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This article takes up the current promise of computer‐aided social networks as mechanisms for sharing in experiences. The author examines social networks phenomenologically, not merely as a tool for providing information and shaping what we think but as a social construct for what can be shared, how we think, and what can be known. The analysis identifies a connection between social networks and artificial intelligence systems, while also suggesting that significant experiential gaps built into the systems can lead to distortions in the ontology of shared experiences. The author argues, by applying concepts from Kant, Arendt, Schutz, and Heidegger, that computerized social networks offer an unparalleled opportunity for public administrators to discover and learn about social conditions, but these networks are not without significant limitations. An appreciation for the limits to sharing implicit in computerized social networks and artificial intelligence systems can be made explicit by applying concepts from phenomenology. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article takes up the current promise of computer-aided social networks as mechanisms for sharing in experiences. The author examines social networks phenomenologically, not merely as a tool for providing information and shaping what we think but as a social construct for what can be shared, how we think, and what can be known. The analysis identifies a connection between social networks and artificial intelligence systems, while also suggesting that significant experiential gaps built into the systems can lead to distortions in the ontology of shared experiences. The author argues, by applying concepts from Kant, Arendt, Schutz, and Heidegger, that computerized social networks offer an unparalleled opportunity for public administrators to discover and learn about social conditions, but these networks are not without significant limitations. An appreciation for the limits to sharing implicit in computerized social networks and artificial intelligence systems can be made explicit by applying concepts from phenomenology. . [Copyright John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.]

Working through a lens of administrative governance, hermeneutics, and boundary spanning, we spent 18 months studying the Ohio Children's Trust Fund (OCTF) as it began its transition from a county to a regional funding model. Using observations and interviews of regional directors and administrative teams, we were interested in learning more about the role of boundary spanning and hermeneutics during the transition process. In other words, attempting to answer the question on what makes boundary spanning work at the level of the boundary spanner? The case study research produced four primary findings: (a) state and regional administrators desired a transitional approach that meant dispersing and distributing power and decisions to regional leaders; (b) political, time, and budget constraints worked against these desires; (c) boundary spanning efforts failed to produce a resource network; and (d) seeking understanding between the macro deterministic goals of the state to the micro regional and local needs produced an exercise in philosophical hermeneutics—particularly at the boundaries of the region and the state, as actors interpreted what they saw, read, and thought. We concluded that public administrators might better cope with the uncertainties associated with program transitions by more fully developing a hermeneutic mind-set for exploratory bias over confirmatory bias when engaging in boundary spanning and forming collaborative networks.

This article explores the different understandings of intentionality as applied to the San Francisco cable car transportation employees. We argue that part of doing work requires a person to act and choose, meaning foreclosing on some possibilities while attending to others as an intentional expression of freedom. We draw a parallel between cable car operators and public administrators and suggest that each has to do more than just learn a set of skills traditionally depicted as knowledge acquisition. They must also become skillful by developing a feel for the work and a greater appreciation for the meaning of their craft.

Successfully guiding the transition of space within shrinking cities presents a challenge to public administrators, urban designers, and planners faced with developing policies and practices to cope with declining conditions. This project examines a particular site, "The Flats," the waterfront area of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, and asks how assumptions about desirable uses have shifted over time. Henry Lefebvre's notion of "trial by space" is adapted to create a heuristic tool for highlighting the implications of alternative land uses along two axes: domination and appropriation. Historic postcards, interviews with administrators, and recent planning documents for the Flats are analyzed to highlight values embedded in past spatial practices and proposed land uses. Finally, we suggest that the trial by space model is applicable beyond shrinking cities and can operate as a tool with which not only scholars but also policy makers, administrators, politicians, planners, and citizens can assess the implications of administrative plans and land use proposals.