Public Administration Education

In the Future of Governing: Four Emerging Model, Peters (1996) discussed the future of public administration. Although his primary emphasis was on the future structure and focus of the practice of public administration, Peters (1996) also noted that public administration education programs generally were not preparing graduates for the demands of public administration in the future.

Three issues identified as important areas where public administration education is not as effective as is desirable in preparing graduates for future responsibilities in public administration provided the foci for an examination of the effectiveness of public administration education. These issues examined were as follows:

The need to focus public administration education on specific levels of government (Vogelsang-Coombs & Miller, 1999).

The need to improve education in ethics and values (Bowman & Menzel, 1998).

The need to better integrate theory and practice in public administration education (McSwite, 2001).

Focusing Public Administration Education on Specific Levels of Government

Vogelsang-Coombs and Miller (1999) observed that local-level public administrators require special knowledge and leadership skills compatible with democratic political systems because of the complicated character of public administration at the local level of government. Most public administrators at the local-level of government do not develop the necessary skills and knowledge because mu

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which public administrators function tends toward ambiguity. In contrast, public administration educational program teach students to value logic-based thinking while eschewing ambiguity. Considering ambiguity is necessary for ethical decision-making. Edmondson (1998) contended that ethics is largely absent from decision-making in public administration practice. Menzel (1998) notes that public management ethics are rooted in part in the Progressive Reform Movement that swept the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Public scandals and greedy politicians motivated the drive for ethical reform in the public service. The reform values became institutionalized in transitions from (a) non-partisan to at-large elections, (b) mayor-council to council-manager forms of government, and (c) patronage driven public employment to civil service systems. In the late-20th century, Osborne and Gabler (1992) called for a re-invention of government based largely on the privatization of governmental services. Privatization largely was a return to the unregulated, unethical practices of the past. In the early-21st century, private prisons, privatized water, and unregulated electrical power all are drawing the public's wrath.

Category: Government - P