Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Publication Title
Journal of Public Affairs Education
ISSN
1523-6803
Abstract
This article addresses concerns expressed by members of the International City/ County Management Association (ICMA) regarding whether the supply of qualified local government managers will keep pace with the future demand for this occupation. The authors developed several important observations, which are based on decades of experience with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) program focused on local government management, plus strategic planning experience in over 100 local governments. First, it is likely that the impending retirement of the Baby Boom generation of city managers will cause some supply shortages of professional managers in specific geographical regions of the country. Second, increases in the number of professionally managed cities creates the probability that some municipalities, due to their lack of associational attractiveness, may experience difficulty in generating sufficient pools of quality applicants. We suggest that MPA programs continue to nurture communication and relationships with local governments that will lead to specific mutual benefits. For instance, MPA programs benefit from the availability of practitioner speakers and student internships and, in turn, local governments benefit from the creation of a pipeline that provides a continual stream of quality applications.
Recommended Citation
Gabris, Gerald T., Trenton J. Davis, Kimberly L. Nelson.
2010.
"Demand Versus Supply: Assessing the Capacity of MPA Programs to Satisfy the Growing Need for Professional Management in Local Government."
Journal of Public Affairs Education, 16 (3): 379-399.
source: http://www.naspaa.org/JPAEMessenger/Article/VOL16-3/06_16no3_final_gabrisdavisnelson.pdf
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ipns-facpubs/5
Included in
Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons
Comments
Educators may reproduce any material for classroom use only and authors may reproduce their articles without written permission. Written permission is required to reproduce J-PAE in all other instances. Article obtained from the Journal of Public Affairs Education.