Abstract
Public administration is at an inflection point as public institutions come under increasing
pressure, the challenges that confront us rapidly intensify, and social movements demand
transformative change. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical public administration
is in addressing many of the world’s challenges, and has placed questions of the role of
the state and how we go about the work of government front and centre (O’Flynn, 2021). What
this means for the field of public administration is profound; not just in terms of the contours
of public administration research and how we engage with practice, but also how and what
we teach. It is especially through teaching and learning that the thinking and action of those in
public service is shaped.1 Some are calling for a new ‘manifesto of government’, arguing government
is ‘broken’ and based on an industrial model and mindset that seeks to manage and
control, rather than access the collective potential to tackle complex challenges (Brown, 2019).
Others make the case that there has been too much focus on developing narrow technical skills
(Anheier, 2018), or on policy analysis rather than implementation (Fukuyama, 2018). Debates
about where the field should go next reflect a broadening and deepening of perspectives: for
example, integrative governance (Carboni et al., 2019), human learning systems (Lowe, 2021),
and humble government (Annala et al., 2020) offer unique perspectives. Aspects of each stress
a move away from rational, dehumanising aspects of traditional (Western) public administration
and new public management, instead stressing aspects such as complexity, hybridity,
problem focus, learning, relationality, and humility. There is an associated call for ‘better’
problem-solving government, rather than government which is bigger or smaller (Noveck,
2021a). The future of the field will demand broader and more diverse sets of skills, knowledge,
and values to serve the public effectively (Dickinson et al., 2018), a trend that should shape
teaching and learning.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | HANDBOOK OF TEACHING PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION |
Editors | Karin A. Bottom |
Place of Publication | Massachusetts |
Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
Pages | 13-25 |
Edition | 1 |
ISBN (Print) | 978 1 80037 569 7 |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |