Vocation and Reform in Public Administration

Abstract or Introduction

What is the relationship of "calling" (a term most often associated with the clergy, not public servants) and public service leadership? Vocation and Reform in Public Administration seeks to provide an answer through the study of five major themes in the discipline. The author builds on each theme with supporting scholarship and case studies to bring about a unifying conclusion that asserts, "Public service is best performed when such a role is understood and embraced as a unique vocation. In this way, the leader becomes both "public" in that she does her work for the greater good; and in "service" as he recognizes that his work is primarily one of servanthood."

This is the final written project, a portfolio of work in five areas, for the degree of Master of Public Administration in the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Portfolio consists of five areas of study within the public administration program—Leadership, Public Ethics and Values, Information Analysis and Decision-Making, Financial Management, and Human Capital Management—woven together with an opening Synthesis chapter. Each chapter represents an area in which an assessment is offered with an accompanying appendix (of sample work from the program). The assessment includes an introduction to the area of study, lessons learned in the area, a description of the appendix, a critique of the appendix, and a conclusion that synthesizes the chapter. A public administration bibliography is appended to the work.