Federal Government Challenges in the 21st Century

Abstract

Increasingly high public expectations and changes in the environment of government are creating substantial challenges for government and its policy makers. Critical among these challenges are budget issues, a human capital crisis, the use of a complex set of policy tools, and the use of nonfederal actors to deliver public policy. To address the needs created by these challenges, schools of public affairs should expose students to principles and case studies of leadership, provide multidisciplinary training, foster understanding of operations in multiple sectors, ensure knowledge of financial management, ground students in ethical challenges of public service, and ensure skill in the development and use of performance measurement.

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