ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the data from a series of four surveys that are designed to track the use of management tools by municipal governments. The findings provide a long-term overview that is rare in the study of public administration. Many studies focus on individual tools of rising importance, but follow-up is rare. The data reported extend a loose time series on municipal management trends based on the findings of three earlier surveys of municipal managers conducted by Fukuhara, Poister and McGowan, and Poister and Streib. Municipal managers were also experimenting enthusiastically with a number of newer approaches, such as financial trend monitoring, strategic planning, and quality circles during the late 1980s. The chapter shows the management tools included in the 1993 survey, arranged by their current level of use.
