How can we define the essential character of what we do in the public service?

Required reading, The New Public Service: Serving, Not Steering. At the very beginning the authors pose some very broad questions. In order to start you thinking about these, please choose one of those listed below and give your answer. There is no citation requirement for this forum as the only reference I want you to use is the book. What I want to see you do though is think critically about these questions. There is no wrong answer. Throughout the program you will be asked to address real problems in new and creative ways. There may be no answer, or there may be 10! Start to get comfortable with analyzing a question and applying your sources then taking it that extra step and giving us your recommendation. We will be looking for that throughout the program. This text is required for MPA students. MPP students can read any article by Denardt found in the library to answer the question in this course. It will not be in other MPP courses but will be required in all core courses for the MPA.

Questions:

How can we define the essential character of what we do in the public service?

What is the motivating force that propels our actions?

What gives us strength and capacity when the trials and turmoils of our work get us down?

How can we keep going, even as we face problems that are complex and intractable, with extremely limited resources and a public that often resents and criticizes what we do? (Denhardt, 2015, p. 1,2)

Denhardt, Janet and Robert Denhardt. (2015) The New Public Service: Serving, not Steering. New York: Routledge.