Citizen, Customer, Partner

With three books and more than fifty articles in print, John Clayton Thomas is known internationally for his research on various aspects of public management and public policy. Much of that research focuses on how citizens connect with their governments and how those connections can be improved – for instance, how citizens interact with governments through the medium of "e-governance" and how citizen input can be incorporated in performance measurement. Dr. Thomas's research has appeared in Public Administration Review, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Administration & Society, Urban Affairs Review, and the Journal of Urban Affairs, among other journals. He also serves as one of three Editors of the American Review of Public Administration, one of the elite journals in public administration.

"Thomas's book makes an important, practice-oriented contribution to the literature on civic engagement, public management, and public policy decisions and implementation. Thomas has offered practitioners and scholars of public policy and administration an opportunity to revisit the current forms and dilemmas of public involvement and provided them with practical, insightful advice to overcome the dilemmas. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the theory and practice of public management and public involvement." -- American Review of Public Administration"The strengths of the book are wide and deep. Thomas provides a solid scholarship base. The book's structure works well for his audience. The cases are excellent. The result allows for practical use by managers in several ways described later in this review. ... Thomas has done a service by revisiting the cacophony of how citizens ask, demand, complain, work together, and shape their governments. He is well placed to continue the analysis and synthesis of public participation and provide guidance for public managers for today's new forms of engagement." -- Public Administration Review"This new book on public engagement's material importance grabs you, and its generic sense of the field-its dailyness, its proximity, whether you are an academic paid to pay attention, or a layperson nursing an opinion about potholes and school district budgets-appeals to multiple audiences. ... This book is a valuable contribution to the political science and public administration literature; the architecture of public engagement right there in a single volume." -- State and Local Government Review

• Acknowledgments Part 1. Introduction 1. Citizen, Customer, Partner, and Public Management 2. The Changing Place of the Public in Public Management Part 2. The Public as Customer 3. Providing Customer Service in Public Service 4. Learning about the Public’s Needs Part 3. The Public as Partner 5. Coproducing Public Services and Public Value 6. Managing for Coproduction Part 4. The Public as Citizen 7. When Is Public Involvement Desirable? 8. Engaging Representative Participation and Reaching Effective Decisions 9. Techniques for Involving the Public in Decision Making Part 5. Conclusions 10. Implications for Public Managers, the Public, and Democracy Appendix. The Design Principles: Guidelines for Working with the Public