Search

Emotional labor refers to the management and regulation of emotions as part of one's professional role. This research is one of the first to provide insight into the role of emotional labor during a global pandemic for Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program directors. Our paper both replicates and extends previous work in emotional labor through examining survey data from 92 MPA Directors. Using emotional labor as our descriptive framework, the findings suggest gender and academic rank indicate whose workload has been affected during the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, the results indicate the likelihood of greater burdens experienced by women, both white women and women of color. Our findings offer additional understanding about how emotional labor continues to impact certain populations within our public administration and policy discipline, sounding the alarm for MPA programs to address the problems at hand.

Confederate monuments conjure competing public sector values. Like many cities in the USA, Baltimore, Maryland had monuments honoring the "Lost Cause of the Confederacy". Such monuments, usually constructed during periods of racial strife, typically feature prominent figures of the Confederacy, such as generals. Proponents of such monuments argue these monuments honor historical figures that shaped US history. Opponents assert monuments symbolize racist ideals and reinforce inequality, particularly for African Americans. Baltimore had four monuments until 2017. In the aftermath of two racially charged incidents following decades of social injustices, the Mayor of Baltimore, Catherine Pugh, ordered the monuments' removal in August 2017. This case examines the details and rationale surrounding Pugh's decision in the context of competing public sector values. The knowledge and skills gained from this case study can be applied to a range of public administration and policy issues involving social justice, administrative competencies, and leadership.

Two essential questions for those leading the field of public administration are: What do we teach our students, and how do we train them? As scholars, we pay significant attention to our research, often to the detriment of recognizing the potential for merging our research with teaching through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). However, given our students' leadership positions, SoTL-related work is vital to their success. In this article, we have come together to reflect on the state of SoTL's work in public administration. Through this reflection, we explore the windows of opportunity for research that we see emerging. Included among these opportunities is the need for research on how we can best serve students in and out of the classroom, as well as research the most effective way of managing our programs. We also see the need for research into faculty development, instructional design, and the return on investment for a public administration degree. Lastly, we argue for improved recognition of the value and contribution of SoTL-related work in tenure and promotion standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional MPA programs that deliver public affairs education often use gender blind pedagogies. Gender blind pedagogies maintain that organizational practices and decision-making processes are gender neutral and have similar outcomes to both men and women who engage in public service. Gender neutral assumptions in PA education perpetuate gender neutral research and practice. Using critical gender pedagogy, we (1) examine current practices of discussing gender in PA education, (2) review pedagogical suggestions from other fields (particularly English and gender studies) that have adopted critical gender pedagogies, (3) identify elements of gender-sensitive course design, (4) develop a five- part pedagogical framework to showcase major elements needed for public affairs curricula to be more gender-sensitive, and (5) apply this framework to model how six MPA core courses can better address gender. This paper aims to deliver an alternative gender- sensitive pedagogical approach that breaks the cycle of gender-blind practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our goal here across these two pieces has been simple, namely to address what effect, if any, emotional labor plays in the work of an MPA director, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is up to MPA directors to be agents of change in order to address the needs of students, faculty, and staff, because COVID-19 has and continues to change how the academy works. Research is rapidly emerging on how the global COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of modern life, including in public administration (Guy, [8]). [Extracted from the article]

Emotional labor refers to the management and regulation of emotions as part of one's professional role. This research is one of the first to provide insight into the role of emotional labor during a global pandemic for Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program directors. Our paper both replicates and extends previous work in emotional labor through examining survey data from 92 MPA Directors. Using emotional labor as our descriptive framework, the findings suggest gender and academic rank indicate whose workload has been affected during the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, the results indicate the likelihood of greater burdens experienced by women, both white women and women of color. Our findings offer additional understanding about how emotional labor continues to impact certain populations within our public administration and policy discipline, sounding the alarm for MPA programs to address the problems at hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programs interested in developing a social equity and social justice curriculum for public affairs education must face the hard-core truth: A commitment to diversity, social equity, and social justice matters. A social equity and social justice curriculum The effects of racism, discrimination, disparities, inequities, and injustices have been well-documented in scholarly journals, by government reports, activists, and in social outcomes. Assign a service-learning project to conduct an organizational assessment that distinguishes culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services. ht The above examples describe several ways to incorporate social equity and social justice across the public administration curriculum. [Extracted from the article]

Confederate monuments conjure competing public sector values. Like many cities in the USA, Baltimore, Maryland had monuments honoring the "Lost Cause of the Confederacy". Such monuments, usually constructed during periods of racial strife, typically feature prominent figures of the Confederacy, such as generals. Proponents of such monuments argue these monuments honor historical figures that shaped US history. Opponents assert monuments symbolize racist ideals and reinforce inequality, particularly for African Americans. Baltimore had four monuments until 2017. In the aftermath of two racially charged incidents following decades of social injustices, the Mayor of Baltimore, Catherine Pugh, ordered the monuments' removal in August 2017. This case examines the details and rationale surrounding Pugh's decision in the context of competing public sector values. The knowledge and skills gained from this case study can be applied to a range of public administration and policy issues involving social justice, administrative competencies, and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy programs are training grounds for current and future public service leaders. However, many programs may underemphasize the importance of social equity, a pillar of public administration. Without this training, administrators may be poorly placed to understand the causes of inequities and to develop solutions. This article examines these issues in several ways. First, it argues for greater coverage of social equity in graduate programs. Second, it reviews the literature on calls for how to improve teaching social equity. Third, it presents a content analysis detailing the extent to which social equity is integrated into core courses currently offered across 120 MPA programs in the United States. Finally, a case study discusses the authors’ development and teaching of a stand-alone special topics social equity course in a large Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration-accredited program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]