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Report of the Strategic Directions Taskforce
December, 2014
David Miller, Jered Carr, Barbara McCabe, Paul Posner
The Chair of the section appointed the above individuals to serve as a taskforce to strategically assess the future direction of the section recognizing the evolving nature of government (federal, state, local) and governments relation to the broader society of which government is a part. In reviewing both the section name (Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management) and the mission/description of the section, it is our general finding that neither speaks to the perspectives of emerging scholars and practitioners nor to fundamental and dynamic changes that have occurred in government/goverance since the original name and purpose of the section was established. To capture these changes and to more broadly appeal to the discipline, we present two recommendations that 1) change the name of the section (Appendix 1 is a list of all ASPA sections) and 2) identify a new mission statement to guide the section. To aid the process currently underway to review the bylaws of the section, we also present suggestions on how those bylaws could be modified to implement our recommendations.
Recommendation 1: The name of the section should be changed from Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) to Section on Governance (SOG).
Recommendation 2: The mission of the section should be as follows:
The Section on Governance deals with the dynamic, part collaborative, part competitive environment of governments (national, state, and local) as they deal with public policy problems and issues that require cross-boundary participation in order to be resolved. This participation occurs horizontally and vertically among governments as well as across the governmental, nonprofit, or public sectors. Much of the focus of the section is on the metropolitan region and the networks that formally and informally have been and are being created to address common problems. The section is both theoretical in terms of understanding the complexity of modern metropolitan regions and practitioner-based in terms of providing opportunities for those working in state, local, regional, and nonprofit institutions to better implement collaborative solutions.
The American Society for Public Administration recognizes the development of specialized areas of interest within its membership as important to the advancement of the aims and purposes of the Society. Accordingly, it has granted and approved the following Charter and Bylaws for the Section on Governance. These are subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and to official Society policies governing the creation, evaluation, and termination of sections.
ARTICLE I. Name and Purpose
Section 1. Name: This organization shall be known as the Section on Governance (SOG) of the American Society for Public Administration.
Section 2. Purpose: Within the broad purposes of ASPA, the Section on Governance deals with the dynamic, part collaborative, part competitive environment of governments (national, state, and local) as they deal with public policy problems and issues that require cross-boundary participation in order to be resolved. This participation occurs horizontally and vertically among governments as well as across the governmental, nonprofit, or public sectors. Specifically, the section will:
1. Serve as a national focal point and leader in the analysis of governance issues and the formal and informal networks created to solve common problems.
2. Provide a national forum for activities, publication and research of academicians and practitioners addressing boundary-crossing governance issues and implementing collaborative solutions.
3. Create a national forum for developing an empirically-grounded understanding of the complex modern metropolitan environment, the forces of competition and cooperation within that environment, and the ways in which collaborative responses to common problems can be forged, implemented, and sustained.
Section 3.
This Section is organized for the professional and educational purposes of: exclusively charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now in effect or as may hereafter be amended (“Code”). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such purposes include the following:
(a) Advancing the science, processes, and art of public administration.
(b) Advancing the equality of opportunity of all persons through public administration.
(b) Advancing the equality of opportunity of all persons through public administration.
In furtherance of its exclusively charitable and educational purposes, the Section shall have all general powers of an unincorporated association, together with the power to solicit and accept grants and contributions for such purposes.
ARTICLE II. Activities
Section 1. SOG may undertake the following activities which are not necessarily inclusive or mandatory:
General:
1. Serve as a recognized national and regional focal point and spokesperson for governance related developments in education, training and research.
2. Identify major governance needs, problems, and opportunities inherent in the dynamic, often fragmented metropolitan environment and in the structure of the American federal system.
3. Identify and promote the use of information sources and material which constitute the state of the art theory and practice of collaborative governance.
4. Provide a forum for the exchange of views, information, and research on governance issues.
5. Provide a forum for discussion, research, and documentation of challenges and operations related to governance issues.
6. Serve as a stimulus for enhancing the effectiveness of collaborative governance through the exploration, development, and testing of capacity building models designed to respond to state and local deficiencies and needs.
7. Formulate program/policy positions on governance issues and problems
of national, regional, state, or local interest and concern.
of national, regional, state, or local interest and concern.
8. Encourage and sponsor research on governance and the implementation of collaborative solutions through panels/presentations at ASPA, or related professional association, regional and national conferences.
9. Cooperate with other ASPA organizational units (sections, chapters) on program issues of mutual concern related to the governancesystem.
Training and Development:
1. Develop training packages (papers, reports, manuals, recordings, and video tapes, etc.) integrating advances in the area of cooperative federal, state, and local program and technology development and implementation.
2. Promote the incorporation of governance projects into on-going training and educational programs at universities and at all levels of government and in related professional associations.
3. Sponsor workshops and seminars in cooperation with related ASPA sections on functional issues where collaborative governanceis key to program effectiveness.
Publications:
1. Identify topics which should be included in the literature on intergovernmental coordination, cooperation, and management issues including, but not limited to, conference papers, articles, and books, and promote and encourage the publication of these sources.
2. Promote the publication of the section newsletter, occasional papers, or symposium of PAR or related journals on management capacity building in the context of intergovernmental policy management assistance or program administration and management from an intergovernmental perspective.
Research:
1. Encourage section member research efforts related to both intergovernmental administration and management in the federal system and the theory and practice of metropolitan governance.
2. Explore and develop research projects for funding by private foundations and governmental agencies.
3. Encourage federal, regional, state, and local research on intergovernmental administrative or management needs and interstate and interlocal concerns as well as on the governance of metropolitan regions.
4. Assist in securing public agency funding support for section member research or special projects in the development and/or testing of systems, administrative tools or needs assessments, or development of course or curriculum materials related to the understanding or betterment of the Federal grant-in-aid system or intergovernmental infrastructure supporting the system.
Section 2. Annual Report:
SOG shall prepare and submit a written annual report on its activities to the ASPA National Council at the time of the ASPA National Conference. The report will include information on SOG achievements in program and budget during the previous year and projected activities and budget for the following year.
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Appendix 1 : Current ASPA Sections
Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management 