Public Affairs Programs Research Articles

Taking Care of Business and Doing Overtime: Teaching Research Methods in Public Affairs Curricula

In this research, we sought to better understand important trends and developments in the teaching of quantitative and research methods courses in graduate public affairs programs. We were specifically interested in the following areas related to the teaching of quantitative and research methods: the impact of new technologies on curriculum delivery; the content of courses related to statistical analysis and research design; and the importance of numeracy, ethics, and data visualization. We surveyed quantitative and research methods instructors in graduate public affairs programs using the same survey instrument at two intervals 8 years apart and analyzed results from each period side-by-side. Findings indicate some stark differences in the content and delivery of these courses. Given the timing of the second survey—Spring 2021—findings are considered within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning to Think Like an Economist without Becoming One: Ambivalent Reproduction and Policy Couplings in a Masters of Public Affairs Program

In recent years, sociologists have labored to understand how economists have gained influence over policymaking. We extend this research by shifting focus from the matter of influence to the matter of policy training. Granted that economists already have influence, how do future policy professionals learn economic rationales? How is this mindset transmitted to hesitant students? By asking these questions, we bring socialization back into institutional research on “new” professionals. Utilizing data from an ethnography of a Masters of Public Affairs program, we find that students learn economics through a process of “ambivalent reproduction”: they learn to “think like an economist without becoming one.” They remain skeptical and reject the notion that they are economists, and when they use economics in their future policy work they do so in limited ways. Nonetheless, ambivalent reproduction sustains the policy status-quo and allows economics to remain influential without true belief. Ambivalent reproduction provides a new means for understanding the loosely coupled influence of economics on policy, and it contributes to the sociology of economics, inhabited institutionalism, and professional socialization.

Teaching American government in public affairs education: Creating a foundation for success

Public administration has a long tradition of close connections to the field of political science. As the field of public administration evolved from a basic politics administration dichotomy, it became evident that the distinction between politics and administration was nebulous at best. As such, public affairs students need exposure to, and knowledge of, the founding documents and basic principles that underpin American government. This article explores the reasons for including American government instruction in introductory public affairs courses, student knowledge and preparation in American government, and strategies for enhancing the coverage of the principles of American government in public affairs programs.

Retention and recruitment of minority students and faculty in public affairs and administration programs

ABSTRACT The need to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts has reached monumental heights in the past decade as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement and other DEIA efforts. This shift in thought has impacted recruitment and hiring practices in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. For years, universities have tried a variety of mechanisms to increase the pool of minority applicants in PhD programs as well as the faculty ranks. However, many of these efforts have not been sustainable. In this article, we discuss the results from a survey of graduate-level public affairs programs to discern specific efforts to increase the number of minority students pursuing graduate degrees and subsequently the number of minority faculty. In addition, we completed an extant review of the literature to determine additional practices that have proven fruitful in other graduate programs.

“Dangerous in the Minds of Barrio People”: Empowering Bicultural Latino Identity on Spanish-Language Television in Los Angeles, 1960–1990

Abstract This article focuses on the bicultural Latino identity-building discourses promoted by TV stations KMEX Channel 34 (Spanish International Network/Univision) and KVEA Channel 52 (Telemundo) through news and public affairs programming in metropolitan Los Angeles, home of the United States’s largest concentration of Latinas and Latinos. The two stations’ news and public affairs shows are historically significant for being their most extensive locally produced content and offering a valuable audio/visual representation of Latino Southern California’s cultural development from the early 1960s to late 1980s. Both stations reflected their social context, broadcasting to an overwhelmingly Mexican-heritage audience; but producers and investors at KMEX-34 and KVEA-52 also consciously sought a wider Spanish-speaking audience in Southern California by framing viewers as politically empowered bicultural U.S. Latino subjects defined by a positive affirmation of their cultural background (broadly inclusive of all of Latin America) and their integration into U.S. life through participation in electoral politics and other civic processes. Combining archival research consisting of early scripts, office memoranda, program reviews, viewer letters, oral history interviews, and analysis of extant video recordings preserved in the UCLA Film and Television Archive’s News and Public Affairs Collection, I historicize the ways locally produced programming on Spanish-language TV framed and promoted notions of an additive and empowering bicultural U.S. Latino identity.

Equitable and inclusive mentoring programs for women faculty

ABSTRACTMentoring relationships designed for women can be beneficial in unique ways from traditional mentoring programs. We survey full-time faculty to identify how mentorships are used and to consider differences between genders to understand unique needs in mentoring relationships. Findings suggest women faculty in public administration and public affairs programs have unique needs and values regarding mentorship relationships compared to men. We also find that, while equitable and inclusive mentoring programs require institutional and human resource investments, clear parameters for expectations, inclusive matching considerations, and mutual trust and respect are needed and require different levels of support. Implications are made for public affairs programs to address culture and leadership issues before creating or fostering mentorship programs. Further, we suggest a need for additional training for mentors and creating mentorship networks to meet diverse needs of mentees and to ease the mentoring burden on individual faculty.

The contribution of formal and informal mentorship to faculty productivity: Views of faculty in public affairs programs

ABSTRACTThis study examines how mentorship opportunities contribute to the productivity and career growth of public affairs faculty, stratified by gender and race. The study uses primary data coming from an original survey administered at two different points in time (2017 and 2021) to faculty who are part of NASPAA member schools. Results indicate that women and faculty from racially under-represented groups are more likely to receive formal mentoring whereas men and white faculty are more likely to benefit from informal mentoring. Additionally, results show that the relationship between mentoring approaches and research effort differed by the faculty’s member gender and race with formal mentoring contributing to the research effort of men and white faculty across all academic ranks and university types, and informal mentoring contributing to the research effort of mid-career faculty of all genders and races. This study aims to inform individuals and universities about mentoring trends and contributions.

Enabling and centering equity and justice in clean energy transition research

Enabling and centering equity and justice in clean energy transition research

Black Feminists on Television in the 1970s

In the mid 1970s Black women, and Black feminists in particular, were increasingly visible on television, as they took positions as broadcast journalists and news anchors; starred in dramas and situation comedies, such as Good Times; and appeared as experts on an array of public affairs programs, including shows developed by Black Power leaders and feminists. This essay examines this rise and the constraints on it by analyzing Black feminists’ television activism and their appearances on three programs in the 1970s: two feminist public affairs programs that both aired on PBS stations, Woman (1973–1977) and Woman Alive! (1974, 1975, 1977); and For You Black Woman (1977–1985), a syndicated talk show which was not directly linked to any political movement but was pioneering because it was the first talk show and “public service” program addressed to Black women. Feminist programs—Woman and Woman Alive!—asserted a sisterhood based on gender oppression and encouraged Black women to join it, but they did not consistently address the intersection of race and gender. On the other hand, although For You Black Woman was a more conventional talk show for women, as it focused more on parenting, beauty, and fashion, not feminist or Black Power politics, the show tailored these topics to Black women, discussed race and gender in the distinctive experiences of Black women, and created space for Black women to be experts on a variety of topics. The least explicitly politically program of this triad, For You Black Woman provided a potent political space for Black feminism.

Answering the call: Offering and analyzing civil discourse opportunities in undergraduate public affairs education

ABSTRACT The widening cracks in the foundations of American democracy are leading to appeals for higher educational institutions generally, and public affairs programs specifically, to offer more courses on civil discourse. In this paper, we conduct a curriculum scan to evaluate the extent to which public affairs programs have answered these calls at the undergraduate level. The findings indicate that civil discourse-themed courses are essentially absent in the largest undergraduate public affairs programs, leaving the calls woefully unanswered. Then, analyzing students’ pre-post survey responses from a new course that offered content on the intersection of civil discourse and public policy making, we find that a civil discourse-themed course can simultaneously answer the calls and ensure that students meet the objectives of baccalaureate public affairs education recommended by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. The results are encouraging for public affairs education and democratic governance alike.

Effective online education under COVID-19: Perspectives from teachers and students

ABSTRACT Making online education effective and engaging has been a policy priority in the higher education (HE) sector since the COVID-19 pandemic arose in 2020. Based on an online survey and qualitative interviews, we examine experiences of HE students and teachers in Hong Kong, and provide recommendations that can enable countries/economies to leverage on the good practices of online education to rejuvenate HE in the post-COVID era. We find a need for greater institutional support beyond its current availability. Students’ perception of online education is less optimistic than what such labeling as “digital natives” suggests. However, with time, online education is being viewed more positively. Teachers find their online education workload to be higher. More female teachers cite difficulties in balancing work and life, while older teachers report more technological difficulties. Since many respondents come from public affairs programs, which emphasize interaction in the classroom, the findings suggest that a rethinking of pedagogical strategies of public affairs education is required.

Experiential philanthropy in public affairs education: Learning for lives of giving?

ABSTRACT Globally, public affairs programs are designed to meet dual educational purposes. On the one hand, these professional degree programs are intended to educate students for careers in service to the public. On the other hand, these programs are also intended to educate students about our common responsibility to contribute to the betterment of society through civic participation and engagement. Not surprisingly, then, public affairs programs often include a curriculum emphasis on philanthropy; and, as a means of teaching philanthropy, experiential philanthropy has become an increasingly popular pedagogical strategy. Despite growing use of the pedagogy cross-nationally and consistent evidence of its short-term efficacy, there has been limited evidence of the pedagogy’s long-term impact. Therefore, in this study, we explore whether experiential philanthropy, as a pedagogical strategy within public affairs programs in the US and China, is associated with long-term philanthropic and prosocial outcomes of former course participants.

Public service values education: A call to service for public affairs programs

ABSTRACT Public affairs programs have long aimed to advance public service education. First defined as preparing public servants for government employment, public affairs programs have expanded to advancing the public interest and governance across all sectors. While modern public affairs programs have become more expansive in how they define public service education and the mechanisms they use to advance education (e.g. applied learning, skills training, professionalization, service learning), they continue to follow a general model of limiting training to those who select into a singular disciplinary track. We outline a new approach to public service education – Next Generation Service – which seeks to cultivate public service education to undergraduates outside the core discipline and across campus. We call on public affairs programs to expand their service to the university and broader community by advancing public service values across campus regardless of major.

Challenges of Asian international students in the U.S. Public affairs programs: A cross-discipline review

Scholars have perceived a globalization process in higher education and recognized the influx of international students, especially students from Asia, in the U.S. programs of public affairs as a factual aspect of the globalization of the academic profession. However, the studies that examine international students’ experiences and challenges in the public affairs programs have remained scarce. This article broadens the literature review to multiple disciplines in order to understand the common challenges experienced by Asian international students while it identifies the particular challenges of international students in public affairs programs. Based on the cross-discipline literature review, this article highlights the lessons that American public affairs programs can take in order to provide more accommodating and inclusive educational environments to international students. It also recognizes the missing areas in the literature about the challenges of Asian international students in American public affairs programs that future studies are expected to investigate.

A case study of R in public affairs education: Effective use in hybrid and asynchronous online statistics courses

ABSTRACT The general growth in public affairs programs offering hybrid and online courses to reach a wide variety of students, along with the necessity of doing so during a global health pandemic, calls for an investigation of best practices in teaching public affairs statistics and research-oriented courses. These courses often require the use of a statistics software program. I describe my use of R with the R Commander package that turns the R interface into a graphical user interface (GUI) similar to other, commonly used software programs. I detail my experience using this software through a case study utilizing two different pedagogical techniques. I find that the use of instructor-generated video tutorials of the R Commander software program allows hybrid and online students to effectively learn statistics concepts in a similar manner and as effectively as students in traditional, in-person courses.

Communication pedagogy in public affairs programs: Insights from a study of MPA and MPP curricula

Communication is a critical government function that has important implications for public administration and effective governance. This research study explores how communication competencies are taught in public affairs programs in the United States. Based on a general web content analysis of graduate programs, and specific analyses of course titles, course descriptions, and course syllabi, this study examines the extent to which communication competencies are integrated into public affairs curricula. This paper also discusses how communication skills map on to the five NASPAA core competencies. Compared to previous decades, communication courses are increasingly emphasized in public administration programs. But there is greater potential for such offerings in the age of digital government, social media, and Artificial Intelligence. This study’s findings have important implications for the teaching and practice of public affairs.

How to implement project-based quantitative classroom projects while supporting curricular design: A case study from a quantitative methods course in a public affairs program

This article outlines how Master of Public Administration (MPA)/Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs can integrate a project-based learning opportunity to study curricular design and accreditation needs in their quantitative courses. Bridging together theory and the practical implications of data collection and analysis is important for students’ long-term professional development. We provide case study examples of recent project-based learning opportunities in an MPA/MPP program in the United States in which students collected data on employer needs for MPA/MPP graduates. The projects provide an evidence base for program assessment and improvement. Focus groups conducted with project participants, including alumni and current students, demonstrate that they valued this opportunity because it provided them with important technical and interpersonal skills necessary to succeed in their capstones, internships, and future jobs. We provide scaffolding assignment examples and recommendations for professors interested in implementing similar projects in their own courses.

Enhancing sense of belonging and satisfaction among online students in multi-track public affairs programs: A case analysis of immersion courses

Many graduate public affairs programs offer both residential and online options for students. One of the challenges for multi-format programs is creating a sense of belonging among online students who may never set foot on campus. In 2017, the MPA program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed an “immersion” course designed for residential and online students in a weekend intensive format on campus to help create a greater sense of connectedness and satisfaction among (principally) online students, while benefiting students in both formats. This paper examines immersion courses as one strategy to address gaps in belonging and satisfaction between online and on-campus students. The case study of UNC-Chapel Hill developing the immersion course and the first three iterations of it are described, offering practical insight for other campus-based public affairs programs that also have online degrees who may want to try something similar.

Enhancing sense of belonging and satisfaction among online students in multi-track public affairs programs: A case analysis of immersion courses

Enhancing sense of belonging and satisfaction among online students in multi-track public affairs programs: A case analysis of immersion courses

“We Matter”: Cultural Significance of a Counter-Narrative Black Public Affairs Program

ABSTRACT Awareness is believed to be the longest-running locally-produced African American public affairs show in the country. Through thirteen oral history interviews and archival documents, this article examines how African American public affairs shows, like Awareness, played an integral role in the civil rights movement by presenting a counter-narrative to what was seen on mainstream news. Through this counter-narrative, Awareness had the unique ability to elevate the conversation beyond protests and demonstrations, and deeply discuss issues that could potentially alter the Southern mind-set of Blacks and improve race relations in the South. As the show approached its 50th anniversary, this article covers the launching of the show as well as reflections of those involved in this milestone.