Managing Local Government
An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers

First Edition

Kimberly L. Nelson - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
Carl W. Stenberg - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Courses:
Introduction to Public Administration | Local Administration | Public Budgeting & Financial Management

August 2017 | 304 pages | CQ Press

Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers offers a practical introduction to the changing structure, forms, and functions of local governments. Taking a metropolitan management perspective, authors Kimberly Nelson and Carl W. Stenberg explain U.S. local government within historical context and provide strategies for effective local government management and problem solving. Real-life scenarios and contemporary issues illustrate the organization and networks of local governments; the roles, responsibilities, and relationships of city and county managers; and the dynamics of the intergovernmental system. Case studies and discussion questions in each chapter encourage critical analysis of the challenges of collaborative governance. Unlike other books on the market, this text’s combined approach of theory and practice encourages students to enter municipal and county management careers and equips them with tools to be successful from day one.

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Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Chapter 1 • Managing Local Governments in a Dynamic World

Purpose and Organization of the Book

The Contemporary Context: Continuity and Change

The Intergovernmental Landscape: Who’s in Charge?

Managing Challenges: Critical Competencies for Closing the Gap

Chapter 2 • U.S. Local Governments in Historical Context

Early Development of American Cities: 1700–1900

Urban Population Growth

The Progressive Era

Post-Progressive Era Metropolitan Development

Looking Forward

Chapter 3 • Types, Functions, and Authority of U.S. Local Governments

U.S. Local Government Authority

Local Government Types and Distribution

Regional Models of Local Government Structure

Local Forms of Government

Chapter 4 • Working across Boundaries

Stressed Local Structure

Reform Perspectives

The Manager’s Key Transcending Role

From Cooperation to Governance: Snow White and the 17 Dwarfs

State Restructuring Incentives

Regional Cooperation: Looking Forward

Chapter 5 • The Career of the Local Government Manager

Local Government Manager Profiles

Working as a Local Government Manager

Roles of the Local Government Manager

Managers as Leaders

The Local Government Manager as Organizational Leader

The Manager’s Code of Ethics

Making the Case for a Career in Local Government Management

Chapter 6 • Roles and Relationships

Mayoral Authority and Roles

Basics of Council–Manager Relationships: A North Carolina Example

Realities of Council–Manager Roles and Responsibilities

Changing Roles and Relationships

Chapter 7 • Enhancing Council–Manager Effectiveness

High-Performing Habits

The Manager’s Facilitating Role

Mutual Expectations

Recognizing and Dealing with Problems in the Governing Body

Chapter 8 • Citizen Engagement

Why Engage Citizens?

History of U.S. Citizen Engagement

Objectives of Citizen Participation

Engagement Challenges

From Participation to Power

E-Government Engagement

Making Engagement Work

Chapter 9 • Service Delivery Strategies and Innovation

Who Does What? Government-to-Government Approaches

Who Does What? Public–Private Partnerships

Other Alternative Service Delivery Tools

Key Questions

Building Capacity for Innovation

Chapter 10 • The Manager’s Toolbox

Building Organizational Capacity

The Manager’s Toolbox

The Journey from Planning and Measurement to Management

Using the Tools as Manager

Chapter 11 • Emerging Issues and Management Challenges Facing Local Governments

Wicked Problems Facing Local Governments

Current and Emerging Issues for Local Governments

Skills Needed in Future Managers

Tackling Wicked Problems

Conclusion

Appendix 1: International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Code of Ethics with Guidelines

Appendix 2: International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Practices for Effective Local Government Management

Index

Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers takes on a critical topic—governing in urban areas. This text is very readable for an undergraduate audience with limited knowledge of local government and provides solid discussion of the role of the city manager in local government.

Raymond W. Cox III

University of Akron

Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers by Kimberly Nelson and Carl Stenberg is highly readable, well researched, and well written. The text features a strong focus on theory and history, summarizing practical managerial advice and strategies and comparing and contrasting theory and factual information through charts and tables.

Paula A. Duda Holoviak

Kutztown University

Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers offers an exceptional overview of the profession of local government management. It also offers key insights and a valuable road map for the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective manager in an increasingly complicated intergovernmental landscape. It highlights skills, practices, and policies that are essential for a student of local government management to understand.

Christine Palus

Villanova University

Key features

KEY FEATURES:

A focus on management, as opposed to a focus on political issues and theoretical concepts, equips students with a working knowledge to manage and maintain high-performance organizations within an increasingly complex metropolitan system.
Practical examples in every chapter bring concepts to life and show students how to apply them to real situations they may face in local government management.
Multiple case studies presented throughout the text strengthen students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Local government management career profiles give students insight into the daily life of working professionals and tips for finding success in their career.
A chapter on citizen engagement (Ch. 8) shows students how engaging citizens can enhance the policy process and addresses the challenges when doing so.
The Manager’s Toolbox (Ch. 10) offers students strategic planning, performance budgeting, succession planning, and other tools to improve government performance.