ICMA provides current and future local government managers and administrators with the skills and knowledge needed to address the ever changing and increasingly complex issues faced by local government. At least since 1964, ICMA has included a case study book in its arsenal of professional development materials. 

We are pleased to announce the release of the newest edition of the case study series: Managing Local Government: Cases in Effectiveness, Second Edition. It presents practical and challenging cases that address the most critical issues of the 21st century, as well as cases that apply to the everyday management of local government organizations. Cases included in this edition vary in complexity and topics, complementing college courses for future city administrators, as well as current managers who want to sharpen their skills in professional development workshops. Managing Local Government: Cases in Effectiveness, Second Edition, includes three or four cases in seven functional areas: leadership, ethics, intergovernmental relations, health and safety, finance, community futures, and essential services. 

This new edition emerged from conversations among members of ICMA’s Graduate Education Committee, and the Local Government Management Education Committee of NASPAA, the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration. Both committees helped develop and solicit case studies for this book. One of the goals of the two committees was to have as many cases co-authored by practitioners and academics in the updated version as possible. 

Local government practitioners and academics collaborated on most of the cases. While often based on actual events or situations, the cases were fictional to create a learning environment where free discussion can occur in the classroom. The cases, then, are part fact and part fiction. Two of the cases, however, are not fictional, taking place within an international context, though no actual actors were identified in these cases. 

This book can supplement ICMA’s Managing Local Government Services and The Effective Local Government Manager, as well as other textbooks on managing local government and municipal organizations. Instructors can select case studies that require specific analytical and judgmental skills needed to address specific topics or cases that describe one or more of the basic skills and practices for effective local government leadership. Many cases include the “tools of the trade,” such as memos, e-mails, news releases and letters, maps, budget documents, and information spreadsheets. In each case, there is background information on the local government setting, description of an emerging issue or challenge, reaching a point where a decision needs to be made, or an action taken. Most cases include a list of actors to help create situations where role-playing or management scenarios can be created, such as staff meetings, council sessions, or community forums. 

Managing Local Government: Cases in Effectiveness, Second Edition can be purchased from the ICMA Bookstore in hard copy or electronically. An instructor’s manual is also available only in electronic format, which includes a follow-up or aftermath for each case with additional discussion questions or class activities. 

Robert Blair, professor emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha, School of Public Administration and Kimberly L. Nelson, professor of public administration and government, School of Government, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill