Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy degrees: Differences and similarities in the curricula and course contents

The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs should have different focuses in their curricula: the former on management skills and the latter on analytical skills. To investigate whether and to what extent the two types of programs are different and whether the accreditation standards of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration have a homogenizing effect on them, we investigated the titles and descriptions of the courses in their core curricula. The results show some differences between Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs, but no clear distinction. Analytical skills are required by both Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs. Master of Public Policy programs distinguish themselves from Master of Public Administration programs primarily by requiring economics and economic analysis courses. Higher percentages of Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration-accredited programs require organization studies, human resource management, and public budgeting courses.

Teaching Complexity: The Limits of Evidence and the ‘Prospective’ Case Study

Policy practitioner–students in a Master of Public Policy programme in New Zealand describe many problems and processes in their work environments as ‘complex’. Yet, they hold firmly to a belief in the merits of ‘evidence’ to guide their advice and decision making in the face of that complexity. This article examines the aims and pedagogy of a two-course sequence designed to help students replace over-reliance on analysing existing evidence with understanding of the ways complexity concepts can aid in estimating possible outcomes of policy interventions. Starting with identifying evidence challenges, students learn how to compare a status quo situation and a prospective case of that status quo in which a new policy has been implemented. This method draws on existing scholarship in lesson-drawing for policy applications. Students are eased into an appreciation of a variety of complexity frameworks and concepts by looking at a case about which there is, strictly speaking, no evidence.

Lessons from an internship at Waipā: District Council motivations and incentives

Creating change through policy interventions relies most often on changing individuals’ behaviour. To create effective change, it is important for policymakers to understand the attitudes and motivations of the people most affected. I learned how important this is while spending my summer interning at the Waipä District Council in Waikato as part of Victoria University’s Master of Public Policy graduate pathway programme.

Global comparative public administration

Within the past two decades, globalization has led to increased literature on comparative public administration (CPA) research, and it has enhanced analyses of administrative systems in various societies. Our paper examines CPA education among Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs in the United States. The findings highlight select topics of interest from these courses, as well as emphasizing an immediate need for programs to internationalize their curricula, in order to prepare the next generation of public administrators and policy analysts.

Developing E-Government Coursework through the NASPAA Competencies Framework

Information technology (IT) is often less emphasized in coursework related to public administration education, despite the growing need for technological capabilities in those joining the public sector workforce. This coupled with a lesser emphasis on e-government/IT skills by accreditation standards adds to the widening gap between theory and practice in the field. This study examines the emphasis placed on e-government/IT concepts in Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs, either through complete course offerings or through related courses such as public management, strategic planning, performance measurement and organization theory. Based on a content analysis of their syllabi, the paper analyzes the extent to which the IT/e-government courses in MPA/Master of Public Policy programs address the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration competency standards, and further discuss the orientation of the courses with two of the competencies: management and policy. Specifically, are e-government/IT courses more management-oriented or policy-oriented? Do public management, strategic planning, performance measurement, and organization theory courses address IT concerns?

From Hopelessness to Expectation: An Interview with Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of West Sacramento

Christopher Cabaldon is the mayor of West Sacramento, a small town just over the river from California’s capital city, Sacramento. Mayor Cabaldon received his Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) in 1994 as part of the inaugural class of the program at California State University, Sacramento. He first became mayor of West Sacramento in 1998, and he was the first mayor directly elected by the citizens of West Sacramento in 2004.West Sacramento is growing rapidly. Since 2000, the population has increased by over 50 percent, nearly reaching 50,000 at the time of the 2010 US Census. Changes in West Sacramento have come from the development of Southport, a new master-planned residential neighborhood on the south side of the city, as well as infill development in the center of town and in established neighborhoods. Retail has also moved into West Sacramento where there previously had been very little, anchored by Ikea and Target. In 2000, the River Cats, a minor league baseball team, came to town and moved into a new stadium in West Sacramento.On March 13, Mayor Cabaldon spoke with Monika Jansen of Policy Perspectives over the phone to discuss his MPPA, executive leadership and democracy at the city level, his TEDx Talk from 2014, and his vision for West Sacramento.