Affirmative Action and Merit in Public Administration

Abstract

This study tests the hypotheses that graduates of master of public administration (MPA) programs are more supportive of affirmative action than are recipients of other graduate degrees and, conversely, that the principle of merit has a negative effect on such levels of support. Results show that type of graduate education has no bearing on levels of support for affirmative action among city managers throughout the United States. City managers' belief in the principle of merit, however, has a negative impact on city managers' attitudes toward affirmative action. The findings bring into question the effectiveness of assimilating professional values through MPA education as well as the problem of competing values within professional codes of ethics.