Divergences and convergences in public affairs education and research

Abstract

Public affairs and administration is a young discipline that has experienced considerable growth in a short time. Once viewed as a sub-field of political science, the discipline now embraces most of the social sciences and has established a distinct identity in academia. In this paper, the history of public administration is reviewed briefly, with consideration of the emergence of public affairs as a senior field of study. Changes in the characteristics of public affairs programmes at the graduate level are discussed with an emphasis on continuities and discontinuities in core areas of study. Finally, characteristics of the top programmes in public affairs are examined and the future direction for new or established programmes aspiring to improve their standing are discussed.