Comparing Public Administration and Policy Analysis Approaches to Public Service Education

Abstract

We systematically explore differences between the policy analysis and public administration/management approaches to public service education. From the literature, we identify four aspects of public service education that may differ between public administration/management and policy analysis: the students who enter each kind of program, the norms students gain through professional socialization in each approach, the career paths followed by graduates of each kind of program, and program graduates career satisfaction. We develop several hypotheses about differences in applicant pools, student socialization, and the careers of graduates of public administration and policy analysis programs. Finally, we discuss the importance of testing these hypotheses: why alternative findings might be expected and implications of tests of these hypotheses for public service education.