American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) is a membership association of almost 10,000 professionals in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of government

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

, and, to a lesser degree, programs of

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.bureaucracy, civic engagement,

program evaluation Program evaluation is a systematic method for collecting, analyzing, and using information to answer questions about projects, policies and programs, particularly about their effectiveness and efficiency. In both the public and private sectors, s ...

public management Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

and other public administration topics, such as budgeting and

budget theory Budget theory is the academic study of political and social motivations behind government and civil society budgeting. Classic theorists in Public Budgeting include Henry Adams, William F. Willoughby, V. O. Key, Jr., and, more recently, Aaron Wild ...

, government strategic planning, policy analysis, contract administration, personnel management, and related topics. American Society for Public Administration was founded in 1939, following growing concerns about the management of federal government and the report of the

Brownlow Committee The President's Committee on Administrative Management, commonly known as the Brownlow Committee or Brownlow Commission, was a presidentially commissioned panel of political science and public administration experts that in 1937 recommended sweep ...

. It was formally incorporated on September 13, 1945.American Society for Public Administration
. ''Corporation File Detail Report''. Illinois Secretary of State. Accessed on April 6, 2016. American Society for Public Administration owns the journals ''

Public Administration Review ''Public Administration Review'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal the field of public administration. It was established in 1940 and has been one of the top-rated journals in the field. It is the official journal of the American Socie ...

'' and ''Public Integrity'' and sponsors several others via its subject-matter Sections, including Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, Public Budgeting and Finance, and others.

History

American Society for Public Administration was founded in 1939 by

Louis Brownlow Louis Brownlow (August 29, 1879 – September 27, 1963) was an American author, political scientist, and consultant in the area of public administration. As chairman of the Committee on Administrative Management (better known as the Brownlow Comm ...

, William E. Mosher, Donald C. Stone, Charles A. Beard, Harold D. Smith, Luther Gulick, and others. During its early years, American Society for Public Administration was housed in the Public Administration Clearing House (PACH) in Chicago. Significant events in American Society for Public Administration's history include: * Sponsorship of ''

'' since 1939. * After a developmental grant from the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

in 1956, independence from PACH. * A move of the headquarters to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1964. * Establishment of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) as part of ASPA in 1967, and formal separation of NAPA from ASPA in 1970. * Reformulation of ASPA's Council on Graduate Education for Public Administration to the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) within ASPA in 1970, and formal separation of NASPAA from ASPA in 1975. * In 1981, creation with NAPA of National Public Service Awards. * A 50th Anniversary Conference in 1990. * Approval of the American Society for Public Administration

Code of Ethics Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of bus ...

in 1994. American Society for Public Administration's membership declined from about 14,000 members in 1990 to 8,383 members in 2007. However, during that period the Society took "steps to address its most serious issues: attracting and retaining members, dealing with structure and funding, developing a coherent mission, strengthening chapters and sections, sponsoring successful conferences, enhancing its publication offerings, and working effectively with other organizations concerned with public administration and public service." American Society for Public Administration membership was affected by the tendency of government to hire local governmental personnel, and the change from government provision of services to contracting to the private and non-profit sectors. However, the field of public administration is the sole academic field given the responsibility for areas ranging from government budgeting at the United States budget levels, community development throughout all localities and states in the United States, and personnel management of all United States workforces, among others.

Programs

ASPA Annual Conference is a yearly conference held to connect administrators and scholars from across the globe to share experiences and information with one another. There are a series of guest panelists and presentations that are presented during this event. The Founders' Fellows Program was launched in the early 2000s; it was created for early young professionals entering the field of public service. The program contains a series of developmental webinars, mentorships and other events they must attend. The fellows present their research from this event at the Annual Conference and submit a paper that is related to their area of expertise, which will then be published in the online ''PA TIMES''. It was originally open to graduate students, but the fellowship program has since then expanded to include new administrators entering the field. In 2015, the program had a change in content and now the fellows compete in year-long mentoring and webinar sessions.

Awards

American Society for Public Administration sponsors more than 20 awards for public administration practitioners and scholars, of which the longest-running are the

Dwight Waldo Clifford Dwight Waldo (September 28, 1913 – October 27, 2000) was an American political scientist and is perhaps the defining figure in modern public administration. Waldo's career was often directed against a scientific/technical portrayal ...

and Charles Levine awards. Find the full list of its awards on its website.

Dwight Waldo Award

The Dwight Waldo Award is presented to individuals "who have made outstanding contributions to the professional literature of public administration over an extended career."

Charles Levine Award

The Charles Levine Memorial Award for Excellence in Public Administration is presented jointly by American Society for Public Administration and the

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

to "a public administration faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in three major areas of the field of teaching, research and service to the wider community."

Louis Brownlow Award

The

Award is presented by ASPA for the best ''

'' article written by a practitioner.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Professional associations based in the United States Public administration 1939 establishments in Washington, D.C. Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations