Public administration education in Chile: History and the current state-of-the-art

ABSTRACT Chile’s Public Administration Education (PAE) is not a new academic domain. Its origin dates to the second part of the 19th century. However, it was not until 1954 that the University of Chile decided to open an academic program in the subject. The current article is an effort to share the Chilean experience with the public administration community. After presenting the reality of Latin America in this subject, this article develops three topics: the history of PAE in Chile, the current state-of-the-art of this academic field, and an analysis of the curricula of undergraduate programs in the country. Conclusions in the article refer to the present and future of PAE in Chile as part of a broader discussion in the literature on the limitations of a global PAE and the potential for a more multicultural PAE.