 volumes. 1875p. $185.

The eighth edition of this comprehensive reference book provides international coverage of a wide range of statistical sources including many out of print items.

Sternlieb, George and James Hughes. The Atlantic City Gamble. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1980. 214p. $16.50.

A very critical view of legalized gambling in Atlantic City and the toll in economic and human hardships.

Systems Analysis in Urban Policy-Making and Plan- ning. New York: Plenum. 1983. 617p. $75.

The essays in this book by a group of internationally known experts explore the impact of systems analysis on urban policy making and planning. In a wider context, this volume offers real-life examples of what happens when a systematic or rational method is ap- plied to a social program.

Systems and Models for Energy and Environmental Analysis. Brookfield, VT: Gower. 1983. 231p. $35.50.

Collection of essays that address the question of how to alleviate scarcities while maintaining equitable economic progress and quality of life.

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BOOK REVIEWS 363

Taylor, Jarod. Shadows of the Rising Sun. New York: William Morros. 1983. 344p. $15.

A study of strengths and weaknesses of Japanese society and economy by a less than great admirer.

Technology versus Democracy. Boston, MA: Auburn House. 1983. 300p. $30.

Collection of essays which compare the experience of advanced industrial countries in coping with the problems of airport development and expansion.

Tierney, Cornelius and Philip Calder. Governmental Accounting. New York: Elsevier. 1983. 223p.

This detailed study describes the standards, trends, and changes in governmental accounting across the country. It is an essential reference work for govern- ment finance officers, accountants, auditors, under- writers, attorneys, and CPAs auditing government financial statements.

Toward an Efficient Energy Future. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger. 1983. 320p. No price listed.

Proceedings of the International Energy Symposium III held in May 1982.

U.S. Options for Energy Independence. Lexington, MA: Lexington. 1983. 184p. No price listed.

Collection of articles designed in response to a need for synthesizing and disseminating views about the U.S. national energy issues.

The Video Source Book. Detroit, MI: Gale. 1983. 1,546p. $125.

The fifth edition of the most comprehensive direc- tory of its kind features more than 35,000 programs available on video from more than 700 sources.

Work and Human Values. Queenstown, MD: Aspen In- stitute. 1983. 145p. $10.

An international report on jobs in the 1980s and 1990s. Authors include pollster Daniel Yankelovich.

Work and Lifecourse in Japan. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. 1983. 266p. $10.

A collection of workers' eye-level reports on career development in a variety of Japanese organizations and professions.

World Labor Report. Washington: International Labor Office. 1984. $25.65.

An objective survey of social and labor questions in which salient facts and commentaries are presented in clear, concise language.

JULY/AUGUST 1984

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