Foundations of Public Administration

Programme Overview

This is the introductory course to the field of public administration. It examines the major intellectual and constitutional foundations of American government and public administration as well as current trends. The course includes theoretical and practical aspects of key governmental processes, the historical development of the field, contributions of social science to understanding organisations, and ethical issues in contemporary government activities.

Learning Outcomes

1. Examine the foundation and theoretical aspect of government processes and how various institutions and non-institutions work together to deliver public services and programs 
2. Assess and compare public administration as it applies to managing cities, counties, special districts, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organisations
3. Consider key social science concepts in public administration including distinguishing the differences in politics versus administration along with organisational decision-making and leadership theory
4. Discover subfields of public management including human resource management, performance measurement, strategic planning, community development, program evaluation, and budgeting
5. Analyse emerging ethical Public Administration trends