Price Governance Salon
We are pleased to welcome Distinguished Professor and Editor-in-Chief of Public Administration Review, James L. Perry for his talk, Vanishing Public Administration: What Does It Mean and What Should We Do About It?
Abstract:
In a recent speech, Paul Volcker, former chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and a highly respected voice for public service, was asked to examine whether United States governing bodies are meeting the needs of our citizens. His answer was definitive and short: “The current state of our governance bodies is poor. Quite simply, they are not meeting the needs of our citizens.” Although Volcker spread blame for the failing widely, one governance institution about which he is particularly concerned is our public administration. Have we lost our capacity to do the business of government? Are we no longer capable of executing our public policies? My presentation seeks to illuminate the question: Is public administration vanishing? In answering this question, I draw upon research and experience, especially my own of the last forty years. I also draw from my special vantage point of the last three years as Editor in Chief of Public Administration Review, now in its 75th year of publication.
James L. Perry is Distinguished Professor and Chancellor’s Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, and World Class University Distinguished Professor at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. He is also Adjunct Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Political Science at Indiana University. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Public Administration Review.
Perry’s recent research focuses on performance pay in government, public service motivation, community and national service, and government reform.