The Roles of Local Government Managers in Theory and Practice: A Centennial Perspective

Kimberly L. Nelson · James H. Svara

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Public Policy and Administration Research Local Governance and Planning Public Administration and Political Analysis

Abstract

Abstract The standard narrative to explain the evolution of roles filled by city managers suggests that managers originally served as administrative technicians who carried out the policy directives of city councils, but, over time, they became more involved in policy advice and community leadership. This article documents enduring involvement in policy and the recent expansion of community leadership, analyzing definitions of the manager's roles offered by practitioners and scholars since the beginning of the city manager profession 100 years ago. In addition, measurements of the manager's role performance at various points in time are examined, along with trends in the preparation of managers and the context in which they work. Ignoring the evidence that the policy role is integral to professional management can lead to unfounded questions about the legitimacy of city and county managers and impairs our understanding of the council‐manager form of government and political–administrative relations.

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References

1996The spirit of public administration 2001The Myth of the Dichotomy: Complementarity of Politics and Administration in the Past and Future of Public Administration 1971Toward a new public administration : the Minnowbrook perspective 2001The Myth of the Bureaucratic Paradigm: What Traditional Public Administration Really Stood For 1999Facilitating Community, Enabling Democracy: New Roles for Local Government Managers 1998The Politics-Administration Dichotomy Model as Aberration 1998Citizen Governance: Leading American Communities into the 21st Century 1990Official Leadership in the City

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