Public Administration, Civil Society, & Democracy: Comparative Perspectives through International Service Learning

AbstractIn an increasingly global society, public administration and public policy students must be equipped to respond to policy issues in culturally and contextually appropriate ways. It is also essential that MPA and PhD programs produce engaged global citizens with an understanding of public administration systems across boundaries. This paper presents an experiential learning method for achieving these goals. The special topics course Public Administration, Civil Society, & Democracy has been adopted by the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and the PhD in Public Administration and Public Policy (PAPP) programs at Auburn University. The course embraces a comparative perspective by physically positioning the students in global contexts, enhancing their awareness of cultural and administrative similarities and differences. Student learning objectives include research (international fieldwork), teaching (short courses and workshops for local partner organizations), and service/outreach (international service-learning projects). Although the course has been facilitated in several African countries, this paper focuses on Liberia during summer 2022.Keywords: civil societydemocracyinternational service learningAfricacomparative graduate course Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Notes1. https://www.aacu.org/trending-topics/high-impact2. The Auburn MPA program is accredited by NASPAA. NASPAA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership association with over 300 institutional member schools at US and non-US universities that award degrees in public administration, public policy, public affairs, nonprofit, and related fields (NASPAA, Citation2023).3. The Advocacy, Community Mobilization, & Social Justice Training was developed by Drs. Kelly Krawczyk and Felicia Tuggle, Auburn University.Additional informationNotes on contributorsBridgett A. KingBridgett A. King is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky. Overarching themes in King’s writings include the administrative structure of felony disenfranchisement and its effect on participation and representation, citizen confidence in electoral outcomes, and the consequences of administrative discretion on voter experiences and democratic representation. She also works on interdisciplinary projects that apply systems and architectural engineering approaches to the field of election administration and participates in domestic and international election observation efforts.Kelly Ann KrawczykKelly Ann Krawczyk is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Auburn University. Her research investigates the potential role of civil society in promoting democracy and development. She examines how civil society can foster sustainable development in local communities, and the role of civil society in strengthening democracy and increasing civic engagement.