International interest in public administration

Ø 1) Why does the study at the State and Municipal Administration Department attract you? How long have you been studying at this Department? Are you satisfied with the study process? What skills have you gained / lost during your studies?

Ø 2) Read out the facts from the text that relate to the title of the text.

Until World War II there was relatively little exchange among nations of ideas about public administration. In 1910, however, a professional organization, which eventually became the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (HAS), was established. At first its membership consisted principally of scholars and practitioners of administrative law in the countries of continental Europe. By the late 1980s the HAS had a membership from some 70 countries. Its congresses covered all aspects of the field of public administration.

Since World War II international interest in administrative systems has grown, precipitated by the necessity of cooperation during the war, by the formation of international organizations, by the occupation of conquered nations and the administration of economic recovery programs for Europe and the Far East, and by aid programs for developing countries. One by-product of aid programs was a renewed appreciation of how important effective administration is to national development. It also became apparent how parochial and culture-bound styles of public administration often remained within individual countries.

Another effect of this international communication and sharing of experiences was the realization that government was no longer merely the keeper of the peace and the provider of basic services. In the postindustrial era government became a principal innovator, a determinant of social and economic priorities, and an entrepreneur on a major scale. On virtually every significant problem - from unemployment to clean air - people asked the government for solutions or assistance. The tasks of planning, organizing, coordinating, managing, and evaluating modern government likewise became impressively important.

European universities traditionally produced administrative lawyers for their governments, but legal skills alone were hardly adequate for handling contemporary problems. U.S. universities began graduate programs in the early years of the 20^th century, and by the late 1980s there were more than 300 university programs in public administration.

Training programs have particularly increased since World War II, many of them with government help. Some are attached to universities. In establishing the Ecole Nationale d’Administration as one of its civil service reforms of 1946-1947, France provided an extensive course for recruits to the higher civil service.

In 1969 Britain established a Civil Service College under the new Civil Service Department. In the United States the government established a variety of educational and training programs during the 1960s, including the Federal Executive Institute and the Executive Seminar Centers. Many less-advanced countries have since established centres for the training of public administrators.

Ø 3) Say what these numbers refer to: 1910, late 1980s, the early years of the 20^th century, 1946—1947, during the 1960s.

Ø 4) Make a list of proper names and events relating to the topic “Education in the sphere of public administration.”