Demand versus Supply: Can MPA Programs Satisfy the Need for Professional Management in Local Government?

Abstract

This article addresses concerns expressed by members of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) regarding whether the supply of qualified local government managers will keep pace with the future demand for this occupation. The authors developed several important observations, which are based on decades of experience with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) program focused on local government management, plus strategic planning experience in over 100 local governments. First, it is likely that the impending retirement of the Baby Boom generation of city managers will cause some supply shortages of professional managers in specific geographical regions of the country. Second, increases in the number of professionally managed cities creates the probability that some municipalities, due to their lack of associational attractiveness, may experience difficulty in generating sufficient pools of quality applicants. We suggest that MPA programs continue to nurture communication and relationships with local governments that will lead to specific mutual benefits. For instance, MPA programs benefit from the availability of practitioner speakers and student internships and, in turn, local governments benefit from the creation of a pipeline that provides a continual stream of quality applications.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gerald T. Gabris

Gerald T. Gabris is currently Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University. He has over 25 years of experience working directly with local government as both a researcher and a consultant. His primary focus of research involves organizational change, innovation management, leadership, and compensation systems at the local government level.

Trenton J. Davis

Trenton J. Davis is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Master of Public Administration program at Georgia Southern University. His primary focus of research involves leadership, employee motivation, organizational change, and small group behavior at the local government level.

Kimberly L. Nelson

Kimberly L. Nelson is an Assistant Professor of public administration at Northern Illinois University, where she teaches in the Master of Public Administration Program. She conducts research in the areas of municipal economic development, local government management, and form of government. She has developed the Municipal Structure Dataset, which includes structural characteristics for 95 percent of cities over 10,000 in population.