Donna Lind Infeld

Career Values of Public Administration and Public Policy Students in China, Malaysia and the United States

With governments around the world needing to attract talented professionals, this exploratory, cross-cultural research analyzes career values of 384 MPA and MPP students at major universities in the capitals of China, Malaysia and the United States. Malaysians and Americans structured 23 goals along dimensions that contrasted sharply to those of the Chinese. Moreover, Malaysians and Americans cared more about self-actualization and less about co-worker comradeship than did the Chinese. All three groups prioritized elements of altruism and affluence. Segmentation analysis uncovered six distinct subgroups (Acheivers, Altruistic Analysts, Administrators, Altruistic Affluents, Acquiescents, and Apathetics) with their distributions varying by country.

Policy initiatives to promote healthy aging.

An overwhelming array of policies and programs can be used to help older people (and future older people) maintain healthy lifestyles. How can clinicians help ensure that their patients take advantage of these opportunities? How can these broad-scope policies, educational and information initiatives, and direct service programs be turned into tools to help older people maximize health and independence? First, physicians do not need to do it all themselves. They need to know where to send their patients. For example, case managers in local aging service organizations and social workers, nurses, and discharge planners in hospitals can help connect elderly patients to appropriate benefits and services. Physicians play a critical role in creating a bridge between patients and the array of programs and information that can help them change their individual patterns of behavior. A serious lack of integration exists between what is known about healthy behaviors and lifestyles and what is really happening and available to older people today. From the earlier articles in this issue we know that much can be done to prevent many types of age-related disease and disability. This article provides examples of mechanisms that can be used to broadly disseminate knowledge about effective behavior and treatment changes and create mechanisms to turn this knowledge into real and widespread client-level, practice-level, health system, and community-wide interventions. Second, physicians need to understand that they are not merely subject to these policies and initiatives. They can help formulate and shape them. This political involvement includes active participation in policy initiatives of professional associations, involvement in research and demonstration activities, keeping informed about policy proposals at the federal and state levels, and helping advance ideas for improving health behaviors by speaking up and working toward change. These changes go beyond health initiatives to involve improving housing, nutrition, transportation, and other arenas that play a role in the health of communities and cities. According to the IOM, the most successful interventions are aimed at families, neighborhoods and communities. Interventions are also most likely to be successful when legislative, media, and marketing efforts support them [50]. These broader policies may actually have the most potential impact in terms of developing sustainable lifestyle changes that reach all Americans, especially those with the greatest health needs. Within the aging population, those with greatest health needs include members of minority groups, recent immigrants, and the old-old. These groups are often overlooked when designing and implementing health promotion programs. It is important, however, to remember, for patients and for ourselves, you are never too old to benefit from prevention.

MPA and MPP Students: Twins, Siblings, or Distant Cousins?

Abstract To address ongoing discussions about the convergence of MPA and MPP curricula and students, data were collected on career values and goals of 175 MPA and MPP students, very similar in terms of their ages, gender, and work experience and matched on university location, tuition costs, and local job market. On none of the multiple measures of altruism, intrinsic, and extrinsic job characteristics did the two groups differ to a statistically significant degree. Along with sharing a very similar career ethos and temperament, MPA and MPP students did not differ in their interest pursuing jobs in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors. Yet these siblings were not identical twins. Most MPAs seemed to already think of themselves as administrators, ranking management issues highly, while most MPPs were analysts who wanted to master quantitative analytical techniques and critique public policies. The findings have implications for MPA and MPP curriculum design and for recruiting the next generation of public servants.

Teaching Public Administration as a Fulbright Scholar in China: Analysis and Reflections

Abstract After spending fall semester, 2007, on a Fulbright Scholarship at Renmin University of China, Dr. Infeld examines her experiences in light of the literature about teaching in China. Six aspects of teaching in China are discussed, including (1) Chinese students’ English and academic listening, (2) teaching with cases, (3) the “good” teacher, (4) “the “good” student, (5) Chinese conceptions of teaching, and (6) questioning. Descriptive examples are used to explore differences between teaching public administration to first-semester graduate students in China and in the U. S. The “Lessons on American Teaching Style,” developed by Dr. LI Wenzhao, a junior faculty member who assisted Infeld in her classes, are shared to provide insight from a Chinese perspective on the difference in teaching styles. A secondary objective of the paper is to encourage public administration scholars to apply for Fulbright Scholarships to teach in China, or elsewhere around the world.

Statistical Software for Curriculum and Careers

What statistical software programs should be taught in public affairs graduate schools to best prepare students for prospective jobs? A nationwide survey of MPA, MPP, and related Masters programs found that introductory statistics courses most often use SPSS. In later statistics classes, MPP programs use Stata more often than SPSS. Budget and finance courses almost always employ Excel. Those priorities were fairly congruent with the market. Relevant employers on 35 job websites requested familiarity with Excel far more often than any other statistical software. SAS and SPSS were nearly tied for second place, and Stata was third. SPSS is used for data analysis in a plurality of relevant academic publications, but the use of Stata has increased sharply over the past 15 years. As public affairs faculties evaluate their curricula, findings from this research on program practices and employer priorities can help inform their deliberations.

Fulbright Scholars in Public Administration, Public Affairs, and Public Policy

Editor’s Note. The year 2011 marks the 65th anniversary of America’s preeminent international educational exchange program, the Fulbright Scholar Program. In recognition of the international impact of this program, the Journal of Public Affairs Education is publishing a series of first-person accounts of the Fulbright experiences of our colleagues. To provide perspective for this series, this paper provides background about the program and examines patterns in U. S. Fulbright Scholar awards over the past 5 years.

Wikipedia as a Tool for Teaching Policy Analysis and Improving Public Policy Content Online

Most young Americans use Wikipedia. Among those in the age range of most MPA and MPP students (18–29 years old), 62% report turning to Wikipedia (Pew, 2012), although they probably know it is taboo to cite it as a source in an academic paper. Ironically, however, encouraging students to strengthen Wikipedia may be pedagogically valuable. During the 2010–2011 academic year, the Wikimedia Foundation launched WikiProject U. S. Public Policy, “aimed at finding better ways to recruit experts and students to help improve Wikipedia content” (//bit.ly/jpae-w). This case study of one Wikipedia project examines the pedagogical utility of using open-source, wiki-based assignments in policy analysis courses.

Using the Internet for Gerontology Education: Assessing and Improving Wikipedia

Older adults, students, professionals, and the general public increasingly turn to the Internet and to Wikipedia for information. Wikipedia, the worlds sixth most used website, is by far the most widely used open-source information site. Among its nearly four million English-language encyclopedia articles, how thorough is coverage of key gerontology topics? Focusing on 315 important terms found across four leading gerontology sources, almost 3 out of 10 terms had no Wikipedia article at all, including some surprising omissions. And another 3 out of 10 terms had articles that treated the topic without any specific mention of aging. Only about 4 out of 10 terms had articles with content focusing on aging; however, using various measures, the articles that were relevant rated comparatively high overall. This popular encyclopedia is a work in progress and was found to have considerable room for improvement in its coverage of gerontology. Interested parties can upgrade its content by working as individuals, as organized WikiProjects, or in academic courses. This paper describes how faculty can incorporate assignments where students expand and improve Wikipedia pages based on course research about specific aging topics. While educating their students, they can simultaneously help educate older adults as well as the general public about gerontology.

Fulbright Scholars in Political Science

In 2011, the Fulbright Scholar Program celebrates its 65th anniversary as Americas preeminent international educational exchange program. In recognition of its international impact, this is a timely occasion to recall the programs history and note the roles of political scientists who have taught and conducted research around the globe as Fulbright Scholars.

The Challenges and Rewards of Service: Job Satisfaction among Public Affairs Program Directors

Abstract Most public affairs programs have some form of director, but we do not know the full scope of the program director’s role. This article thus asks, What tasks and duties does a program director perform? What aspects of the role are most satisfying to those performing it? What aspects of the role present challenges? Based on survey data, we conclude that female program directors are more likely to engage with advisory boards, while males are typically more satisfied in their role. Those currently in the position are less likely than former directors to work on financial aid. There also appear to be differences in how program size relates to the tasks and duties of the program director, to compensation, and to maintenance of a research agenda. Finally, we draw lessons for prospective program directors and for chairs and deans who have influence on how this role is structured.