ABSTRACT Governments in advanced democracies often implement self‐binding mechanisms like regulatory offsetting schemes to counteract short‐term political incentives. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Germany's offsetting scheme by analyzing over 3000 legal acts for restrictive clauses and passages related to replacing or repealing existing regulations. Despite Germany being a “least likely” case for failure, our analysis indicates that the scheme has not reduced regulatory burdens. These findings suggest that self‐binding measures struggle to override political incentives for rule production, especially with inadequate monitoring. We contribute to the literature by systematically assessing governmental self‐binding effectiveness, introducing a novel methodological approach based on large language models, and employing a robust difference‐in‐differences design to estimate counterfactual effects. Our study highlights the challenges of implementing effective self‐binding mechanisms in democratic governance.

ABSTRACT Bethpage State Park's Black Course offers a rare historical case of administrative capacity emerging under conditions of uncertainty, fiscal constraint, and urgent public purpose during the Great Depression. Built with relief labor and without the benefit of fully developed public administration or budgeting doctrines, the project required administrators to invent workable practices as construction unfolded. Drawing on extensive archival records, this article reconstructs Bethpage as a historical case of administrative capacity emerging through practice rather than formal design. The analysis identifies four interrelated mechanisms through which capacity developed: alignment of ambition and necessity, coordination through routine budgeting and reporting, discipline embedded in oversight, and endurance through institutional memory. Together, these mechanisms show how effective governance can arise from improvisation, constraint, and learning under pressure. The case demonstrates that administrative discipline and creativity need not be opposites and offers practical insights for contemporary public managers facing complex, uncertain, and time‐sensitive challenges.

ABSTRACT Innovation is desirable for the public sector. Yet understanding what and how some innovation projects survive and thrive in a competitive landscape—or public sector innovation—is often challenging. The challenges not only rest in the invisibility of the features of an innovation to human eyes but also in the lack of their accessibility for analysis. This study showcases a methodological framework using a generative pre‐trained transformer (GPT) for scale development and synthetic data generation to measure, predict, retrodict, and calibrate innovation outcomes using real‐world and synthetic data and a human‐in‐the‐loop process. This study demonstrates the epistemic gains of the framework in predicting and manipulating competitive texts to simulate the past, present, and possibly the future. The approach offers avenues for future research on a wide range of competitive phenomena using large‐scale text analysis across the social sciences.

ABSTRACT This study examines the interplay between digital modernization and transformation in the public sector, challenging the notion that they are mutually exclusive strategies. Through interviews with public sector leaders, we find that modernization and transformation can be jointly implemented rather than managed as competing efforts. Thus, we highlight hybrid strategies that integrate both approaches, allowing public organizations to balance operational stability with innovation in their overall digital evolution. Our findings offer practical insights for practitioners seeking to align system structures, methodologies, and procurement strategies with the realities of digital change. For scholars, this article lays the groundwork for future research on how modernization and transformation can co‐evolve in public administration, thus challenging existing dichotomies and opening new avenues for investigation.

The recent third edition of Performance and Innovation in the Public Sector is an especially thoughtful resource that will empower public servants to deliver on their government's promises. It is relevant—indeed necessary—as a guide for policy makers and implementers at all levels of governance, in all functional areas, and in all political systems globally. Many books address public management from the latest perspectives such as strategic management, innovation, human resources, or any number of acronyms. Berman and Hijal-Moghrabi, however, are to be commended for producing a tour de force of practice that integrates theory and application across decades of research. In essence, they have constructed a brief, readable compendium that underscores results rather than just process, an emphasis too often missing in the broad literature on public administration. This is a book upon which thoughtful executives can build successful programs that are salient to all stakeholders. Performance and Innovation distinguishes itself from other volumes in pedagogical approaches that facilitate learning not only in the context of credit-bearing coursework, but in continuous education that is the responsibility of every public official, elected or appointed, and for whom this volume should be at hand. Most relevant are application exercises at the conclusion of each chapter, or topic. Each set of exercises directs readers to identify, list, explain, address, formulate, research, or reflect upon necessary questions and tasks, all in the ultimate pursuit of results that have been promised to citizens. Just as important, in terms of mastering the knowledge base presented herein, are the graphic synopses (or conceptual maps) that the authors have distilled from the literature. Dozens of lists, diagrams and figures allow readers to “cut to the quick.” Each is a visual guide to implementing productive changes within organizations that may be too encumbered by accumulated rules and regulations, and of course entrenched cultures. Although the authors are careful to differentiate the expectations of public organizations from their private sector counterparts, they also include a chapter on public-private partnerships as a thoughtful discussion of viable win-win alliances that, if carefully implemented, would not weaken public trust. A chapter on innovations is another often overlooked set of assets that can strengthen the capacities of all governments to deliver results. Performance and Innovation is clearly written, well organized, and should be considered as a valuable complement to a wide range of courses in public policy and administration. Imaginative organizational leaders might well consider bulk purchases of this volume for their top-to-middle management workforce. Individual administrators should purchase it at their own expense, as it could well be their best career investment.

ABSTRACT This article maps and discusses the state of public administration education in the Czech Republic. The main method is the multiple case study, covering three topics. The first case enhances information about the scope and scale of public administration in the country. The data suggest that, especially at public schools, the number of students is continuously falling, and public administration did not develop as a specific discipline. The second case focuses on scientific output and internationalization of public administration education, and the last one on the impact of public administration programs on the public sector and national policies. We can observe a gradual convergence toward Western PA standards, which, however, lags behind economic and social developments. The main causes of this lock‐in in the past are the legacy of economic transformation, a demand‐driven approach, inappropriate funding of science, the accreditation system, and the influence of professional organizations.

The author declares no conflicts of interest.