Globalizing public affairs education: The role of comparative public administration in the MPA classroom

Master of Public Administration (MPA) alumni face increasingly diverse and global professional expectations. Public affairs specialists generally go on to manage complex partnerships that involve a wide array of participants. Public administration education ought to do its part to ensure these graduates succeed. In this sense, we offer comparative public administration (CPA) as an effective, multipurpose tool for disassembling public monuments to parochialism and sculpting competent practitioners that reflect our stated desires for a more inclusive orientation. First, we seek to define CPA and consider its relative importance. Next, we assess how CPA is currently taught in Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs within the United States. The focus then shifts to discussing how MPA programs should be teaching CPA and proposes learning outcomes. Finally, we offer tools for attaining these outcomes.