Jack Rabin

What Difference Does Having an MPA Make

Abstract The value of the master of public administration (MPA) degree is arguably a big question in public administration graduate education. This exploratory study of a national sample employs four outcome measures of master’s-level education, including return on educational investment (ROI), willingness to recommend degree program to others, salary, and satisfaction with salary. Furthermore, this research draws distinctions between MPAs and those who work for government but hold the competitive MBA degree. Additional insights are gained by restating the ROI measure as either pass/fail. Advice is derived for MPA programs. The results buttress NASPAA’s call for program assessment based on outcome measures.

Barnard and morality in organizations

Since Chester I. Barnard wrote The Functions of the Executive in 1938 numerous authors have cited his many ideas about organizational and individual behavior. Barnard believed that an individuals willingness to cooperate and function within an organization related to his or her “zone of indifference,” and the amount of authority the individual was willing to grant to a superior. Barnards ideas concerning the zone of indifference are related in this article to “Stages of Moral Development” as measured by protocols developed by Lawrence Kohlberg.

Implications of Successful Career Paths of Top Local Government Finance Managers

Little is known about successful local government financial management careers and their implications for organizations. This study identifies three levels of career success - top managers, aspirants, and the plateaued status - and how these groups differ on important personal and professional characteristics. Findings reveal that top managers differ in important ways from aspirants and the plateaued. Furthermore, top managers hired from outside the organization pay more attention to the financial viability of the organization and are more willing to innovate financially than those promoted from within. Results have implications for professionals, their employing organizations, educators, and the ethics of government finance.

Come, Let Us Pray! or, Modern Public Administration Has Failed

Abstract By turning inwards and not using our collective expertise to become advocate “Cassandras” and “Jeremiahs,” who voice strongly and collectively that our society is in trouble in both the short and long run, our field of public administration has failed in its overall mission and has lost faith with the early public administrationists who were action-oriented rather than ivory-tower-oriented and who still managed to do a fair amount of publishing.