Knowledge of Public Administration
Those of us who want to revitalize government… are going to have to reinvent it”
~ Former United States President William (Bill)
Jefferson Clinton
Prior to beginning my career
in civil service I hadn’t paid acute attention to the
evolution of government. My exposure was limited to the
generic studies in primary school and popular cultures
interpretation of history.
The MPA program exposed me to the novel work of early philosophers, like John Stuart Mill, Aristotle, and John Locke. The introductory class, PA 700 – Introduction to Public Administration, provided me with an opportunity to examine how their visionary thinking and philosophies on government shaped the perspectives of our forefathers and developed the foundation of our nation. My vantage point on their philosophies is incorporated into the following paper I wrote on government.
The program also enlightened
me on current governmental processes, perspectives,
challenges and opportunities. During the concluding
course, PA 800 – Capstone, students examined 7 case
studies from the Kennedy School of Government. With each
case we were provided the opportunity to utilize the
tools, information and resources we had acquired during
our studies to identify the mitigating circumstances and
draft potential solutions. One of the case studies,
How to Win Friends and Repair a Windy City,
addresses the revitalization efforts and challenges in