Globalizing public affairs education: The role of comparative public administration in the MPA classroom

ABSTRACT

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 public administration (CPA) as an effective, multipurpose tool for disassembling public monuments to parochialism and sculpting competent practitioners that reflect our stated desires for a more inclusive orientation. First, we seek to define CPA and consider its relative importance. Next, we assess how CPA is currently taught in Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs within the United States. The focus then shifts to discussing how MPA programs should be teaching CPA and proposes learning outcomes. Finally, we offer tools for attaining these outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Teaching
• Comparative administration
• International
• Global Cultural Competencies
• Learning Outcomes
• Public Administration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew D. Leight

Matthew D. Leight is in his third year as a doctoral student NC State pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Administration. He received BAs in international studies and diversity studies from the University of West Florida, where he also received a MSc in Public Administration. Matthew’s research interests focus on state, local, and community governance, namely the identification of and collaborative efforts to supersede inequitable policies and practices.

Michaela Abbott

Michaela Abbott is a Ph.D. student at NC State University and serves as the editorial assistant of the Journal of Public Affairs Education. She also serves on the board to American Society for Public Administration’s Section for Women in Public Administration. She received her BA in documentary production from Ithaca College and a MPA from the College of Charleston. Her areas of interests include social equity, women and gender studies, and representative bureaucracy.