Links
Useful Links to the World of Public Management
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The Public Manager has compiled the following links to Web sites sponsored by organizations of interest to practitioners, researchers, and students. Each site is annotated with a brief description of its contents and potential audience.
If you are aware of additional Web sites that might be of interest to your colleagues in the world of public management, please send the address or link to the Publisher
Federal Government Council Web Sites
State and Local Government Related Web Sites
Professional Guidance Web SitesResearch Institutes and Professional Associations Web Sites
Nonprofit Organizations Web Sites
The mother lode of federal Web sites; from here you can search all federal government Web sites for information.
Sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), these Web sites contain information about federal employment. USAJOBS is updated daily with information about employment federal opportunities.
Sponsored by the U.S. General Services Administration, this Web site’s Quick Links are particularly useful and provide access to such varied items as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, and per diem rates.
Thomas is the Library of Congress’s Web site, which allows you to search for Public Laws and legislative history, current legislative action, nominations and treaties, and information about Congress. It also contains a link to the U.S. Code.
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
This National Archives and Records Administration Web site allows you to search the U.S. Code.
This Web site contains circulars, bulletins, and memoranda issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as well as information about and results from the Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART). The PART was developed to assess and improve program performance so that the federal government can achieve better results. A PART review helps identify a program’s strengths and weaknesses to inform funding and management decisions aimed at making the program more effective.
This Web site is a repository for information about The President’s Management Agenda. It describes the initiatives and includes the Executive Branch Management Scorecard, which shows the status and progress rankings for federal departments and agencies.
The Web site of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) contains numerous documents reporting GAO findings.
The Congressional Budget Office’s Web site provides information about the federal budget.
The Graduate School of the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers career-related and continuing education courses to professionals and federal, state, and local employees throughout the country. The school annually enrolls 200,000 students in nearly 1,000 courses, which are available in a variety of subjects and convenient formats.
Federal Government Council Web sites
The Federal Government sponsors several interagency councils that publish information of interest to different communities:
The Chief Financial Officers Council includes information and links of interest to financial managers.
The Chief Information Officers Council includes information and links of interest regarding information technology.
The Web site of the Inspector General community contains information about auditing, evaluation and inspections, and investigations, and contains links to organizations involved in these activities.
The Chief Human Capital Officers Council maintains information of interest to human resources professionals.
The Chief Acquisition Officers Council (formerly the Procurement Executive Council) offers information about procurement activities.
State and Local Government Related Web sites
These Web sites may be of particular interest to practitioners in state and local governments.
The National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and one of Washington, DC's, most respected public policy organizations. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the administration on key federal issues to developing policy reports on innovative state programs and hosting networking seminars for state government executive branch officials. The NGA Center for Best Practices focuses on state innovations and best practices on issues that range from education and health to technology, welfare reform, and the environment. NGA also provides management and technical assistance to both new and incumbent governors.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) was founded in 1975 with the conviction that legislative service is one of democracy's worthiest pursuits. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's fifty states, commonwealths , and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance, and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues.
The Council of State Governments (CSG) provides a network for identifying and sharing ideas with state leaders. CSG builds leadership skills to improve decision making; advocates multi-state problem solving and partnerships; interprets changing national and international conditions to prepare states for the future; and promotes the sovereignty of the states and their role in the American federal system.
The National Association
of State Budget Officers (NASBO), founded in 1945, serves as the professional
organization for all state budget officers of the fifty states and U.S.
territories. NASBO is an independent association, with membership consisting
of the heads of state budget offices, state finance departments, and their
staffs.
www.transportation.org
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
The Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) was organized in 1937 to improve the quality of state tax administration by providing services to state tax authorities and administrators. These services include research and information exchange, training, and intergovernmental and interstate coordination. The federation also represents the interests of state tax administrators before federal policymakers where appropriate.
The Multistate Tax Commission is an organization of state governments that works with taxpayers to administer, equitably and efficiently, tax laws that apply to multistate and multinational enterprises. Created by an interstate compact, the commission encourages tax practices that reduce administrative costs for taxpayers and states alike; develops and recommends uniform laws and regulations that promote proper state taxation of multistate and multinational enterprises; encourages business compliance with state tax laws through education, negotiation, and enforcement; and protects state fiscal authority in Congress and the courts.
The National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) is an organization for state officials who deal with the financial management of state government. NASACT's membership comprises officials who have been elected or appointed to the office of state auditor, state comptroller, or state treasurer in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of individuals and agencies concerned with human services. Our members include all state and many territorial human service agencies, more than 150 local agencies, and several thousand individuals who work in or otherwise have an interest in human service programs.
APHSA educates Members of Congress, the media, and the broader public on what is happening in the states around welfare, child welfare, health care reform, and other issues involving families and the elderly. Affiliate organizations include the following:
- American Association of Food Stamp Directors (AAFSD)
- American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys (AAPWA)
- Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (AAICAMA)
- Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC)
- Information Systems Management (APHSA-ISM)
- National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement (NAPIPM)
- National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA)
- National Association of State Child Care Administrators (NASCCA)
- National Association of State Medicaid Directors (NASMD)
- Center for Workers with Disabilities
- National Association of State TANF Administrators (NASTA)
- National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA).
Funded entirely by The Pew Charitable Trusts as a public service, Stateline.org has published online every weekday except holidays since January 25, 1999. This site, staffed entirely by professional journalists, was envisioned primarily as a resource for newsmen and newswomen who cover state government. Using computer technology as a delivery vehicle, staeline.org arms these news-gatherers with timely tips and research material on state policy innovations and trends, enabling them to make their reporting more informative and useful to consumers. Stateline.org’s intent is to help nourish public debate of important state-level issues such as healthcare, tax and budget policy, the environment, welfare reform, and other issues that in recent years have not gotten the media attention they deserve.
The Web site of Governing magazine contains resources for states and localities. Governing is a monthly magazine whose primary audience is state and local government officials: governors, legislators, mayors, city managers, council members, and other elected, appointed, and career officials. They are the men and women who set policy for and manage the day-to-day operations of cities, counties, and states, as well as such governmental bodies as school boards and special districts.
The Web site of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an organization that focuses on federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
Professional Guidance Web sites
The Web site of the American Association of Certified Public Accountants.
The Web site of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
The Web site of the American Evaluation Association.
www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation
The University of Wisconsin’s Cooperative Extension Service offers useful evaluation guidance and online training.
Research Institutes and Professional Associations Web sites
These Web sites contain information about a variety of topics related to public administration.
The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonpartisan organization chartered by Congress to assist federal, state, and local governments in improving their effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability. For more than 35 years, the academy has met the challenge of cultivating excellence in the management and administration of government agencies.
Since 1939, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) has been the nation's most respected society representing all forums in the public service arena. ASPA advocates for greater effectiveness in government as agents of goodwill and professionalism and publishers of democratic journalism at its very best, and as purveyors of progressive theory and practice and providers of global citizenship. By embracing new ideas and addressing key public service issues, and promoting change at the local and international levels, ASPA hopes to enhance the quality of lives worldwide.
The Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in Charlottesville, Virginia, is the federal government's premier executive development center. FEI was established by presidential order in l968 and is operated by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. The Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA) is the exclusive network of graduates of FEI residential programs. FEIAA enjoys very close cooperative relationships with the FEI and OPM, while maintaining its independence as a nonprofit corporation. Since its founding twenty-eight years ago, FEIAA's main goals have been to support and strengthen FEI, to provide executive development opportunities (such as the Executive Forum) for its members, to promote excellence in the public service, and to represent the views and interests of its members.
Founded in 1973, the Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute, a think tank, whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government conducts studies and special projects to assist government and enhance the capacity of states and localities to meet critical challenges. Through its conferences, research, and publications, the institute works with the best experts and top officials at all levels of government to forge creative solutions to public problems. The work of the Institute focuses on the role of state governments in the American federal system. While many of the Institute's projects are comparative and multistate in nature, the institute maintains a continuing emphasis on assisting New York State and its local governments.
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) for Public Policy Research is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of freedom—limited government, private enterprise, vital cultural and political institutions, and a strong foreign policy and national defense—through scholarly research, open debate, and publications. Founded in 1943 and located in Washington, DC, AEI is one of America's largest think tanks.
The Brookings Institution , one of Washington's oldest think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, and public education with an emphasis on economics, foreign policy, governance, and metropolitan policy.
The Cato Institute was founded in 1977 as a nonprofit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, DC. The institute is named for Cato’s Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution. The Cato Institute seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace. Toward that goal, the institute strives to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in questions of policy and the proper role of government.
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the U. S. Foreign Service. With over 12,000 dues-paying members, AFSA represents 23,000 active and retired Foreign Service employees of the U.S. Department of State and Agency for International Development (AID), as well as smaller groups in the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (FCS), and International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB). AFSA's principal missions are to enhance the effectiveness of the Foreign Service, to protect the professional interests of its members, to ensure the maintenance of high professional standards for career diplomats and political appointees, and to promote understanding of the critical role of the Foreign Service in promoting America's national security and economic prosperity.
Since 1950, the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) has been the educational organization dedicated to the enhancement of public financial management. AGA serves the professional interests of financial managers—from local, state and federal governments, as well as public accounting firms—responsible for effectively using billions of dollars and other monetary resources every day.
The International Personnel Management Association-Human Resources (IPMA-HR) is an organization that represents the interests of over 7,500 human resource professionals at the federal, state, and local levels of government. IPMA-HR members include all levels of public-sector HR professionals; its goal is to provide information and assistance to help HR professionals increase their job performance and overall agency function by providing cost effective products, services, and educational opportunities. IPMA-HR’s federal section is of particular interest to federal managers.
Executive Women in Government (EWG) is a nonprofit professional organization of women employed by the federal government at the Senior Executive Service, GS-15, or equivalent military rank; political appointees requiring confirmation; and elected officials. EWG is incorporated in the District of Columbia.
The Federal Managers Association (FMA) is the largest and oldest federal employee organization representing the interests of the nearly 200,000 managers, supervisors, and executives. FMA advocates excellence in public service through effective management and professionalism, as well as the active representation of its members’ interests and concerns. FMA advances its mission through consultation in the executive branch and advocacy in Congress, professional development programs, and informative publications for networking among its members.
The Federal Physicians
Association was founded in 1979 by a group of physicians concerned with
the worsening situation of the physician in the federal government and
the impact of this situation on the people served by such physicians. The
group’s goals are to improve the health of those served by the federal
civil service physicians; to improve the practice of medicine within the
federal government; and to improve the working conditions and benefits
of federal civil service physicians.
www.actgov.org
This Web site is sponsored jointly by the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) and the American Council for Technology (ACT). IAC is a broadly based organization of information technology (IT) professionals representing private-sector organizations that provide information resources management products and services to government. Member firms include producers of hardware, software publishers, systems integrators, and telecommunications and professional services companies. As a part of ACT, IAC provides a direct link to federal government IT executives. The purpose of the IAC is to enable its member firms to work more effectively in the government marketplace by fostering improved communications and understanding between government and industry. IAC members range from Fortune 500 companies to single practitioners.
The National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys was founded in 1992 by a small number of Assistant United States Attorneys from various judicial districts across the nation. Chartered in the District of Columbia, NAAUSA is a professional association dedicated to promoting, protecting, and serving the common interests of this nation's frontline criminal and civil litigators. Today, NAAUSA has a national membership of more than 1,600 Assistant United States Attorneys. NAAUSA's members are professional men and women of integrity, loyal to the Department of Justice, and dedicated to carrying out its mission of serving the cause of justice.
The National Association of Federal Veterinarians (NAFV) has served federally employed veterinarians for more than 80 years. Formed in 1918 during a meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association in Boston by a small group of veterinarians with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), it has grown to almost 1,300 active members. As an association of supervisors and managers, the NAFV has an official consultative relationship with the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration. It is recognized as the representative organization for veterinarians employed by the federal government.
Since 1921, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees’ (NARFE) mission has remained the same, to protect and improve the retirement benefits of federal retirees, employees, and their families.
The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration is an institutional membership organization that exists to promote excellence in public-service education. The membership includes U.S. university programs in public affairs, public policy, public administration, and nonprofit management.
This
Web site is sponsored by the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) program’s
alumni association. The Presidential Management Alumni Group (PMAG) was
organized in 1981 to advance the professionalism of the public service
and augment the educational and career development of persons who have
served in or assisted the PMI program.
www.promanager.org
The Professional Managers Association, formed in 1981 by Internal Revenue Service managers, is a national membership association representing the interests of professional managers, management officials, and nonbargaining unit employees in the federal government.
The Public Employees Roundtable (PER) at the Council for Excellence in Government is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of organizations representing nearly 2 million public employees working together to better inform citizens about the quality of people in government and the value of the services they provide; encourage excellence and esprit de corps within government; and promote interest in public-service careers.
The Council for Excellence in Government works to improve the performance of government at all levels and government's place in the lives and esteem of American citizens. The council helps to create stronger public-sector leadership and management, driven by innovation and focused on results, and increased citizen confidence and participation in government, through better understanding of government and its role.
The Coalition for Effective Change (CEC) was formed in 1993 as a nonpartisan alliance of associations representing current and retired federal managers, executives, and professionals. CEC provides a channel for these public employees to contribute to the success of reinventing government.
The Senior Executives Association (SEA) is a nonprofit professional association that promotes ethical and dynamic public service by fostering an outstanding career executive corps, advocates the interests of career federal executives (active and retired), and provides information and services to SEA members.
The Partnership for Public Service works to make the government an employer of choice for talented, dedicated Americans through educational outreach, research, legislative advocacy, and hands-on partnerships with agencies on workforce management issues. It seeks to inspire a new generation to serve and to help build a federal workforce that will meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. The partnership’s Web site contains information useful to potential federal job applicants and also to federal managers, policy officials, and others interested in transforming the federal workplace into one characterized by high-performing, committed employees.
Government Executive magazine’s Web site, GovExec.com, is government's business news daily and a useful Web site for federal managers and executives. Government Executive in its print incarnation is a monthly business magazine serving senior executives and managers in the federal government's departments and agencies.
Nonprofit Organizations Web sites
Founded in 1956, the Foundation Center is dedicated to serving grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. The center's mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy by
- collecting, organizing, and communicating information on U.S. philanthropy;
- conducting and facilitating research on trends in the field;
- providing education and training on the grantseeking process; and
- ensuring public access to information and services through its Web site, print, and electronic publications, five library/learning centers, and a national network of Cooperating Collections.
For more than 40 years, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has been the standard-bearer for professionalism in fundraising.
www.wkkf.org/Pubs/Tools/Evaluation/Pub3669.pdf
The Kellogg Foundation’s Web site offers the Logic Model Development Guide for program planning and evaluation. This is a 72-page document.
