Assignment 1: Public Administration ‒ The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Due Week 3 and worth 210 points

The purpose of the assignments is to introduce students to the field of public administration and nonprofit organizations by identifying and analyzing the challenges a public administrator faces in a dynamic organizational and political environment. Each assignment builds upon the previous assignment allowing the student to gradually develop an understanding of how public administration and its policies are addressed on all levels of government.

For this assignment, you will use the readings and e-Activities from Weeks 1 through 3.

In this first assignment, you will select a policy issue and evaluate its impact. Select one (1) policy issue of interest to you, which will be used for evaluation for all of your assignments.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Develop a brief overview (i.e., no more than one [1] paragraph) of the selected issue.
2. Recommend one (1) type of public policy out of the four (4) mentioned within the text and develop a reasoning as to why this policy supports the issue that you have selected. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Suggest two (2) policy modifications that may positively impact and two (2) policy modifications that may negatively impact the outcomes for the issue that you have selected. Provide a rationale for your response. Note: In this question, you are recommending change to the public policy in Question #2 and how the changes will impact the selected issue.
4. Suggest three (3) methods by which the Constitution—specifically the powers of Congress— addresses the role of government within business administration overall for your selected issue. Provide a rationale to support your response. Note: In this question, you are evaluating the relationship between government and business of the selected issue. Focus on the role(s) the government and businesses play in supporting and / or negating the selected issue.
5. Include at least four (4) peer-reviewed references (no more than five [5] years old) from material outside the textbook. Note: Appropriate peer-reviewed references include scholarly articles and governmental Websites.. Wikipedia, other wikis, and any other Websites ending in anything other than “.gov” do not qualify as peer-reviewed.

When writing the paper, use the outline headings below that correspond to sections of the paper:

• Policy Issue (for Question 1)
• Public Policy (for Question 2)
• Policy Modification (for Question 3)
• The Constitution (for Question 4)
• References (for Question 5)

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the studentâ€s name, the professorâ€s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Reconstruct the historical development of the field of public administration.
• Rearrange public administration, both the traditional and the new approaches, from structural, functional, and process perspectives, as well as the key goals of the public and private sector.
• Evaluate the role and functions of public administration as it relates to executive branches of government and public policies at federal, state, and local levels.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in public administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about public administration using proper writing mechanics.