The Missing Piece: The Case For Administrative Law In the MSPA Curriculum

Abstract

Why is administrative law so neglected in the curricula of graduate public administration in the United States? In the light of professed adherence to democratic administration and rule of law, this gap in the academic education of public service professionals seems surprising and somewhat disconcerting. Public servants are not only empowered but obligated by law to use the power of the state to make decisions and take actions in the public interest. Yet, study of the theory, processes, and practices of administrative law seems to play little or no part in their preparation for these tasks.