DialogueThis article takes on the difficult task of trying to ascertain the practicality of discourse as a means toward establishing a more democratic public administration. Of concern are the methods currently used to evaluate the authenticity of such endeavors, particularly Fox and Miller's warrants for discourse, which have something of a reliability problem. This particular work suggests the use of more systematic ways to examine discursive behavior, either in lieu of or in conjunction with the warrants. These are called empirical referents, and are inclusion, self-regulation, and policy outputs. Use of these empirical referents is intended to help provide us with a clearer focus for our discourse about the process of policy implementation and the attainment of tenable results.Within the field of public administration, there is an emerging paradigm that advocates greater responsiveness and multichanneled communication in an effort to create a more effective administration, both for the public it serves and for those who are employed within the government. Wamsley and Wolf (1996) refer to this as a refounding of democratic

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The increased devolution of federal responsibilities to states coupled with lack of programs and income is heightening the need for economic development among Native American tribes. The fastest growing and most profitable investment is reservation casino gambling. However, the inability of many tribes to successfully negotiate gaming 'compacts' with state governments as prescribed by federal law is creating a new dynamic in state politics. Tribal governments are increasingly engaged in interest group behavior, such as narrowing the scope of conflict, and inside and outside lobbying, to try and create favorable policy decisions. Using a case study of two Texas tribes, an analysis of interest group learning is conducted. We conclude that, in order to survive, tribal gaming interest groups must gain access to state political venues instead of relying on the federal government and the courts.

Local communities, facing the dilemma of military base conversions, confront a complex and demanding implementation process. The establishment of discursive formations, proactive involvement with intergovernmental processes, and immediate action on environmental issues are key to successful base conversions. Case studies that emphasize base conversion difficulties are presented to illustrate the three key elements of early base conversion implementation. Recommendations are presented to assist practitioners in resolving local implementation problems.

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