Midterm

Midterm Exam

Instructions

This is a take home exam and there are four questions. Questions in this exam are derived from the weekly lectures and reading materials. Some questions are similar to weekly discussions; however, they are more comprehensive and require longer answers. Exam questions will require you to analyze problems presented and synthesize answers using an integrated view of the reading materials.  Here there are few important points:

1. Each question requires a long essay type answer (single spaced).

2. Each question has sub-questions. Please make sure that you answered all the sub-questions before you submit your final exam.

3. Please use the course materials in your answers and write as detailed as possible. Use APA style when you cite the readings.

Answers will be evaluated based on the criteria below.

a) Knowledge: to what extent answers include accurate and complete knowledge pertaining the subject.

b) Analysis:  to what extent answers make meaningful and accurate analysis of problem presented in a question.

c) Course materials: to what extent answers use the course materials and provides examples from them

d) Argument: to what extent the answers provide compelling arguments (I encourage you to use the analysis and argument framework provided in the Appendix section of our textbook)

This exam is an individual effort; collaboration is not permitted.

Each question has equal weight.

There is no page limit. Please write single spaced and paginate your document.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Questions

1- Fundamental Concepts

1a) What is public management and what is the historical background of the discipline?

1b) What is the relationship between public management and public administration?

1c) Is public management different from private management? Please discuss. 

(Please include Hill & Lynn’s and Hughes’s arguments as well as any other relevant course materials in your answer)

2- The Rule of Law and Accountability

2a) What is the rule of law?

2b) How did the rule of law and accountability develop in the U.S.?

2c) What are the sources of rule of law in the U.S.?

2d) How do the rule of law, accountability, and the structure dimension are related to each other?

2e) How can the rule of law guide a public manager while using managerial discretion? In other words, what should a public manager do for practicing lawful management? (hint: please use Dimock’s guide for finding law on p.46)

3- The Administrative State

3a) What is the administrative state?

3b) What are the structural elements of the administrative state?

3c) What are the enabling and constraining structural elements?

3d) What role do budgets and public personnel systems play in the administrative state?

3e) What are the alternatives to direct government?

3f) What are the criticisms for third-party government?

4- Tools for Public Managers and Putting Everything in a Context

Please read the attach Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum regarding phasing out the use of private prisons. Then read the Washington Post article regarding Attorney General Jeff Session's memo rescinding phasing out the use of private prisons. 

4a) Please analyze the DOJ decision regarding the use of private prisons at the federal level.  Start your analysis by discussing whether criminal justice services and specifically prisons are inherently governmental activities. 

4b) Then analyze the contractual relationship between the federal government and private prisons by using one of the theories discussed in week 7 (e.g. principal agent theory, transaction cost theory). Does using private prisons make sense from one of these theoretical perspectives? If yes, why? If no, why not? Please explain. 

4c-1) Finally, analyze the use of private prisons from accountability perspective. How can private prisons be held accountable in this contractual relationship?

4c-2) What are the challenges facing the DOJ, inmates, and the private companies in the use of private prisons? Please use one of the accountability frameworks (e.g. Romzek and Dubnick's framework) while analyzing the case. Although not required, feel free to do additional research when answering this question.

When answering question 4, please do not forget to define the theories and concepts you use. For example, if you would like to discuss DOJ decision from principal-agent perspective, please explain what principal-agent theory is in detail. Then discuss whether the DOJ decision make sense from the principal – agent theory perspective. If yes, why? If no, why not?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. What really matters is your ability to use the knowledge you learned in this course to analyze the DOJ decision.

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