PADM 700 Discussion Module 6 Reply 1

docx

School

Liberty University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

700

Subject

Management

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by jusabigamer

The sad story of Dennis Jurgens, who died on April 11, 1965, as a casualty of his cruel public service experience, begins on December 6, 1961 (Rhodes, 1996). When his adoptive father, Harold Jurgens, did nothing to stop the physical abuse and torture he was facing from his adopted mother, Lois Jurgens, Dennis felt his pain deep within. Dennis did not have any help either, as all people, including neighbors and even relatives, saw signs of abusive behavior in the family. In the swirl of emotions beneath, the Jurgens family loved God, were seen as well-off members of the middle class, and appeared normal while belonging to the Catholic Church. However, after Dennis perished, the agencies, social workers, and religious leaders were acquainted with the story (Fischer, 2010). However, they did not fail to act to prevent others from choosing the same path. Thus, another near-identical incident was repeated by the adoption of four other children by the same family. This story helps us to understand the real business of public administration governance with its imperviousness and drawbacks that are necessary for public cause solving with the help of cooperative and ethical approaches (Vigoda-Gadot, 2004). The activity or process of governing or ordered rule, those people charged with the duty of governing, and the manner, method, or system by which a particular society is governed (Rhodes, 1996). Through the investigation of the case of Dennis Jurgens, multiple governance principles within the sphere of public administration emerge. The disaster that faced Dennis was not just the result of individual actions but instead the result of systemic deficiencies and societal attitudes that prevailed during the sixties. While the obvious signs of abuse and mistreatment are exhibited, the nonexistent intervention by different actors emphasizes a tremendous lapse in collaborative governance. This was the time when this administration was profoundly affected by social norms and people’s views. A widely held cultural belief that only the most deplorable people could commit such despicable crimes was deeply rooted in the town of White Bear Lake, in which the Jurgens family lived. It was also this shared perception that formed a barrier of sorts for neighbors and relatives who were witnessing the abuse to report it, thus perpetuating the culture of silence and collaboration (Javier et al., 2020). Moreover, most probably, the lack of clear legal stipulations and punishments for child abuse added to this problem. The lack of established rules and regulations resulted in officials interpreting and passing decisions subjectively, which frequently inclined to inaction. Moreover, the familiar relationships of Lois Jurgens and Jerome Zerwas, a police lieutenant in White Bear Lake, made the matter worse since these nepotistic connections are known to hamper the integrity of law enforcement agencies. The limp attitude of governmental institutions implies a common problem of bureaucratic sluggishness and mismanagement. However, even if child services and religious authorities were aware of Dennis's death, they failed

to perform their duties well, allowing the Jurgens to adopt four more children, with the abuse cycle continuing (Amsler, 2016). The case of Dennis Jurgens, unfortunately, brings to the fore the challenging nature of policy formulation and implementation in public administration. It emphasizes the significance of collective governance, open communication, and ethical leadership in dealing with problems and protecting vulnerable people. Integrating these principles into administrative practices and decision-making processes would enable governments to make the pursuit of justice, compassion, and the common good a priority and thereby fulfill the mandate to serve and protect all members of society (Ancarani et al., 2021). References Amsler, L. B. (2016). Collaborative governance: Integrating management, politics, and law. Public Administration Review , 76 (5), 700-711. Ancarani, A., Arcidiacono, F., Mauro, C. D., & Giammanco, M. D. (2021). Promoting work engagement in public administrations: the role of middle managers’ leadership. Public Management Review , 23 (8), 1234-1263. Fischer, K. (2010). A biblical-covenantal perspective on organizational behavior & leadership. Javier, R. A., Owen, E. A., & Maddux, J. A. (2020). Trauma and Its Trajectory in Criminal Behaviors: Case Study Exercise Assignments. Assessing Trauma in Forensic Contexts , 509-646. Rhodes, R. A. W. (1996). The new governance: governing without government. Political studies , 44 (4), 652-667. Vigoda-Gadot, E. (2004). From responsiveness to collaboration: governance, citizens and the next generation of public administration. In Citizenship and management in public administration (pp. 27-54). Edward Elgar Publishing. Reply: Hello Christopher! Thank you for your insightful post this week. The topic you chose to cover is interesting and brings multiple thought provoking theories to mind. My background and current career is in social work so when I was reading through the posts from our peers this week, yours stuck out to me. Dennis’ story is a horrific one, and all too common among our society. Children

before and after Dennis have tragically perished at the hands of their troubled parents. Worse yet, many of those youth had been involved with or at least interviewed by CFS and not removed from the danger of their home. The story of Gabriel Fernandez is an example of a similar story that also ended in a youth dying (Subroyen, 2020, p. 343). A way to apply governance is for officials to ensure that social work departments are held responsible for youth like Dennis dying to the extent of the law (Amsler, 2016). So, bear with me as I bring to the table a different type of problem, also similar to this, and looked down upon just as much. What about the governance of removing children from the home prematurely? The state is often judged for hastily removing youth from the home without being absolutely sure there is abuse or neglect in the home. Unfortunately, the current system the government has in place is flawed and creates a disadvantage for the youth who are in danger, as well as the youth who are wrongly and tragically removed. The lack of a good policy in place is hurting the public (Shafritz & Hyde, 2016, p. 176). This is why there is such a need for governance over elected officials so that we have people in charge who have passion and conviction to change the system for the better. Too many officials are corrupt and greedy with public time and funds (Berkovich, 2015). I truly believe that the type of tenacity it takes for this requires God fearing individual who are willing to seek first the kingdom of God walk in faith through the red tape. Ones’ personal

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

governance can be most important of all in public administration (Fischer, 2010, p. 69). References Amsler, L. B. (2016). Collaborative Governance: integrating management, politics, and law. Public Administration Review , 76 (5), 700–711. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12605 Berkovich, I. (2015). The corrupted industry and the “Wagon-Wheel effect.” Administration & Society , 48 (5), 559–579. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399715607287 Fischer, Kahlib, "A Biblical-Covenantal Perspective on Organizational Behavior & Leadership" (2010). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 523. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/523 Shafritz, J. M., & Hyde, A. C. (2016). Classics of public administration . Cengage Learning. Subroyen, T. (2020). THE GABRIEL FERNANDEZ CASE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF a ‘MANDATED REPORTER’ IN LIGHT OF THE CHILDREN’S ACT. Pretoria Student Law Review , 14 (2) . https://doi.org/10.29053/pslr.v14i2.1836

PADM 700 Discussion Module 6 Reply 1

Related Documents