By Dr. Stephen Schwalbe
Faculty Member, Public Administration at American Public University
There is a growing misconception within the public administration field regarding citizen involvement in local politics.
Beginning with the 4th edition of their book, The New Public Service (2015), Janet and Robert Denhardt advocate a change in the field of public administration towards administrators helping citizens “meet a shared public interest.” This change is contrary to the idea of running local government like a business, as advocated by the New Public Management (NPM) theory.
‘New Public Management’ Theory Focuses on Citizens as Customers
NPM was developed by UK and Australian academics in the 1980s as part of an effort to make public service more like business by improving its efficiency using private sector management models. The focus of NPM is on citizens as “customers” of local government services.
The Denhardts note that it is more important today for public administrators to work with citizens regarding local public policies. This method is preferable to steering the community in new directions with little to no citizen input.
NPS focuses on the core elements of human behavior, such as dignity, trust, empathy, service and citizenship. It advocates that the ideals of fairness, equity, responsiveness and empowerment are equally as important as efficiency and effectiveness.
Local Governments Becoming Collaborative Efforts for Policy Development
The bottom line is that it appeared government was evolving from a service-delivery role (“steering”) to one where public administrators and citizens collaborate toward policy development (“serving”).
While this sounds ideal, it may not be grounded in reality. To begin, citizens at the local level usually do not have the time to invest in local policies or are not that interested in them.
Consider an analogy: If you need some electrical repair work done at home, you could ask the local hardware store employees to give you guidance on how to fix the problem. However, learning the steps for repair takes time and effort, and you could end up making the problem worse, if not electrocuting yourself.
Also, you could hire a licensed, certified, insured and bonded electrician to do it for you. While this option costs more money, it is quick, efficient and effective.
When it comes to local politics, taxpayers elect (i.e. hire) politicians to take care of social issues in the community. Taxpayers tend to want those politicians to earn their paychecks and take care of business as efficiently and effectively as possible. In most cases, this is what happens.
Citizen Involvement in Civic Affairs Is Low
In July 2014, journalist Mike Maciag wrote an article in Governing magazine about citizen involvement in local government. He based the article on the results of a survey conducted by the National Research Center.
Maciag reported that only 19 percent of Americans contacted their local representative over a 12-month period, while only 22 percent reported attending a city council meeting. As well, it seems that most of the people that attend these meetings are the same ones week to week.
Cheryl Hilvert of the International City/County Management Association notes that residents do not feel compelled to weigh in on public issues, unless the issues negatively affect them.
Online Communication between Citizens and Local Officials Is Mostly One-Way
Finally, local governments are trying hard to reach out to citizens for their inputs, usually through online websites. However, this method of seeking feedback assumes that citizens have a computer and Internet access, they are aware of these websites and they actually use them.
When citizens do exploit local government websites, the communication is mostly one-way. Elected officials tend not to respond to citizen feedback on the Internet.
With so many ways of instant communication and online networks, public officials get plenty of feedback from interested citizens. However, these officials generally do not offer any feedback in return, other than form letters or messages.
The bottom line is that while the Denhardts advocate for a new form of public service, citizens do not seem to be willing partners to this new public service orientation in public administration.
About the Author
Dr. Stephen Schwalbe is an associate professor at American Military University. He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Stephen received a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Auburn University in 2006. His book about military base closures was published in 2009.
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