Osborne and Gaebler (1993), note that the instrument of government is outdated and needs to be reformed. Kettle (2002) indicates that we need to reclaim public administration and refashion it for a new set of problems. Denhart (2007) talks about a new public service and a recommitment to public values. To do so, we must understand the administrative traditions that shape the way public administrators do their job and how scholars study the field. Please discuss the intellectual traditions of public administration.
Why and how are these traditions often in conflict?
What challenges have arisen from these traditions that pose fundamental problems for the public administrator?
What are some of the values inherent in public administration?
Given what we know about the traditions of public administration and the challenges we face as students of public administration, where do you think public administration should go as we deal with the challenges of the new age?