Public administration courses often use the pillars of public administration (e.g., efficiency, effectiveness, equity, economy, accountability, responsiveness) as foundational concepts across our core curriculum. However, our public administration curriculum is alarmingly absent of conversations about emotional labor. Put simply, emotional labor…

This paper aims to analyze the main competences developed by graduates of a professional master's degree in Brazilian public administration. For this purpose, the research developed (i) a theoretical framework to present the main competences for public sector professionals, (ii) a bibliometric analysis with the scientific publications about…

New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain are changing how the public sector serves constituents. Academic programs in public administration and public policy must adapt their coursework to best serve students in an increasingly technology-based world. This qualitative research analyzed 84…

As the world marked the second anniversary of COVID-19 in March, "Build Back Better" had impacted the policy lexicon that played out in real people's lives. But what does it take to implement such policy? In public administration education discourse, developing nations do not receive as much attention in mainstream outlets. The article…

The article tackles the question, how to provide students with a comparative orientation to public administration. We eschew the older tradition of comparing major systems such British parliamentary system or French bureaucratic approaches to organizations' structure. Rather, we seek to understand public administration in countries with different…

Reflection can play a critical role in an educational leader's capacity to sustain and improve their leadership practices. Reflection in the form of writing allows leaders to slow down and carefully attend to their own thinking before facilitating collective thinking and decision-making in those they lead. Though educational leaders are often…

Research has documented that applied projects that are experiential and grounded in the course contents offer effective hands-on experience to students to understand the course materials and apply their learnings in a meaningful way. Experiential learning is particularly relevant to Master of Public Administration Programs (MPA), which are usually…

Mass adoption of advanced information technologies is fueling a need for public servants with the skills to manage data-driven public agencies. Public employees typically acquire data skills through graduate research methods courses, which focus primarily on research design and statistical analysis. What data skills are currently taught, and what…

If the aim of developing public policies is to solve social issues, it is worth asking whether the higher education programs for future public servants are being adapted to the demands of our societies. If we also recognize a relationship between education and political capacity, then it is pertinent to study the development of knowledge, skills,…

This paper reported the findings from 18 qualitative interviews of students across two sections of an elective, standalone ethics course in a Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredited Master's of Public Administration (MPA) program at a northeast university. The findings suggested that a survey of…

Master of Public Administration (MPA) alumni face increasingly diverse and global professional expectations. Public affairs specialists generally go on to manage complex partnerships that involve a wide array of participants. Public administration education ought to do its part to ensure these graduates succeed. In this sense, we offer comparative…

A purpose of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is to translate theory into practical concepts to prepare leaders of the public and nonprofit sectors. The practice continues to employ entrepreneurial activities throughout the world. The academy has researched, written, and published extensively about entrepreneurship to build…

Aspects of public service often involve tasks sometimes considered taboo, including working with grit, grime, blood, guts, grease, and stigmatized populations. Yet scholarship in our field directly incorporating dirty work remains limited yet growing. Importantly, if MPA students are not trained in how to work with and manage public sector…

Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is feelings of inadequacy and inauthenticity in settings where achievement is emphasized and valued. This exploratory study employs a survey to investigate the prevalence and underlying factors of IP among Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at seven US universities with varying institutional characteristics.…

Public administration scholarship of teaching and learning has given little attention to planning curriculum, despite that planning is becoming more relevant to public administrators. This notion of increasing importance can be perceived at all levels of government, but it is most visible at the local level. The purpose of this research is to…