Effective Implementation in Practice - (Bryson Public and Nonprofit Management) by Jodi Sandfort & Stephanie Moulton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Effective Implementation in Practice: Integrating Public Policy and Management presents an instrumental approach to implementation analysis. By spanningpolicy fields, organizations, and frontline conditions in implementation systems, this book provides a robust foundation for policy makers, public and nonprofit managers and leaders. Detailed case studies enable readers to identify key intervention points, become more strategic, and improve outcomes. The engaging style and specific examples provide a bridge to practice, while diagrams, worksheets, and other tools included in the appendix help managers apply these ideas to team meetings, operational planning, and program assessment and refinement.

Policy and program implementation is fraught with challenges as public and nonprofit leaders juggle organizational missions and stakeholder expectations while managing policy and program impact and effectiveness. Using their own experience in practice, teaching, and research, the authors empower policy and program implementers to recognize their essential roles within the workplace and help them cultivate the analytical and social skills necessary to change.

• Understand how program or policy technology constitutes the core of implementation
• Study a conceptual framework encompassing power dynamics, culture, relationships in the field and the rules that are operating during program and policy implementation
• Discover a multilevel approach that identifies key points of strategic action at various levels and settings of the implementation system and assesses implementation success

The integration of policy and management mindsets gives readers an insightful yet accessible understanding of implementation, allowing them to achieve the potent results desired by the public. For those in senior positions at federal agencies to local staff at nonprofit organizations, Effective Implementation in Practice: Integrating Public Policy and Management provides an invaluable one-stop resource.

From the Back Cover

Praise for EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION in PRACTICE

"Quite simply, this is the best book anyone has yet produced on policy implementation. By giving us a theoretically informed, practice-grounded, well-written and accessible book, the authors have managed the nearly impossible: producing a book extremely useful for the diverse needs of practicing public servants, students, and researchers. The book is a singular achievement that greatly advances our understanding of implementation."
--Barry Bozeman, Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies--School of Public Affairs, Director of the Center for Organization Research and Design, Arizona State University

"Effective Implementation in Practice combines a smart, accessible review and synthesis of diverse literatures bearing on implementation studies with practical ways to engage students and practitioners in thinking constructively about making lasting organizational and policy changes. The literature review alone is a distinctive contribution to the field."
--Michael Lipsky, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Demos

"Effective Implementation in Practice brings an avant-garde approach to the study of policy and program implementation, offering an essential and accessible theoretical framing of critical implementation issues, along with exceptionally rich insights in practice examples. For anyone studying, teaching, or engaged in policy and program implementation, this landmark work is a 'must-read.'"
--Carolyn J. Heinrich, Sid Richardson Professor of Public Affairs and Director of the Center for Health and Social Policy, University of Texas at Austin

"Sandfort and Moulton remind us of the linkage between implementation studies and public management and policy research. This book will be useful to both practitioners and academics who appreciate the art of implementation."
--Beryl A. Radin, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University

"This book is very accessible and yet very well grounded in both classic and contemporary theory and research in both the social sciences and public administration. It provides a master class in how to integrate public policy and management in a way that is useful to students, practitioners, and scholars."
--H. Brinton Milward, Providence Service Corporation Chair, University of Arizona

"Policy implementation is a complex process, yet this very timely and incisive book offers excellent guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars interested in solving public problems and designing effective, responsive policies. This book is especially welcome given the broad interest in accountability and performance management in the public and nonprofit sectors."
--Steven Rathgeb Smith, Executive Director, American Political Science Association

"This book is a must-read for all of us seeking to impact large-scale social change through the effective implementation of policies and programs."
--Allison Metz, Co-Director, National Implementation Research Network, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

About the Author

Jodi Sandfort is Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota and Chair of the school's Leadership & Management program, providing oversight and strategic direction to the Public & Nonprofit Leadership Center and the Center for Integrative leadership. She is the author of numerous academic articles, book chapters, and reports for policymakers and practitioners about nonprofit management, social welfare system design, organizational effectiveness, early childhood education, welfare reform, and research methodology.

Stephanie Moulton is Associate Professor at The Ohio State University's John Glenn School of Public Affairs. Moulton's research, teaching, and service combine policy and management, with a focus on the implementation and evaluation of housing policies and programs, and cross-sector determinants of public outcomes.