Community health workers, elections officers, emergency managers, air traffic controllers, government meteorologists, US federal service photographers, and arts and cultural workers perform critical roles, though rarely receive public attention. Their stories told here help reveal this hidden world to provide a rare view of government service.
Table of Content
List of Illustrations
Introduction: Stories as Knowledge Creation
Staci M. Zavattaro, Jessica E. Sowa, Alexander C. Henderson, and Lauren Hamilton Edwards
SECTION 1: BALANCING ACTS
1. Navigating Between the State and the Community: Stories from Community Health Workers
Gabriela Lotta and Juliana Rocha Miranda
2. Under the Radar: Stories from Government Meteorologists
Kelly A. Stevens
3. Revisiting Librarians as Public Servants
Alicia Schatteman
4. Teachers and Their Monitors: Negotiating Disciplinary Regimes in Pakistan
Moiz Abdul Majid and Sameen A. Mohsin Ali
SECTION 2: LIFE AND DEATH PRESSURE
5. (In)visible and (Mis)understood: The Public Service Work of American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters during Emergencies
Stephanie Dolamore and Geoffrey Whitebread
6. Unseen but Irreplaceable: The Role of Air Traffic Controllers
Sean A. Mc Candless
7. Serving in Silence: The Emergency Manager
Kyle R. Overly
SECTION 3: POSSIBLY MISUNDERSTOOD ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
8. When Silence Is Golden: Stories from an Elections Office
Amanda D. Clark
9. Public Defenders as Constitutional Pariahs, Surrogate Deviants, and Emotional Laborers
Adam Croft
10. New York City Property Tax Assessment: Public Employees Serving in Silence
Michael J. Fouassier
11. Affordable Housing and Homelessness Policy Professionals
Maren B. Trochmann
SECTION 4: UNEXPECTED REALMS OF DEMOCRACY
12. Making in the Invisible Visible: The Photographers and Videographers in Public Service
Maja Husar Holmes
13. Arts and Cultural Management During the Pandemic: Introducing the Observant Servant
Sarah Berry, Dutch Reutter, Judith L. Millesen, and Maren B. Trochmann
14. Inconspicuously Indispensable for India: The Untold Stories of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)
Nandhini Rangarajan, Aroon P. Manoharan, and Bianca Ortiz-Wythe
15. Multiple Mandates, Competing Goals, and the Challenges of Working in Combined Environmental Agencies in the United States
Joy Anna S. Hopper
Conclusion: A Path Forward for the Field
Staci M. Zavattaro, Jessica E. Sowa, Alexander C. Henderson, and Lauren Hamilton Edwards
List of Contributors
Index
About the author
Staci M. Zavattaro is Professor of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida.
Jessica E. Sowa is Professor in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware.
Alexander C. Henderson is Associate Professor in the School of Management at Marist College.
Lauren Hamilton Edwards is Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.