Paradigm Shift in Public Administration: Implications for Teaching in Professional Training Programs

Statement of the problem. Improving the education system in Russia objectively acts as an essential part of the social policy of the state, as it influences the level and nature of social and personal life of each person, the formation of his/her conscious civic position and the formation of civil society as a whole. To date, the literature partially presents new experience in public administration of education and social partnership with the participation of education at the regional, municipal and secondary school levels. The main problems associated with the transition to public administration, in our opinion, are that there is a gap between the old institutional structure of the education system and new attempts to change educational institutions. The purpose of the article. The article is devoted to clarification of the nature of state and public administration in modern education in the context of the global goals enunciated in the “Forecast of long-term socio-economic development of the Russian Federation for the period till 2030” and indicators of the national project “Education” to find the means to improve administrative competence of heads of educational organizations in the field of public administration taking into account the requirements of the professional standard “PEDAGOG”. Research methodology. The research methodology is based on competence and system-activity approaches, the theory of public administration, the theory of social interaction and methods of scientific and pedagogical research: analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization, and modeling. The article analyzes, systematizes and summarizes the Russian and foreign experience of public administration, identifies deficiencies in the training of heads of educational institutions for the implementation of public administration taking into account the requirements of professional standards. Theoretical and practice-oriented bases are defined for development of further professional programs (professional development and professional retraining) in KSPU named after V.P. Astafiev. Research results. Further professional programs are developed and tested for professional development of heads of educational organizations on state and public management implementation. Development of state and public cooperation on the basis of the secondary school system is to design, organize and develop the necessary institutions and forms of activity inside and outside the secondary school, in the selection of procedures for their successful functioning and development. The purpose of the further professional program “State and public management of preschool and general education organizations under transition to the Federal Education Standard and introduction of professional standards” is for students (i.e. management and teaching staff) to obtain competencies that ensure effective organization and activities of state and public administration to improve conditions for education and upbringing. Conclusion. Analyzing the results on assessment of further professional training programs for the heads of educational organizations on implementation of state and public administration, the authors come to the conclusion that their use in practice makes it possible to initiate and organize the management of an educational organization with participation of society, parents community, that provides openness, humanistic orientation, interested interaction and dialogue among the actors of the social and educational space.

As the scale and frequency of disasters continues to intensify, public administration programs in both China and the United States are increasingly acknowledging the importance of integrating emergency management into public administration education. After briefly reviewing and comparing their respective emergency management systems, this study describes the development of emergency management in the field of public administration in both countries. Using data collected from multiple sources, this study provides a synopsis of emergency management education within public administration programs in China and compares its progress, development, and challenges with the American emergency management programs. While the development of emergency management education is driven by practical needs and national initiatives, in China it remains in its development stage.

Over the past decades there has been a remarkable paradigm shift in Public Administration. Traditional Public Administration was in dire need for a change of a New Public Administration (NPA) approach in the 1980s. From early 2000s, the NPA began to be subjected to heavy criticism, which influenced public administration to take complete control of different reforms and approaches regardless of their diversity, complexity, hybrid and contradictory situations rather than offering the perfect approach and reform to the public sector. The New Public Management (NPM) and Post-New Public Management (Post-NPM) paradigms emerged in times whereby the NPA was already experiencing a massive deconstruction and reconfiguration of the public sector management. To scan and understand the remarkable paradigm shift in the field and practice of public administration, this study applies both NPM and Post-NMP to examine different views, principles, values and norms, and reform proposals for South African Public Administration. Methodologically, this study used qualitative research methods with the aid of secondary data to evaluate both the NPM and post-NPM paradigms, criticisms, arguments, challenges, and changes in public policy implementations. Recommendations are provided based on the existing challenges confronting the current public administration in South Africa. This study contributes to literature, new policy proposals and research within public administration.

The research focuses on the social relations in the field of digital public administration, namely possibilities of applying in public administration of blockchain. The main purpose of this research is to identify streams of regulatory reform of public administration in order to create legal conditions for the blockchain technology application by State authorities. The study was based on the foreign and Russian authors’ researches in the field of public administration, as well as strategic legal acts. The main obstacle to introduce blockchain in public administration is the contradiction between vertical structure of administration and the decentralized nature of blockchain. The article describes the similarities between blockchain and new public management, defines the types of public functions in which blockchain can be most effective. The conclusions made in the literature regarding the preference for closed blockchains by the State, which allow to maintain control over the transactions carried out, are projected by the method of analogy to the field of legal regulation of public administration. The expansion of the results obtained in the public administration science into the legal sphere has revealed specific problems that require updated legal regulation in connection with blockchain within the framework of the public administration laws. Integrated legal regulation will affect both the composition and procedure of public functions and the institutional framework of public administration. Resolving disputes needs special attention. The task is complicated by the absence of systemic regulation concerning public administration process in Russia. As a result of the research, key directions of regulatory reform in the public administration field, allowing the use of blockchain technology, proposals for improvement of legislation have been identified. Some recommendations can be used in the course of regulatory correction within the framework of the national project «Digital Economy.»

The literatures on public management and on the characteristics of policy instruments have developed independently. The two literatures should, however, be related, given that instruments are rarely capable of being effective in implementing policy without adequate management. Further, public management should be understood in the context of achieving policy goals and hence of a relationship to policy. This article makes a preliminary linkage of those two approaches to policy and administration. It demonstrates that each approach helps to illuminate the other and also helps to understand contemporary reforms in the public sector.

Our current IT innovations will alter the way government agencies operate. The relationship between public administration education and new forms of governance, such as e-government, is thus something to consider. Public administration education must be updated to reflect the structure of future governments. The paper discusses a number of key topics that are connected to the topic. Evolving aspects start to appear in public management in this century of information and information technology. Also, numerous books analyse the needed change in public administration. And finally, the curricula used nowadays for public administration education will have take into account these new evolutions. And third, these new developments will need to be accounted for in the curricula utilized today for public administration education. To ensure the connection between government and public administration education, the current curriculum must undergo at least a few major adjustments as a result of the evolving aspects of public management in the information society. Current curriculum urgently need to be updated to meet the needs of emerging concerns, and decision-makers need to learn more about government in order to make the necessary changes to the way the government operates. Medical crisis managed to the best of the abilities for an issue unprecedented as magnitude and economic and social impact - economic and administrative system has been saved by digital tools and platforms. A non representative sample was used in order to analyse the behaviour of more than 55 public institutions. The aim was to identify common patterns in approaching challences induced by the citizens expectations in relation with public system. Additionally, there is need for improvement in how public decision-makers view and relate to IT tools. As long as professionals and academics analyze and pinpoint a route for these developing issues in the public administration education, these goals can be achieved.

Public administration education in CEE countries: Institutionalization of a discipline

The monograph Human Resource Management in Public Administration examines the management of employees within public administration as an institutionally structured system, starting from the assumption that the professionalism and functionality of administrative institutions largely depend on the organization and functioning of key employee management processes. Particular attention is given to the normative and organizational conditions shaping human resource management in contemporary public administration, with due consideration of the specific characteristics of transitional administrative systems. The study addresses the theoretical foundations of public administration and the dominant models of its development, including the bureaucratic model, New Public Management, and the concept of good governance, as a basis for understanding the institutional framework within which managerial practices are formed. In this context, the development of the human resource management concept in public administration is examined, with a clear distinction between its administrative, operational, and strategic roles. A significant part of the monograph is devoted to the key processes of human resource management in public administration, including job analysis, human resource planning, recruitment, and employee selection. The analysis also covers phenomena that undermine administrative professionalism, such as politicization of recruitment, nepotism, and discrimination, as well as their implications for legality, efficiency, and public trust in administrative institutions. Employee development, performance management and appraisal, together with reward and motivation systems, are examined in terms of strengthening professionalism and accountability in public administration. The analysis of these areas highlights the limitations of existing practices, while also identifying opportunities for improving managerial approaches through clearer criteria, competency development, and the strengthening of a responsible organizational culture. The monograph is intended for students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of public administration, as well as for decision-makers involved in the reform and modernization of administrative systems.

Research in Public Administration and Public Management has distinctive features that influence the choices and application of research methods. The standard methodologies for researching from the social sciences can be difficult to follow in the complex world of the public sector. In a dynamic political context, the focus lies on solving societal problems whilst also using methodological principles to do scientifically sound research. The second edition of Research Methods in Public Administration and Public Management represents a comprehensive guide to undertaking and using research in Public Management and Administration. It is succinct but covers a wide variety of research strategies, including action research, experiments, case studies, desk research, systematic literature reviews and more. It pays attention to issues of design, sampling, research ethics and data management. This textbook does explain the role of theory, but also offers many international examples and practical exercises. It takes the reader through the journey of research, starting with the problem definition, choice of theory, research design options and tools to achieve impactful research. New and revised material includes, but is not limited to: A closer look at popular methods like the experiment and the systematic literature review; A deeper examination of research ethics and data management; New examples from a wide range of countries; Updated ‘Further Reading’ material and additional useful websites. This exciting new edition will be core reading for students at all levels as well as practitioners who are carrying out research on Public Management and Administration.

Research in public administration and public management has distinctive features that influence the choices and application of research methods. Periods of change and upheaval in the public sector provide ample opportunities and cases for research, but the standard methodologies for researching in the social sciences can be difficult to follow in the complex world of the public sector. In a dynamic political environment, the focus lies on solving social problems whilst also using methodological principles needed for doing scientifically sound research. Research Methods in Public Administration and Public Management represents a comprehensive guide to doing and using research in public management and administration. It is impressively succinct but covering a wide variety of research strategies including among others: action research, hypotheses, sampling, case selection, questionnaires, interviewing, desk research, prescription and research ethics. This textbook does not bog the nascent researcher down in the theory but does provide numerous international examples and practical exercises to illuminate the research journey. Sandra Van Thiel guides us through the theory, operationalization and research design process before explaining the tools required to carry-out impactful research. This concise textbook will be core reading for those studying research methods and/or carrying out research on public management and administration.

The purpose of doctoral education and research in public administration might seem almost self-evident. If public administration were thought of like most other social science disciplines, the traditional purpose of the doctorate - the development and dissemination of knowledge relevant to the field and preparation of the professoriate - would hold for public administration as well. Most academics in public administration may continue to think of the doctorate in our field in precisely that way. However, the evidence simply does not support this view. Indeed, the public administration doctorate appears to advance knowledge and theory development in the field only to a rather limited degree. Doctoral education and research is one aspect of the larger debate in public administration concerning the status and nature of research in the field, and more broadly, the question of knowledge and theory development in public administration. A number of studies in recent years have focused on the research issue (White and Adams, 1994); some of these have discussed doctoral research (Adams and White, 1994; Cleary, 1992; McCurdy and Cleary, 1984; Stallings, 1986; and White, 1986b), and some have examined the kinds of research manifested in journal publications (Houston and Delevan, 1990; Perry and Kraemer, 1986; Stallings and Ferris, 1988). Another group of studies has addressed the broader philosophical issues related to the generation of knowledge and the development of theory in the field (Adams, 1992; Balfour and Mesaros, 1994; Box, 1992; Hummel, 1991; and White, 1986a). We examine the publication records of the 1981 through 1987 classes of public administration doctorate recipients and assess their contribution to knowledge and theory development in the field, as measured by publication in refereed journals. These findings are compared with other data on publication rates of public administration doctorate recipients, and then, we take a closer look at the class of 1987. These data on publications are contemplated in light of the research on the quality of dissertation scholarship. Taken together, evidence from these two streams of research renders the traditional view of doctoral education and research untenable for public administration and also shows that doctoral education and research appear not to be making significant contributions to knowledge and theory development in the field, at least as measured by publication in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. Finally, we offer some suggestions for improving the condition of the public administration doctorate. However, we are unable to paint an optimistic portrait of what appears to be a doctorate with multiple, and possibly conflicting, purposes. Recent Research on the Doctorate Published assessments of doctoral education and research in public administration in the 1980s and 1990s have raised serious questions for those who hold that the doctorate should advance knowledge and theory in the field. In 1984, McCurdy and Cleary examined public administration dissertations and found that the majority lacked a central focus on the field, addressed relatively unimportant questions, and failed to meet the standards of mainstream social science research. White (1986b) agreed with them in a replication of their research. He also found that much of the nonmainstream research lacked methodological rigor according to the standards of interpretive or critical research. Stallings (1986) has also raised several significant questions about the scope and role of the doctorate in our field. In the 1990s, Cleary's research concluded that the quality of dissertations had improved somewhat (Cleary [1992] replicated his previous research with McCurdy). Unfortunately, the amount of improvement has been modest at best (Adams and White [1994] replicated White's earlier research). Indeed, the majority of the dissertations studied lacked a theoretical framework, were methodologically unsound, and tended to address questions of moderate to low interest to the field. …

Courses in public personnel administration form an important part of the public administration curriculum. However, public administration education has come under substantial criticism for not adequately preparing professionals for careers in the public service. This article describes some key characteristics of education for the professions and uses these characteristics as criteria to assess the course syllabi for nearly forty public personnel administration courses. After finding that the vast majority of these courses appear to lack the requirements for courses in professional education, the article presents some suggestions that instructors of public personnel administration might wish to incorporate in the design and delivery of their efforts.

Since its inception, the discipline of public administration has been challenged by its dual mission of educating both practitioner and academician (Golembiewski, 1977; Denhardt, 2001). Normative issues such as ethical behavior, social equity, and the impact of diversity on public institutions and policies are matters that conjoin public administration scholarship and practice. However, these subjects are not standard in the public administration education curriculum. Ethics and social equity have received intermittent attention in the professional journals and in the curriculum offerings of schools associated with the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA; Bowman, 1990; Lee and Paddock, 1992; Gooden and Myers, 2004). This study explores the question of whether the issue of diversity has received similar attention in public administration education. After reviewing the curricula at 50 NASPAA accredited-schools, this study concludes that teaching diversity in the public administration/public affairs curriculum is not, in fact, overlooked. However, our finding that the topic of diversity is relatively neglected in the published scholarship indicates a need for public affairs education programs to support such scholarship.

Based on a generous future bequest by the 2013 APSA Gaus Lecturer Beryl A. Radin, APSA announced the creation of the APSA Pracademic Program supported by the Beryl Radin Fund. Professor Radin described herself as a “pracademic” because she has moved back and forth between the world of the practitioner and that of the academic. Beryl A. Radin's government service included an assignment as a special advisor to the assistant secretary for management and budget of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as well as other experiences in the Office of Management and Budget and HHS. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, editor of the book series “Public Management and Change” at Georgetown University Press, past president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, former head of the APSA public administration section, and has held faculty positions at the University of Southern California, the University of Albany, and American and Georgetown universities. As the title suggests, this will be a fellowship aimed at providing APSA member academics in the fields of public policy and public administration with practical, hands-on experience that the recipients can take back to their institutions and classrooms to help build bridges between the worlds of academe and applied politics.

This article reports the results of a 1995 survey of the fifty-six NASPAA-affiliated doctoral programs of public administration and public affairs. Following on two related streams of research, we assess the degree of intellectual coherence in the field of public administration, and document what doctoral programs are doing to encourage and prepare students to do research. The evidence indicates that public administration is a fragmented, interdisciplinary field but that many doctoral programs are undertaking considerable effort to train students for research careers. In particular, they are following NASPAA guidance provided in policy on doctoral education and heeding advice provided in the literature. A lingering question is whether these innovations are making a difference in the quantity and quality of research produced by doctoral graduates.1