The Pedagogy of “Governance”

Abstract

Traditional public administration scholarship focused on government, reflecting the study of public actors delivering services. But recently the focus on government and governmental actors has been replaced by a new term “governance” to reflect the increasing reliance on for-profit, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations to deliver these services. The reasons for the government by proxy are varied, yet little attention has been given to its constitutional implications. This article examines the implications of this new governance when it comes to service delivery of traditional public goods by public, for-profit, non-profit, and faith-based organizations. It describes the challenges this blurring of sectoral lines poses both for the study of public administration and in the teaching and training of students.