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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION EDUCATION.
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Examines he effectiveness of public administration in preparing students for a career.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines the effectiveness of public administration in preparing students for a career. The gap between theory and practice in the discipline of public administration. Identifies areas where public administration education is not effective. Need to focus education on speciific levels of government. Teaching ethical decision-making to enhance ethics & values.
Paper Introduction:
EFFECTIVENESS OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Introduction
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
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The inevitable future? In the contemporary period, utilitarianism and deontology tend tocommand the greatest level of attention in ethical considerations involvingpublic administration. Theenterprise model applied in public administration likely will lead to anincrease in corruption and unethical behavior. Reinventing government, New York:Addison-Wesley Publishing, Inc. Teaching ethics and values inpublic administration education programs: Innovations, strategies, andissues. London: Routledge Publishers. > The need to improve education in ethics and values (Bowman & Menzel, 1998). The revolution in postsecondary education in the late-198 s and early-199 s focused in part on the relationship between academic instruction andprofessional practice in most disciplines. An important proponent of this view, however, concedesthat the values commonly associated with successful private sectorentrepreneurs - egotism, selfishness, waywardness, domination, andopportunism - are not consistent with ethical public administration unlessthey are constrained. Theseissues examined were as follows: > The need to focus public administration education on specific levels of government (Vogelsang-Coombs & Miller, 1999). D. C. The reformvalues 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. Public AdministrationReview, 53(3), 199-217. The second level involvesthe application of theory in practice while public administration educationprograms address only the theory and not actual applications inprofessional practice (McSwite, 2 1). References Beaumont, E. This latter position holds that postsecondary education that focuses onskills development in relation to specific tasks or the ability to applyspecific technologies in an expert manner reduces postsecondary educationto the level of vocational education, as opposed to preparing individualsfor lifelong learning and developing a capacity to grasp and applyinnovations as they develop (Madden & Mitchell, 1993). Unfortunately for the public administrator, thepublic typically does not consider the implications that demands in one ofthese interest areas may have on the ability of the public administrator toperform in one of the other areas. An opposing view is that privatized public management can be ethical(deLeon, 1996). Peters, B. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. In the late-2 th century, Osborne and Gabler (1992) called for a re-invention of government based largely on the privatization of governmentalservices. Improving the Treatment of Ethics and Values in Public Administration Education Pomery (1998) contends that public administration education needs toteach the ambiguities of ethical decision-making to public administrationstudents because the environment within which public administratorsfunction tends toward ambiguity. (1992). Frederickson, H. 498). Teaching ethics andvalues in public administration education programs: Innovations,strategies, and issues. As an example of such conflict, consider the paradox of simultaneouspublic demands for both improved efficiency and responsiveness in thepublic sector, which, at first blush, might not appear to be a conflict ofdemands. The examination found that publicadministration education is remiss in many areas. G. E., & Nalbandian, J. The concept of utilitarianism is appliedin one of two ways: (1) acting to provide the greatest good for thegreatest number of people; or (2) acting to achieve a stated goal, i.e.,"the end justifies the means." Deontology is a system of ethics based on the tenets that (1) a set ofmoral rules exists which humans must follow, and (2) the principlesunderlying these moral rules are unchanging. Three issues identified as important areas where public administrationeducation is not as effective as is desirable in preparing graduates forfuture responsibilities in public administration provided the foci for anexamination of the effectiveness of public administration education. Determinants of graduate research productivity indoctoral programs in public administration. Farmers and ranchers welcomed reductions in federal income taxrates. (2 1). Even within the system of natural law ethics, however,conflicts may arise in decision-making because a theist will conceive humannature and human goals in one way, while a non-theist may conceive of thoseconcepts in a quite different way. Education. It is often difficult, however, to apply utilitarianphilosophy to specific actions, and it is often even more difficult todevelop a consensus of the parties concerned as to the validity of autilitarian evaluation. The first level involves advances intheory not yet to be incorporated into practice. J., Jr.(1999, September). Ethical principlescreate a framework wherein public administrators may anticipate conflictmay in relation to decisions. (1993). (1998). Although his primaryemphasis was on the future structure and focus of the practice of publicadministration, Peters (1996) also noted that public administrationeducation programs generally were not preparing graduates for the demandsof public administration in the future. (1999, September). Public Administration Review, 61(1), 111-115. Public Administration Review, 59(5), 459-464. The agricultural sector, in general, in the late-198 sadvocated less government spending on most domestic programs, and lessbureaucratic interference in the operation of the country's farms andranches. Privatization largely was a return to the unregulated, unethicalpractices of the past. "Self-serving, profit seeking, calculating publicentrepreneurial managers may be able, if successful, to spot opportunitiesand marshal resources to produce innovation but the tradeoff may be adiminished ethical environment" (deLeon, 1996, p. Policy and administration: One more timein the frying pay. Public Administration Review,59(5), 373-382. Another important aspect of effective education for publicadministrators at different levels of government involves accountability.In one sense, accountability, as a concept, does not vary by level ofgovernment. Farmers and ranchers are not alone in demanding efficiency ingovernment, reduced governmental benefits in general, but immediateresponse by public administrators to their own specific demands. Public Administration and Management: An InteractiveJournal, 3(1), 1-6. The effective publicadministrator in contemporary American society, thus, must somehow findways to satisfy both sets of demands. 194). Focusing Public Administration Education on Specific Levels of Government Vogelsang-Coombs and Miller (1999) observed that local-level publicadministrators require special knowledge and leadership skills compatiblewith democratic political systems because of the complicated character ofpublic administration at the local level of government. Utilitarianism is a system of normative ethics in which "good" isdefined as happiness or pleasure. Utilitarianphilosophy attempts to solve this dilemma through the criterion of thegreatest good to the greatest number. Beaumont (2 1) concluded that a fault in public administrationeducation is a tendency to focus on the internal operation of organizationswhile ignoring external criticisms of public management. (1997) The spirit of public administration. In the contemporary period, however, the public tends tointerpret efficiency in government as lower costs and lower taxes, whilepublic tends to evaluate the responsiveness of public organizations interms how well interest group demands are met. (1996, Autumn) Ethics and entrepreneurship. Public administrationeducation needs to address issues of efficiency, responsiveness, andaccountability for public administrators functioning at the various levelsof government. Menzel (1998) notes that public management ethics are rooted in partin the Progressive Reform Movement that swept the United States at thebeginning of the 2 th century. C. Effectiveness of Professional Education in Public Administration Introduction In the Future of Governing: Four Emerging Model, Peters (1996)discussed the future of public administration. This illustration applies primarily topublic administrators at higher levels of government. In Bowman, J., & Menzel, D., Eds. Enhancing the Integration of Theory and Practice in Public Administration Education Brewer, Douglas, Facer, and O'Toole (1999) concluded that, generally,public administration education fails to provide graduate students inpublic administration with the research experiences that lead to thedevelopment of an understanding of theory in the depth to apply theoryappropriately in practice. (1993). Public personnel management.(4th ed.). In contrast, public administrationeducational program teach students to value logic-based thinking whileeschewing ambiguity. Theinterest of the public in public administration in contemporary Americansociety focuses on efficiency, responsiveness, and accountability (Klinger& Nalbandian, 1996). Retrieved from theInternet 2 1-1 -25 at: http://www.kuce.org/pmc/ education.html Madden, C., & Mitchell, V. The University of Kansas offers a program in public administrationeducation named the Competencies-Based Management Development System. She concludedfurther that, because of this fault, public administrators advise on policymatters in the absence of a full understanding of the role of publicmanagement. This typeof public interest creates high stress and frustration levels among thecountry's public administrators. Edwards, R. (1998). Deontology is a difficultethical system to employ because different people may adhere to differentsets of moral rules. c. Developing thegovernance capacity of local elected officials. W., Facer, R. (1996). (1999, May). Such conflicts may arise through theconsideration of a potential action within the context of a single ethicalprinciple, and through the consideration of a potential action withincontext of the complete ethical principle framework. Osborne, D., & Gaebler, T. Prudence in ethical practice in publicadministration. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. An effective public administrator in the contemporary period must,among other things, recognize the significance of public administration incontemporary American society within the context of the way ordinarycitizens in the United States tend to view public organizations. Another significant problem affecting utilitarian evaluation is theidentification of the consequences of an act. (1996). Teaching ethics and values inpublic administration education programs: Innovations, strategies, andissues. Felbinger, C. Introducing ambiguity into ethical decision-making. L., II, & O'Toole, L. > The need to better integrate theory and practice in public administration education (McSwite, 2 1). L., Holzer, M., & White, J. T., III (1998). The ethical system of natural law holds that actionsare ethically correct when they are in accord with the end purpose of humannature and human goals. Felbinger, Holzer, and White (1999) believethat a core knowledge of public administration does exist, but that mostpublic administration education programs do not either require thatstudents master or expose students to a coherent body of knowledge in theirpublic administration studies. McSwite, O. Menzel, D. Considering ambiguity is necessary for ethicaldecision-making. 193). This approach tends to attempt toreduce a philosophical question to a type of accounting exercise. When the rains failed to arrive in the spring and summer of 1988,however, the country's farmers and ranchers were quick to demand financialrelief from the federal government, and were even faster in theircondemnation of federal public administrators for not respondingimmediately to their demands. Bristol,England: University of Bristol. (1998). Brewer, G. In Bowman, J., & Menzel, D., Eds. The contracting-out of public services, especially, is "temptingenvironment for kickbacks and fraud" (Fredrickson, 1997, p. KU Public Management Center. By way of illustration, consider the interaction of such conflictingdemands in relation to the behavior of American farmers and ranchers duringthe summer of 1988. Pomery, J. Conclusion This research examined the effectiveness of public administrationeducation in preparing students to discharge responsibilities in thepractice of public administration. Bowman, J., & Menzel, D., Eds. International Journal of Public Administration, 24(1), 9-19. Thecentral objective of this program is the development of local governmentmanagers at all levels of supervision who possess the core competenciesrequired to develop and maintain a highly efficient and effective publicsector workforce. Most publicadministrators at the local-level of government do not develop thenecessary skills and knowledge because municipal and county governments donot require it and because most public administration educational programsdo not emphasize the development of knowledge and skills targeted at thelocal-level of government (Vogelsang-Coombs & Miller, 1999). The rebellion of ranchers in the Western states over access to publiclands that flared into violence in the summer of 2 , however, alsoinvolved local government public administrators. Edmondson (1998) contended that ethics is largely absentfrom decision-making in public administration practice. (2 1, January). Future of governing: Four emerging models.Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press. An important step in addressing the issue of ethics and values inpublic administration is to enhance the teaching of ethics and values inpublic administration education to assure that public administrators willhave the required understanding of ethical standards. In the discipline of public administration, a gap between theory andpractice does exist on two levels. Professions, standards andcompetence: A survey of continuing education for the professions. It is often difficult toidentify all of the consequences of a specific act, particularly so withrespect to long-term outcomes. In Edwards, R., Sieminski, S., & Zeldin, D. Correcting thesituation, however, will not be a difficult process if there is a will tomake the necessary changes in curricula emphasis. Public scandals and greedy politiciansmotivated the drive for ethical reform in the public service. People typicallyreach decisions based on ethical principles within the context of anethical framework. Proponents of the so-called"new pluralism" emphasize a need for a closer integration of theory,practice, and skills within the educative process (Edwards, 1993). deLeon, L. The University of Kansas also offers publicadministration education programs for public administrators in higherlevels of government - the Certified Public Manager program and the Masterof Public Education program (KU Public Management Center, 2 1). Edmondson, H. Post-Fordism in work andlearning. Thus, the "do good and avoid evil" maxim ofnatural law ethics encompasses the ethical principles of beneficence andmaleficence. Privatization and managerial ethics in theinformation age. Almost all actions, however, result in both good and bad outcomes, aphenomenon that tends to complicate utilitarian evaluations. The major systems of ethics prevalent in contemporarypublic administration environments are utilitarianism, deontology, andnatural law. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. SanFrancisco: Jossey- Bass Publishers. Adult Learners,Education and Training. Utilitarian philosophy is relatively simplein concept. Thedoctorate in public administration: Some unresolved questions andrecommendations. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. Policy StudiesJournal, 24, 496- 514. While few in either academia or the professions advocate a complete de-linking of theory, practice, and skills, many do advocate that the role ofacademia is to provide the theoretical grounding that will permit graduatesto practice in a productive manner throughout a professional career, easilyadjusting to innovations as they are introduced. Vogelsang-Coombs, V., & Miller, M. In quite general terms, utilitarian philosophyevaluates the acceptability of actions in the context of their outcomes.Thus, an evaluation of an outcome - a consequence - as good would confer anevaluation of acceptability on an action, and vice versa. In the early-21st century, private prisons,privatized water, and unregulated electrical power all are drawing thepublic's wrath. (2 1, January). TheUniversity of Kansas public administration education program does attemptto meet the needs of public administrators at all levels of government;however, this situation does not prevail in all public administrationeducation programs at other institutions of higher education. A., Douglas, J. Theory competency for MPA-educatedpractitioners. G. Klinger, D. Frederickson (1997) asserted that the privatization movement willeventually collapse or at a minimum, retreat on the heals of greed andcorruption amid renewed "calls for administrative competence in government"(p. For some, the issue iswhether postsecondary education should be for life or for a particular job. In practice, however, being accountable at one level ofgovernment is not the same at the various levels of government because thedifferences in demands placed on public administrators by constituents andorganizations at the different levels of government.
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