A study was conducted of professional socialization, public service values, and political orientations of the state administrators in Kentucky. A sample of 3,000 Kentucky public managers was mailed a six-page self-administered questionnaire in three waves. A response rate of 49 percent generated 1,467 usable questionnaires. About 69 percent of the…

The diversity and multitude of new public service occupations has encouraged the development of new occupational curricula in community colleges. One such effort involved the development and distribution of two comprehensive curriculum guides for governmental management and instructional associate programs by the California Community Colleges…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how Engestrom's "third generation" activity theory, with its emphasis on developing conceptual tools to understand dialogues, multiple perspectives and networks of interacting activity systems, has informed research into professional learning in multiagency service settings in England.…

Transferring public services and public assets to private ownership is not an entirely new idea. Governments at all levels in the United States have for years contracted out many services. However, under the recently coined label "privatization," such policies now come recommended as a more comprehensive approach to the problems of…

Many studies have pointed out the increasing intellectual sophistication and skill levels government work will require and the resulting need for bright, capable employees to enter the federal service. In this environment, the federal government must ensure that it is in a competitive position to get its fair share of talented graduates.…

This fact sheet reports findings of an investigation of the reported difficulties experienced by federal agencies in retaining career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES). These responses to a mailed questionnaire are highlighted: (1) the most important reasons for leaving are agency-specific (dissatisfaction with top management,…

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IS BEING USED INCREASINGLY TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS OF PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENT. THIS DEVELOPMENT, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, IS MARKED AT BOTH STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS BY COMPETITION BETWEEN UNIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS FOR DOMINANCE IN THE BARGAINING PROCESS ON BEHALF OF TEACHERS. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA) IS…

This report synthesizes the findings from several areas of work undertaken to assess what impact public sector employment has had on both the level and structure of employment. It also examines the impact of the public sector as employer on the labor market from two viewpoints: the level and share of public sector employment and the structure of…

The Civil Service College in San Francisco provides preentry level training, inservice training, and promotional training for public employment. The free classes are open to the general public and cover five curriculum areas: supervision and management, clerical and secretarial, communication, community service, and technical. (MB)

Preliminary results from a large research project on the use of Frisian and Dutch in the official domain in Friesland focuses on language use in contacts between civil servants and customers in service encounters. Language patterns observed include convergence, neutrality, switching, and asymmetry. (CB)

Job sharing is defined as "two people sharing the responsibilities of one full-time position with salary and benefits prorated"; the concept focuses on positions usually offered only as full-time jobs, often in professional and managerial categories. This book presents an overview of current job sharing and permanent part-time employment…

An undergraduate curriculum in public affairs is proposed that is multidisciplinary, rooted in the liberal arts, and that emphasizes development of conceptual, analytical, and interpersonal skills required for public policymaking and implementation. Questions addressed would include such issues as the definitions of public and national interests.…

Most college curricula are matched by professional counterparts in state and federal governments. A program of public service internships can serve the liberal arts by bringing them together. The Albany (New York) Semester Program places students in full-time 15-week internships with state agencies. (MSE)

The annual report on graduate education programs funded under Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Part E, submitted by the Secretary of Education to the Congress, is presented. Because of the transition to the new Department of Education before the 1980 report was due, it was decided to update the 1979 report and submit a…

The study attempted to measure world-of-work values and perceptions at entry and after a period of employment of enrollees in Plan D of the Public Service Careers (PSC) Program, a Federal program designed to bring disadvantaged individuals into Federal employment. A PSC Enrollee Questionnaire, developed from a logical taxonomy of world-of-work…