The American Founders were concerned that governors and the governed have virtues appropriate to a democratic republic; they relied on the interaction among constitutional correctives, honor, and education to promote virtue. The present authors describe the Founders' thought with regard to public virtue and its applicability to public…

Reviews the research literature appearing in Public Administration Review between the years 1940 and 1984. Analyzes trends in (1) research approach, (2) research design, (3) substantive topic, (4) level of government emphasized, and (5) researcher characteristics. (CH)

Argues that Lindblom's original article on "muddling through" is an important source of faith and hope: it teaches public administrators to be realistic about their decision making, enhances their understanding of how they make decisions, and suggests many practical areas in which they might work to improve decision making. (Author/IRT)

The American Society for Public Administration's Section on International and Comparative Administration is considering redirection of its activities. Implicit in the mission is the task of integrating the study and practice of comparative and international administration. Closer collaboration between specialists in these two groups must be…

In a sample of 314 city managers, those in early career stages or smaller cities preferred the science of administration; those in later career stages or larger jurisdictions saw the art of administration as the dominant skill. Both administrative science and conventional wisdom were considered important components for the master of public…

Explores the generative approach to public sector general management and its use of public deliberation as an alternative way to establish public policy and set bureau directives. Concludes with implications for public management theory and practice. (JOW)

Examines the relationship between citizens and government and proposes a value-centered model that focuses on the worth of government to its citizens. Compares customer and owner models, finding that citizens are unaccustomed to thinking of the value of government. (JOW)

Elaborates conflicting concepts of citizenship (normative right, instrumental outcome) and advances Aristotle's conception of civic republicanism as political morality. Argues that reinforcing the normative aspect would lay the foundation for reducing inequalities produced by the instrumental approach. (Contains 50 references.) (JOW)

Federalism is sometimes a metaphor for states' sovereignty, rather than appreciated as part of the political structure and process created by the Constitution of the United States. The author argues that "federalism" was redefined during the founding period to disassociate it from the discredited idea of states' sovereignty. (Author/JOW)

Predictions of 60 public administrators about citizen views were compared with interviews of 2257 citizens. Findings show that administrators tend to be pessimistic about citizen evaluations and that administrator predictions are worth considering as an additional component to citizen surveys. (Author/JOW)

Suggests that performance measurement can address attribution questions in studying accountability for results and outcomes in studies of public administration. Describes the steps necessary to produce a credible "contribution story" so that managers, researchers, and policy makers can arrive at conclusions about the contribution a…

This paper addresses issues of civil service development, in the context of public administration reform. There are, in the countries of the old and new Europes, a wide variety of approaches to training and development in the public service, and the issues raised here are based on the experience and lessons of the Young Professionals Scheme in…

This study examined the perceptions of Master of Public Administration (MPA) graduates about public administration curriculum and their political acuity. Using data from a national survey on MPA graduate attitudes, it focused on the perceptions of 1,428 MPA graduates who were state administrators, 351 state administrators with bachelor of arts…

A survey of alumni of two disparate Master's in Public Administration (MPA) programs, at Evergreen State College (Washington) (n=114) and University of Akron (Ohio) (n=91), found more similarities than expected in program experiences, perceptions of what is important in their careers, and how an MPA program can contribute to careers. Implications…

The role of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) in promoting professionalism in public administration is explored, and potential problems associated with that role are discussed. The recent movement toward accreditation in public administration education based on a Total Quality Management mission is…