Archive

Taiwan

I was invited to Taipei for five days to deliver three lectures and take part in a roundtable. I was sponsored by the Research and Development Commission, Taiwan Governance Research Centre, Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University, and the Program of Human Resources Development on Public Sector and Civil Society, National Taipei University. My hosts were charming and made sure there was some time for sightseeing. They provided a guide, no doubt to ensure their ‘investment’ did not get lost. Here I am pictured outside the National Palace Museum.

On the second day, I had two guides - Jose and Yuli. I do not know what I did to prompt such anxiety.

We visited the Beitou Museum and its associated hot springs. With their flowing sulphurous mists, they are a feature of the area - there are some thirty all told.

Berkeley in the Fall

In September, I moved on from a dreary and wet Britain to sunny Berkeley to work with Mark Bevir on our next book The State as Cultural Practice.

I stayed at the Women’s Faculty Club on Campus surrounded by redwood and oak trees listening to the bells of the Sather Bell Tower as I typed. This job has its compensations

Frank Stacey Memorial Lecture

I delivered the Frank Stacey Memorial lecture at the PAC Annual Conference, University of York, on 2 September 2008. My topics was ‘Scenes from the department court’ and a copy of the paper can be found at online publications.

I am shown with Professor Mark Evans, the conference convenor, and Professor Andrew Massey, an officer of the PAC.

APSA Conference, Brisbane

The Australian Political Studies Association Annual Conference was held at the Hilton Hotel, Brisbane on 7-9 July. As well as the the usual plenary and panel sessions, I attended an Executive Committee meeting, a Heads of Department meeting, a three-hour meeting about the future of the Australian Journal of Political Science and, of course the Annual General Meeting at which I presented my Secretary-Treasurer’s report.

Paperback edition

R. A. W. Rhodes, S. Binder and B. Rockman, (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions, Oxford: Oxford University Press, was published in 2006. It has just been reissued in a paperback edition

Citations

50 Most-Frequently Cited Articles in Public Policy and Administration
As of 1 November 2008, my article entitled ‘From Marketization To Diplomacy: it’s the mix that matters’ in Public Policy and Administration 12 (2) 1997: 31-50 was ranked number 2. See: http://ppa.sagepub.com/reports/mfc1.dtl

Political Studies
My article on ‘The New Governance: Governing without Government’ Political Studies (44) 1996: 652-67 was included in the new Political Studies virtual issue because it was third most cited article between 2000 and 2007. It was also in the top 20 most cited articles over the past three years and top 20 most downloads over the past year.My article with Mark Bevir, ‘Prime Ministers, Presidentialism and Westminster Smokescreens’, Political Studies 54 (4):2006: 671-690 is also in the top 20 most cited articles of the past three years and the top 20 most downloads over the past year.

Trip to Brisbane

On 30 April, I gave a talk on understanding governance to 40 Queensland public servants taking Griffith University’s Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis.

Public Administration Revamped

With Issue 1 2008 we aim to raise the profile of Public Administration in Southern and Eastern Europe, North America and Asia. We will move to a a new, larger integrated format so we can publish more articles. In keeping with the changing electronic and research environment we have introduced OnlineEarly and digitised back issues to 1922.

Recently published

R. A. W. Rhodes, Paul ‘t Hart and Mirko Noordegraaf (Eds.), Observing Government Elites (Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan 2007).

The book studies top-level political office-holders, civil servants and public managers. It describes their world through their eyes, focusing on beliefs and everyday practices. It analyses how such practices are embedded in political-administrative traditions; in webs of institutional rules, routines, rituals, and relations. It explores how their beliefs, practices and traditions create meaning in politics, policy making and public service delivery. It reflects critically on how to do this kind of field work; on being up close and personal. By being there, the authors provide unique insights into the everyday life of ministers and senior public servants.

Director stands down

With regret, I stood down as Director of the Research School of Social Sciences with effect from 31 January 2008. I joined my wife in Hobart. Colleagues gave me an excellent send off and a lovely glass sculpture. I keep a fractional appointment in the Political Science Program.

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