Ricardo Morse - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ricardo Morse
The American Review of Public Administration, 2011
Collaborative governance is taking center stage in public administration practice and research. T... more Collaborative governance is taking center stage in public administration practice and research. Today’s interconnected world demands collective action across organizational, jurisdictional, and sectoral boundaries. As a consequence, we have seen a steep rise in various forms of boundarycrossing activity in public administration, the variety of which we now put under the banner of collaborative governance, which is alternatively known as collaborative public management. Many related practices (and corresponding literatures) fall under this banner, but they can be grouped into two broad categories: (a) interorganizational collaboration (e.g., networked government, intergovernmental management, and public–private partnerships) and (b) civic engagement (e.g., public participation, stakeholder collaboration, and consensus building). Unlocking the Power of Networks by Goldsmith and Kettl (2009) and The New Public Governance? by Osborne (2010) are but two of many recent examples of collaborative governance scholarship from the interorganizational thread. Sirianni’s book, however, is a strong addition to the collaborative governance literature that comes from more of the civic engagement thread. His principal argument is that government can and should make deliberate “investments” in “civic capacity building that enables it to solve public problems effectively and to enlist diverse citizens and stakeholders to collaborate in doing so” (p. 21). Whereas other works (such as those noted above) focus on public agencies crossing boundaries, the focus of Investing is more directly on citizens and groups of citizens and how they are engaged in the process of collaborative governance. Investing can thus be seen as complementary to other collaborative governance scholarship that emphasizes interorganizational collaboration because, in practice, organizational boundary crossing and engaging citizen stakeholders are two sides of the same coin. In both cases, it is about public agencies engaging “nonstate stakeholders” as collaborators in the governance process (Ansell & Gash, 2008, pp. 544-545). However, it is important to note that acknowledging Investing is more from the civic engagement thread is not to say that it ignores the interorganizational dimension of collaborative governance. Rather, one of the primary contributions of the book is an extensive literature review of collaborative governance that incorporates and integrates the different dimensions. The book begins with Sirianni masterfully integrating several related threads of literature into eight “core principles of collaborative governance and policy design” (p. 42). The eight principles (detailed in the book’s second chapter and used as an interpretive framework throughout) are that policy should
The Journal of Extension, 2006
... Ricardo S. Morse Assistant Professor Public Policy and Administration Program Department of P... more ... Ricardo S. Morse Assistant Professor Public Policy and Administration Program Department of Political Science rmorse@iastate.edu. ... face in their communities--such as economic decline, water quality, or childhood poverty--are terribly complex (Patton & Blaine, 2001). ...
Public Administration Quarterly, 2011
INTRODUCTION Citizen participation in local government has been advocated as a way to enhance com... more INTRODUCTION Citizen participation in local government has been advocated as a way to enhance communication between government and citizens, build public support for local government goals, and develop public trust in government (Wang, 2001). However, research has shown increased citizen input can alternatively lead to a variety of perceived negative consequences such as increased staff work load, additional resource allocation, increased levels of public scrutiny, negative media coverage and increased levels of apathy or distrust of government (Callahan, 2002). Thus not all participation efforts are equal in terms of their impact or outcomes. In considering the nature and scope of citizen participation, it is imperative to have some basis for understanding what constitutes effectiveness. Arguments in favor of citizen participation are rooted in normative theory, and as a result, discussions of what constitutes "effective" participation are likewise normatively-based. Yet ...
This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the ... more This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the concept of community and related “soft skills” that go along with it, are critical to understanding how increased collaboration can be encouraged. An action research process piloted in two Iowa counties provides the basis for this study and offers rich qualitative insight into some of the factors that influence non-metro interlocal collaboration. *The financial support of the Iowa Department of Management, along with the participation of the local governments of Boone and Poweshiek Counties (Iowa), is gratefully acknowledged. Facilitating Interlocal Collaboration
Community renewal is a dominant theme in American society today. It has been said that public adm... more Community renewal is a dominant theme in American society today. It has been said that public administration could and should be a leader in the community renewal movement, yet for the most part the field of public administration fails to “get” community. This study advances and explores a concept of community learning as part of a broader effort to better understand what a community perspective means for public administration theory and practice. The contributions of this study are two-fold. First, a concept of community learning is drawn from a variety of literature streams that share an ethos of collaborative pragmatism. Community learning occurs when the knowledge created in the integrative “community process” is fed-forward and embedded at the level of community structure. Furthermore, a “learning community” is found where the community learning process is institutionalized at the level of community structure. While community learning is a term being used to some degree in the ...
INTRODUCTION One hundred years after Frederick Taylor's seminal work, The Principles of Scien... more INTRODUCTION One hundred years after Frederick Taylor's seminal work, The Principles of Scientific Management (1911), it is worthwhile to observe how much the concept of leadership has evolved. Core themes of motivation, performance, and human interaction have developed and become more sophisticated (Yukl, 2010). "Great man" or "trait" theories have been replaced by more complex, interactive theories of leadership. However, the traditional notion of leadership focusing on hierarchical leaders and followers remains dominant in popular conceptions of leadership and in programs that seek to develop leaders. What characterized leadership in 20th-century organizations shaped by Taylor's scientific management paradigm contrasts with emerging, contemporary organizational priorities of the 21st century. Today's leadership context, particularly in the public sector, is interorganizational. In public administration in particular, this shift corresponds with an ...
Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management
This article explores collaborative capital budgeting in U.S. local governments. To date, the cap... more This article explores collaborative capital budgeting in U.S. local governments. To date, the capital budgeting literature has focused on practices within individual governments. This leaves a gap in our understanding because a large portion of capital planning, acquisition, and maintenance occurs through collaboration between two or more local governments. Drawing on the capital budgeting and collaborative public management literature, and on illustrative cases of collaborative capital budgeting in the United States, an inductive approach is used to: (1) identify and categorize the different objectives that motivate local officials to pursue collaborative agreements, (2) examine common patterns in the types of assets involved in collaboration, and (3) discover common institutional arrangements in collaboration agreements. The research findings demonstrate significant heterogeneity in the objectives, patterns, and institutions of collaborative capital budgeting.
Journal of Public Affairs Education
ABSTRACT Collaborative governance is becoming a primary motif in public administration research a... more ABSTRACT Collaborative governance is becoming a primary motif in public administration research and practice. There is widespread recognition of the need to develop leaders for collaborative governance, yet clear guidelines or standard operating procedures are elusive. However, while the literature is varied, a broad model of collaboration phases is distinguishable and core competencies are emerging. This article outlines a four-phase model of collaborative governance and corresponding competencies to help ground education and training for collaborative governance. The application of this approach to case teaching is demonstrated by repurposing a readily available teaching case.
Administrative Theory & Praxis
... work is also recognized and very influential cur-rently in the field of negotiation and confl... more ... work is also recognized and very influential cur-rently in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution (Kolb, Jensen, & Shannon, 1996 ... Stever's (1986) and Snider's (1998) discussions of the philosophical underpinnings of her work is an example of the dialogue that could ensue ...
... Balancing Existing Commitments and Emerging Needs Heather Getha-Taylor University of Kansas h... more ... Balancing Existing Commitments and Emerging Needs Heather Getha-Taylor University of Kansas hgtaylor@ku.edu ... Personnel Administration 28 (2): 103-19. Getha-Taylor, Heather, Maja Husar Holmes, Willow S. Jacobson, Ricardo S. Morse, and Jessica E. Sowa. 2011. ...
This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the ... more This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the concept of community and related "soft skills" that go along with it are critical to understanding how increased collaboration can be encouraged. An action research process piloted in two Iowa counties provides the basis for this study and offers rich qualitative insight into some of
Public Performance & Management Review, 2012
... Public Leadership and Collaboration 6. Developing Public Leaders in an Age of Collaborative G... more ... Public Leadership and Collaboration 6. Developing Public Leaders in an Age of Collaborative Governance Ricardo S. Morse 79 7. From Local Managers to Community ... Designing and Delivering Leadership Programs: Challenges and Prospects Richard F. Callahan 283 16. ...
This paper argues that we go back to the writings of Mary Follett (1868-1933) to inform the pract... more This paper argues that we go back to the writings of Mary Follett (1868-1933) to inform the practice of public participation. Although her political writings are more than eighty years old, they have never been more relevant. Follett provides concrete answers to some of the primary questions of public participation today. Follett's notions of circular response and integration, along with her thesis of neighborhood organization as a vehicle for democratic governance speak directly to the practice of a more authentically democratic public sector. Though inspirational success stories are commonplace, the all-to-often reality is that public participation is fraught with frustration by citizens and public officials. Citizens customarily feel shut out of the governance process. Opportunities for participation are viewed with skepticism as people feel that their participation is not effectual in any meaningful way. Public officials likewise usually approach participation with ambivalen...
Public Performance & Management Review
Many local governments have begun to offer civic education programs. These programs, known as cit... more Many local governments have begun to offer civic education programs. These programs, known as citizens academies, teach residents about the functions of their local government and offer the promise of developing a more informed and ultimately better engaged citizenry. As a clear example of local government investing in civic capacity building, the emergent practice of citizens academies merits closer examination. This article offers a descriptive analysis of citizens academies in the United States and outlines key research questions going forward.
The increased emphasis on collaborative governance across the field of public administration nece... more The increased emphasis on collaborative governance across the field of public administration necessitates a rethinking of what the core competencies of public managers are and how they might be developed. The traditional model of leadership development, focusing on leading within bounded hierarchy and via command-and-control must be moderated with an additional focus on collaborative problem-solving, working in flattened structures, and incentivizing behavior in new ways. This article reviews relevant literature along with the experience of two local government leadership programs to explore content and training approaches needed to prepare local government leaders for collaborative governance. Qualitative and quantitative survey findings indicate that program content should specifically address collaboration competency development. Further, training evaluation strategy should allow for processing and reflection: immediate reaction surveys should be supplemented with a long-term eva...
The forces of globalization are shifting our world, including the public sector, away from hierar... more The forces of globalization are shifting our world, including the public sector, away from hierarchy and command and control toward one of collaboration and networks. The way public leadership is thought about and practiced must be, and is being, transformed. This volume in the Transformational Trends in Governance & Democracy series explores what the shift looks like and also offers guidance on what it should look like. Specifically, the book focuses on the role of "career leaders"--those in public service--who are agents of change not only in their own organizations, but also in their communities and policy domains. These leaders work in network settings, making connections and collaborating to create public value and advance the common good. Featuring the insights of an authoritative group of contributors, the volume offers a mix of scholarship, from philosophical discussions to conceptual models to empirical studies that, taken together, will help inform the transforma...
Administrative Theory & Praxis
While there seems to be widespread agreement in the public administration community on the import... more While there seems to be widespread agreement in the public administration community on the importance of public participation, there is no consensus about what we mean when we use the term. This paper argues that we go back to the writings of Mary Follett (1868-1933) to inform the future of public participation. Although her political writings are now eighty years old, they have never been more relevant. This paper demonstrates how Follett provides concrete answers to some of the primary questions of public participation today. Follett's notions of circular response and integration, along with her thesis of neighborhood organization as a vehicle for democratic governance speak directly to the practice of a more democratic public administration.
The American Review of Public Administration, 2011
Collaborative governance is taking center stage in public administration practice and research. T... more Collaborative governance is taking center stage in public administration practice and research. Today’s interconnected world demands collective action across organizational, jurisdictional, and sectoral boundaries. As a consequence, we have seen a steep rise in various forms of boundarycrossing activity in public administration, the variety of which we now put under the banner of collaborative governance, which is alternatively known as collaborative public management. Many related practices (and corresponding literatures) fall under this banner, but they can be grouped into two broad categories: (a) interorganizational collaboration (e.g., networked government, intergovernmental management, and public–private partnerships) and (b) civic engagement (e.g., public participation, stakeholder collaboration, and consensus building). Unlocking the Power of Networks by Goldsmith and Kettl (2009) and The New Public Governance? by Osborne (2010) are but two of many recent examples of collaborative governance scholarship from the interorganizational thread. Sirianni’s book, however, is a strong addition to the collaborative governance literature that comes from more of the civic engagement thread. His principal argument is that government can and should make deliberate “investments” in “civic capacity building that enables it to solve public problems effectively and to enlist diverse citizens and stakeholders to collaborate in doing so” (p. 21). Whereas other works (such as those noted above) focus on public agencies crossing boundaries, the focus of Investing is more directly on citizens and groups of citizens and how they are engaged in the process of collaborative governance. Investing can thus be seen as complementary to other collaborative governance scholarship that emphasizes interorganizational collaboration because, in practice, organizational boundary crossing and engaging citizen stakeholders are two sides of the same coin. In both cases, it is about public agencies engaging “nonstate stakeholders” as collaborators in the governance process (Ansell & Gash, 2008, pp. 544-545). However, it is important to note that acknowledging Investing is more from the civic engagement thread is not to say that it ignores the interorganizational dimension of collaborative governance. Rather, one of the primary contributions of the book is an extensive literature review of collaborative governance that incorporates and integrates the different dimensions. The book begins with Sirianni masterfully integrating several related threads of literature into eight “core principles of collaborative governance and policy design” (p. 42). The eight principles (detailed in the book’s second chapter and used as an interpretive framework throughout) are that policy should
The Journal of Extension, 2006
... Ricardo S. Morse Assistant Professor Public Policy and Administration Program Department of P... more ... Ricardo S. Morse Assistant Professor Public Policy and Administration Program Department of Political Science rmorse@iastate.edu. ... face in their communities--such as economic decline, water quality, or childhood poverty--are terribly complex (Patton & Blaine, 2001). ...
Public Administration Quarterly, 2011
INTRODUCTION Citizen participation in local government has been advocated as a way to enhance com... more INTRODUCTION Citizen participation in local government has been advocated as a way to enhance communication between government and citizens, build public support for local government goals, and develop public trust in government (Wang, 2001). However, research has shown increased citizen input can alternatively lead to a variety of perceived negative consequences such as increased staff work load, additional resource allocation, increased levels of public scrutiny, negative media coverage and increased levels of apathy or distrust of government (Callahan, 2002). Thus not all participation efforts are equal in terms of their impact or outcomes. In considering the nature and scope of citizen participation, it is imperative to have some basis for understanding what constitutes effectiveness. Arguments in favor of citizen participation are rooted in normative theory, and as a result, discussions of what constitutes "effective" participation are likewise normatively-based. Yet ...
This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the ... more This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the concept of community and related “soft skills” that go along with it, are critical to understanding how increased collaboration can be encouraged. An action research process piloted in two Iowa counties provides the basis for this study and offers rich qualitative insight into some of the factors that influence non-metro interlocal collaboration. *The financial support of the Iowa Department of Management, along with the participation of the local governments of Boone and Poweshiek Counties (Iowa), is gratefully acknowledged. Facilitating Interlocal Collaboration
Community renewal is a dominant theme in American society today. It has been said that public adm... more Community renewal is a dominant theme in American society today. It has been said that public administration could and should be a leader in the community renewal movement, yet for the most part the field of public administration fails to “get” community. This study advances and explores a concept of community learning as part of a broader effort to better understand what a community perspective means for public administration theory and practice. The contributions of this study are two-fold. First, a concept of community learning is drawn from a variety of literature streams that share an ethos of collaborative pragmatism. Community learning occurs when the knowledge created in the integrative “community process” is fed-forward and embedded at the level of community structure. Furthermore, a “learning community” is found where the community learning process is institutionalized at the level of community structure. While community learning is a term being used to some degree in the ...
INTRODUCTION One hundred years after Frederick Taylor's seminal work, The Principles of Scien... more INTRODUCTION One hundred years after Frederick Taylor's seminal work, The Principles of Scientific Management (1911), it is worthwhile to observe how much the concept of leadership has evolved. Core themes of motivation, performance, and human interaction have developed and become more sophisticated (Yukl, 2010). "Great man" or "trait" theories have been replaced by more complex, interactive theories of leadership. However, the traditional notion of leadership focusing on hierarchical leaders and followers remains dominant in popular conceptions of leadership and in programs that seek to develop leaders. What characterized leadership in 20th-century organizations shaped by Taylor's scientific management paradigm contrasts with emerging, contemporary organizational priorities of the 21st century. Today's leadership context, particularly in the public sector, is interorganizational. In public administration in particular, this shift corresponds with an ...
Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management
This article explores collaborative capital budgeting in U.S. local governments. To date, the cap... more This article explores collaborative capital budgeting in U.S. local governments. To date, the capital budgeting literature has focused on practices within individual governments. This leaves a gap in our understanding because a large portion of capital planning, acquisition, and maintenance occurs through collaboration between two or more local governments. Drawing on the capital budgeting and collaborative public management literature, and on illustrative cases of collaborative capital budgeting in the United States, an inductive approach is used to: (1) identify and categorize the different objectives that motivate local officials to pursue collaborative agreements, (2) examine common patterns in the types of assets involved in collaboration, and (3) discover common institutional arrangements in collaboration agreements. The research findings demonstrate significant heterogeneity in the objectives, patterns, and institutions of collaborative capital budgeting.
Journal of Public Affairs Education
ABSTRACT Collaborative governance is becoming a primary motif in public administration research a... more ABSTRACT Collaborative governance is becoming a primary motif in public administration research and practice. There is widespread recognition of the need to develop leaders for collaborative governance, yet clear guidelines or standard operating procedures are elusive. However, while the literature is varied, a broad model of collaboration phases is distinguishable and core competencies are emerging. This article outlines a four-phase model of collaborative governance and corresponding competencies to help ground education and training for collaborative governance. The application of this approach to case teaching is demonstrated by repurposing a readily available teaching case.
Administrative Theory & Praxis
... work is also recognized and very influential cur-rently in the field of negotiation and confl... more ... work is also recognized and very influential cur-rently in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution (Kolb, Jensen, & Shannon, 1996 ... Stever's (1986) and Snider's (1998) discussions of the philosophical underpinnings of her work is an example of the dialogue that could ensue ...
... Balancing Existing Commitments and Emerging Needs Heather Getha-Taylor University of Kansas h... more ... Balancing Existing Commitments and Emerging Needs Heather Getha-Taylor University of Kansas hgtaylor@ku.edu ... Personnel Administration 28 (2): 103-19. Getha-Taylor, Heather, Maja Husar Holmes, Willow S. Jacobson, Ricardo S. Morse, and Jessica E. Sowa. 2011. ...
This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the ... more This paper explores the issue of interlocal collaboration in non-metro areas and argues that the concept of community and related "soft skills" that go along with it are critical to understanding how increased collaboration can be encouraged. An action research process piloted in two Iowa counties provides the basis for this study and offers rich qualitative insight into some of
Public Performance & Management Review, 2012
... Public Leadership and Collaboration 6. Developing Public Leaders in an Age of Collaborative G... more ... Public Leadership and Collaboration 6. Developing Public Leaders in an Age of Collaborative Governance Ricardo S. Morse 79 7. From Local Managers to Community ... Designing and Delivering Leadership Programs: Challenges and Prospects Richard F. Callahan 283 16. ...
This paper argues that we go back to the writings of Mary Follett (1868-1933) to inform the pract... more This paper argues that we go back to the writings of Mary Follett (1868-1933) to inform the practice of public participation. Although her political writings are more than eighty years old, they have never been more relevant. Follett provides concrete answers to some of the primary questions of public participation today. Follett's notions of circular response and integration, along with her thesis of neighborhood organization as a vehicle for democratic governance speak directly to the practice of a more authentically democratic public sector. Though inspirational success stories are commonplace, the all-to-often reality is that public participation is fraught with frustration by citizens and public officials. Citizens customarily feel shut out of the governance process. Opportunities for participation are viewed with skepticism as people feel that their participation is not effectual in any meaningful way. Public officials likewise usually approach participation with ambivalen...
Public Performance & Management Review
Many local governments have begun to offer civic education programs. These programs, known as cit... more Many local governments have begun to offer civic education programs. These programs, known as citizens academies, teach residents about the functions of their local government and offer the promise of developing a more informed and ultimately better engaged citizenry. As a clear example of local government investing in civic capacity building, the emergent practice of citizens academies merits closer examination. This article offers a descriptive analysis of citizens academies in the United States and outlines key research questions going forward.
The increased emphasis on collaborative governance across the field of public administration nece... more The increased emphasis on collaborative governance across the field of public administration necessitates a rethinking of what the core competencies of public managers are and how they might be developed. The traditional model of leadership development, focusing on leading within bounded hierarchy and via command-and-control must be moderated with an additional focus on collaborative problem-solving, working in flattened structures, and incentivizing behavior in new ways. This article reviews relevant literature along with the experience of two local government leadership programs to explore content and training approaches needed to prepare local government leaders for collaborative governance. Qualitative and quantitative survey findings indicate that program content should specifically address collaboration competency development. Further, training evaluation strategy should allow for processing and reflection: immediate reaction surveys should be supplemented with a long-term eva...
The forces of globalization are shifting our world, including the public sector, away from hierar... more The forces of globalization are shifting our world, including the public sector, away from hierarchy and command and control toward one of collaboration and networks. The way public leadership is thought about and practiced must be, and is being, transformed. This volume in the Transformational Trends in Governance & Democracy series explores what the shift looks like and also offers guidance on what it should look like. Specifically, the book focuses on the role of "career leaders"--those in public service--who are agents of change not only in their own organizations, but also in their communities and policy domains. These leaders work in network settings, making connections and collaborating to create public value and advance the common good. Featuring the insights of an authoritative group of contributors, the volume offers a mix of scholarship, from philosophical discussions to conceptual models to empirical studies that, taken together, will help inform the transforma...
Administrative Theory & Praxis
While there seems to be widespread agreement in the public administration community on the import... more While there seems to be widespread agreement in the public administration community on the importance of public participation, there is no consensus about what we mean when we use the term. This paper argues that we go back to the writings of Mary Follett (1868-1933) to inform the future of public participation. Although her political writings are now eighty years old, they have never been more relevant. This paper demonstrates how Follett provides concrete answers to some of the primary questions of public participation today. Follett's notions of circular response and integration, along with her thesis of neighborhood organization as a vehicle for democratic governance speak directly to the practice of a more democratic public administration.