This theoretically and experientially grounded reference provides a complete overview of the principles and applications of government administration and management practices in the local public sector. Written by over 25 distinguished academics and professionals with substantial experience as practitioners and consultants of administrative operations to local governments, the book covers the effects of environmental conditions on local administrators and management techniques to administration in different types of local government. It helps readers reduce research time by presenting advanced materials on local government administration and management in a single source.

'Written by an impressive array of experts, this book surveys local government reforms in six advanced democracies, federal and unitary, which share a municipal legacy: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. . . The book has an excellent bibliography and will help open up a field heretofore noted for its insularity. Recommended.' - A.J. Ward, Choice

The prevalence of childhood obesity is so high in the United States that it may reduce the life expectancy of today's generation of children. While parents and other adult caregivers play a fundamental role in teaching children about healthy behaviors, even the most positive efforts can be undermined by local environments that are poorly suited to supporting healthy behaviors. For example, many communities lack ready sources of healthy food choices, such as supermarkets and grocery stores. Or they may not provide safe places for children to walk or play. In such communities, even the most motivated child or adolescent may find it difficult to act in healthy ways. Local governments-with jurisdiction over many aspects of land use, food marketing, community planning, transportation, health and nutrition programs, and other community issues-are ideally positioned to promote behaviors that will help children and adolescents reach and maintain healthy weights. Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity presents a number of recommendations that touch on the vital role of government actions on all levels-federal, state, and local-in childhood obesity prevention. The book offers healthy eating and physical activity strategies for local governments to consider, making it an excellent resource for mayors, managers, commissioners, council members, county board members, and administrators.

This reference work offers detailed guidance on subnational systems of government in advanced democracies. It describes and compares local and regional systems world-wide, with extensive treatment of those in France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Britain, the United States and Japan.

Known for encouraging step-by-step problem solving and for connecting techniques to real-world scenarios, David Ammons’ Tools for Decision Making covers a wide range of local government practices—from the foundational to the advanced. Brief and readable, each chapter opens with a problem in a hypothetical city and then introduces a tool to address it. Thoroughly updated with new local government examples, the second edition also incorporates chapters devoted to such additional techniques as sampling analysis, sensitivity analysis, financial condition analysis, and forecasting via trend analysis. Numerous tables, figures, exhibits, equations, and worksheets walk readers through the application of tools, and boxed features throughout each chapter present other uses for techniques, helpful online resources, and common errors. A handy guide for students and an invaluable resource and reference for practitioners.

About 25 years ago, a number of progressive police departments began experimenting with a new approach to policing that focused on improving relations between police officers and the communities they serve. This approach to policing, called community policing, focused on developing partnerships between the police and the community, addressing community problems through systematic problem-solving efforts, and finding ways to ensure that officers' efforts in these areas receive support from the police department. Today, community policing is widely accepted in police departments across the county, and the vast majority of community members and local politicians want their police department to be a community policing agency. As police departments implemented the community policing philosophy, they developed a deeper understanding of what it means to partner with the community. The community is not merely the people living or working within a city, but also the city's nonprofit and community-based organizations, local businesses, and, also important, government agencies. As police departments strengthen and advance their community policing efforts, they call on their colleagues in other departments of their own city government to assist with problem-solving efforts in the community. At this same time, many city administrators are seeking ways to increase community involvement in local government matters. These same managers are also trying to create a more transparent government structure that stresses accountability and responsiveness to the community. Cities that pursue these efforts are beginning to adopt a new approach to local governance—one that is service-oriented. We refer to this philosophical approach to local governance as “community governance.” At its most basic level, community governance takes the philosophy and elements of community policing to the citywide level. It stresses collaboration among city agencies and with the community, systematic problem-solving efforts, and organizational changes to support this new orientation. Advancing Community Policing through Community Governance: A Framework Document serves as a basis for defining the community governance approach and what it looks like in practice by taking the first step of starting the discussion about community governance. We hope that additional projects and research in the future will expand the community governance knowledge base. This document will be of particular interest to police chiefs, city managers, mayors, and other municipal agency executives who are interested in developing a more collaborative approach to local governance in responding to community problems and issues.

Today, social media have attracted the attention of political actors and administrative institutions to inform citizens as a prerequisite of open and transparent administration, deliver public services, contact stakeholders, revitalize democracy, encourage the cross-agency cooperation, and contribute to knowledge management. In this context, the social media tools can contribute to the emergence of citizen-oriented, open, transparent and participatory public administration. Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by social media is not limited to central government. Local governments deploy internet-based innovative technologies that complement traditional methods in implementing different functions. This book focuses on the relationship between the local governments and social media, deals with the change that social media have caused in the organization, understanding of service provision, performance of local governments and in the relationships between local governments and their partners, and aims to advance our theoretical and empirical understanding of the growing use of social media by local governments. This book will be of interest to researchers and students in e-government, public administration, political science, communication, information science, and social media. Government officials and public managers will also find practical use recommendations for social media in several aspects of local governance