Arnold J. Meltsner's Books

Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

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Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

Who advises our policy makers in Washington? What brings these advisors to the federal bureaucracy and keeps them there? And how do their clients and the bureaucratic context influence the choices they make in selecting, defining, and working on problems of public policy? In the late 1960s, professional policy advisors—called policy analysts—began to emerge in the Washington bureaucracy. Their job: to provide information and advice about the consequences of choosing different policies. Arnold J. Meltsner examines the various roles they asumed and the ways in which their priorities and methods were affected by the people they advised and the bureaucratic environment. Drawing on interviews with analysts and using his own experience as a government consultant, Meltsner shows how political and organizational considerations extended the boundaries of the advisor's role in a way that went far beyond the analyst's own notions of what policy analysis was. As the profession began to take shape, there were few standards of external organizations to set expectations for the analyst's work. As advisors on the inside, many policy analysts became adept at writing speeches and memos and making political calculations. In short, they took on the folkways of the bureaucrat. This detailed and vivid account of the experiences of analysts in a government agency is written not only for students of the subject but for all those interested in the general processes of our government. By providing a picture of the roles and behavior of the policy analyst, Meltsner points out the predicaments facing those who try to improve the effectiveness of analytical expertise within the government. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.

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Page Count

322

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520415000

ISBN 13

9780520415003

Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

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Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

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322

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520415000

ISBN 13

9780520415003

The Politics of City Revenue

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

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The Politics of City Revenue

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1971.

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318

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520312716

ISBN 13

9780520312715

Urban Outcomes

Schools, Streets, and Libraries

By: Frank S. Levy,Arnold J. Meltsner,Aaron Wildavsky

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Urban Outcomes

Schools, Streets, and Libraries

By: Frank S. Levy,Arnold J. Meltsner,Aaron Wildavsky

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288

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520315308

ISBN 13

9780520315303

Rules for Rulers

The Politics of Advice

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

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Rules for Rulers

The Politics of Advice

By: Arnold J. Meltsner

In this witty and contemporaneous essay, Arnold J. Meltsner, as a modern-day Machiavelli, offers advice to government and corporate leaders on the human pitfalls of seeking, evaluating, and using advice. Drawing examples mainly from the Oval Office and recent history, he examines the factors that affect decision making and proposes rules to help rulers maintain vigilance over their advisers and remain sensitive to the politics of personal influence and persuasion. Meltsner sees the advisory situation as dramatic, so he uses the metaphor of a play with four key scenes to describe the psychological and social context. Presenting numerous situations that arise during these scenes, Meltsner extrapolates about a half-dozen rules from each scene in this play. Specific, practical advice shapes his commentary: for example, "Keep the inner circle small ... Be careful about revealing your own preferences ... Recognize partial views including your own ... Avoid public protest resignations." In addition to the ruler-adviser relationship, the author discusses secrecy and leaks, the structure within which rulers make decisions, and the various ways of calibrating advice. Using sometimes humorous and sometimes painful examples, Meltsner demonstrates that rulers' reactions to advice are often based on such factors as expertise, trust, prior performance, predilections, and consensus. "Rulers should temper their notion of the loyal adviser as an extension of themselves and not assume that they and their advisers are one." Local and national leaders, military generals, industrial managers, and CEOs rulers of all kinds can surely benefit from this advice. Author note: Arnold J. Meltsner is Professor of Public Policy Emeritus at the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley.

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187

Published Date

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0877226857

ISBN 13

9780877226857

Book's by Arnold J. Meltsner

Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

Policy Analysts in the Bureaucracy

The Politics of City Revenue

The Politics of City Revenue

Urban Outcomes

Urban Outcomes

Rules for Rulers

Rules for Rulers

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