Should Added Incentives be Given to Effective Public Administrators? Suggestions for a Research Agenda

Abstract

There are few public programs which have escaped the vagaries of the economy and concomitant funding priorities. As a result, traditional strategies for public administration appear to be less cogent. A new vision in administrative approach is needed to address the realities of cutbacks. This paper discusses why innovative public administration methods are appropriate to the current and future context. A contingency perspective suggests an improved capability for administering under the prevailing constraints. Next, the process of matching administrative methods with the context is discussed. Fiscal retrenchment is viewed as an opportunity to introduce more substantial incentives for effective public administration. A research agenda is proposed which could clarify the most promising avenues for implementing this concept.