Emergent Management Strategies in a Public Agency: A Case Study of Alternative Fuel Vehicles

The ability of public organizations to invest in emerging technologies is dependent upon the degree to which they can effectively manage the risks of being a lead-user in a political environment. However, little is known about the dimensions and implications of the different forms of risk faced by innovative public organizations as well as the strategies employed to manage them. This paper addresses these issues by studying how one public agency implements a program of replacing its transportation fleet with alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).

Terence SimmsEmail:

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Benoy Jacob   is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy in the School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University. His research focuses on local governments and how they generate and sustain fiscal and managerial capacity. Eric W. Welch   is an Associate Professor and Director of the Science, Technology and Environment Policy Lab in the Public Administration Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focuses on technology in public organizations, environmental policy, science and technology policy, and R&D performance evaluation. Terence Simms   is a research consultant for the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the College of Health and Human Services, and the Institute for Global Trade and Research at Governor State University. He is currently a graduate student at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and Public Policy.