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Understanding Public and Nonprofit Management

Module description

Public and nonprofit organisations are central to delivering policies and public services to citizens. Examples include local governments, the civil service and major charities. This module sets out the intellectual foundation and practices of public and nonprofit management, including their development, how they work as organisations, public and nonprofit leadership, administrative reform, performance accountability, organisational collaboration, civil service appointment, diversity in the workforce, and decentralization of government authorities. This module enables you to understand the theory of leadership and organisations, and how public and nonprofit organisations work in practice

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to familiarize you with public and nonprofit contexts in the UK and other developed countries including the US and Asia. This module provides skills and knowledge to critically analyse contemporary topics in public and nonprofit management such as performance management, citizen engagement and introducing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in management, administrative reforms, and civic engagement. You will have the opportunity to explore a broad set of empirical examples in those topics throughout the module’s content. Through creating an inclusive learning atmosphere, you will be encouraged to actively engage and provide your thoughts with, time allowance to communicate ideas in class. Grasping concepts of public and nonprofit organisations is beneficial for those who are interested in working in the public and nonprofit sectors or private organisations that collaborate with them. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the complexities in public and nonprofit organisations
• 2. Articulate contemporary models and perspectives of subfields related to public and nonprofit management including public values, organisational behaviour, and leadership in public organisations

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Contribute meaningful and critical comments on academic literature in public and nonprofit management
• 4. Apply theoretical concepts in public and nonprofit management to real-world cases and practices

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Deliver complex ideas clearly and concisely through writing
• 6. -Communicate and interact ideas productively with diverse colleagues and audiences

Syllabus plan

While the precise content may vary year by year, this module is expected to cover some or all of the following topics:

• Contemporary challenges and opportunities in public and nonprofit organizations
• Accountability in public and nonprofit organisations including performance management, ethics and anti-corruption, and audit system
• Organisational collaboration with diverse actors: co-production and public-private partnership
• Decentralization in public sectors: adjusting the authorities among parliament, central government, local government, and other types of public organisations

Applying basic empirical research techniques to interpret evidence about organisations and trends in the sector  

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Where a student is referred/deferred for the scheduled individual presentation, they will be asked to write a 500-word assignment in its place, which will constitute 10% of the final mark. The module convenor will give a notice about the topic of the assignment for referred/deferred students.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

The following reading list is the useful background sources for this module. All reading materials will be uploaded to the ELE page, and you do not have to purchase textbooks or articles.

• Rainey, H. 2014. Understanding and managing public organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
• Donald Kettl. 2023. The Politics of the Administrative Process, 9th edition. Washington DC: CQ Press.
• Boris, McKeever & Leydier (2017). Introduction: Roles and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Organizations in a Democracy. In Boris and Steuerle (Eds) Nonprofit and Government: Collaboration and Conflict. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield
• Smith, S. R., & Grønbjerg, K. A. (2006). Scope and theory of government-nonprofit relations. The nonprofit sector: A research handbook, 2, 221-242.
• Sarter, E.K. and Bailey, E.C. eds., 2023. Understanding Public Services: A Contemporary Introduction. Policy Press.
• Rees, J. and Mullins, D. eds., 2016. The third sector delivering public services: developments, innovations and challenges. Policy Press.

Key words search

Public administration; nonprofit organisation; leadership; accountability; organisational collaboration