PS 312 Introduction to Public Administration

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the subject of Public Administration as a field of intellectual inquiry and as a field of professional activity.  The course begins with an intensive look at the constitutional and theoretical foundations of American public administration.  Students will learn how important founding principles such as federalism, separation of powers, equity, and democratic accountability impact public organizations today.  The theories underlying the structure of bureaucratic organizations are compared and contrasted.  After laying bare the theoretical/conceptual basis for the field, the focus shifts to the more practical concerns of public administrators including budgeting and financial management, labor-management relations, and human resources management.  The course concludes with a series of discussions on current trends in public management with primary emphasis given to such topics as performance measurement, benchmarking, intersectoral collaboration, and privatization.