ObjectivesEvaluate contemporary problems inherent in the workplace and public governance in the context of classical ideas and theories found within public administration literatureUnderstand and articulate the major paradigms of the field of public policy and administrationInteract effectively and demonstrate composure, professionalism, and respect for others.What is Due?Week 2 Discussion initial post, Public Administration: Identify and post the link to a news article or blog post on a current issue or policy related to public administration. After you briefly summarize the article, I'd like you to reflect on how research may help to understand, address, mitigate, or resolve the public administration issue. Use the required readings and film for this week to support your discussion post.IntroductionThis week we explore the discipline and practice of public administration from a theoretical as well as a practical perspective. The values of democracy strongly affect the practice of public administration, and lead to many differences between public and business administration. Public administrators work towards efficiency and effectiveness, while also being responsive to multiple stakeholders. The concept of publicness helps to define public administration, and also leads to tension between efficiency and responsiveness of public administrators. This tension embodies "politics and administration" as well as "bureaucracy and democracy".The political context of public administration represents the Founders' concern over the concentration and distribution of power, which at time complicates the policy process. There are three main levels of government: local, state and federal. There are some common as well as some distinctive characteristics between these different levels of government. The Federal government is divided in to three branches, the executive, legislature, and judicial branches, which leads to a series of checks and balances related to administration, governance and policy development. Intergovernmental relations are complex, in large part due to federalism.The relationship and division of power between the federal and state governments has changed over time. In turn, public administration and the work of administrators has also changed. The effectiveness of public programs is affected by many groups: public, private and non-profit. Increasingly, nonprofit organizations are responsible for defining and delivering public programs. Please use the latest publication manual for the American Psychological Association (APA). The current APA style book is from 2010 and is the 6th edition. For more information, and an overview of the APA style, check out this blog post.Learning ActivitiesRead: Denhardt & Denhardt Chapters 1, 2, and 3. These readings provide the foundation for our course, as well as the program as a whole, in terms of defining and understanding public administration. In addition to an introduction to the field, these readings explore the major paradigms of political and interorganizational context of public administration.Required Reading and Materials: Denhardt, R., Denhardt, J., & Blanc, T. (2014). Public administration: An action orientation. 7th edition. Cengage Learning. Watch: the Frontline Film on Hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive natural disasters in US History. Consider how the storm itself, as well as preparations for and recovery from, illustrate the complexities of public administration and inter-governmental relations.

A Doll's House is a play that lends itself to be analyzed from different perspectives. As stated by Deborah Appleman, "All literary theories are lenses through which we can see texts.” So, you may want to review the literary theories you studied in Week 2 to address question 1. In developing your main post, respond to each part of the prompt. After having read A Doll's House, explain which literary theory you think it is more appropriate to discuss either the play as a whole or a specific aspect of it. If you think more than one theory is applicable, feel free discuss them too. Use the guiding questions listed under each theory (from the literary theories resource) to help you identify a pertinent theory. Discuss what literary elements or dramatic devices the author utilizes to achieve meaning and generate interest. For example, you may want to consider any or all of the following: How does the author use foreshadowing to hint at events to come in the play? What symbols do you see in the play? What do they mean?  How does Ibsen use dramatic irony (when the audience knows something a character doesn't) to generate suspense?  Discuss Nora’s epiphany. What is the nature of her realization, and what are its consequences? 

SPSS is a statistical software program that allows you to enter these variables into a spreadsheet format and record the measurements from a sample. Additionally, SPSS allows you to perform statistical analysis. Before launching into your analyses, though, it is important to understand how the variables are measured. That understanding will help you interpret the SPSS output. In this week’s Discussion, you considered topics with social change implications. For this Assignment, you will examine data to analyze independent and dependent variables, determine how they are measured, and decipher whether a social change question can be answered and the implications for such change. To prepare for this Assignment: Review the Learning Resources as well as the SPSS resources found in this week’s Learning Resources. Review, download, and install the SPSS software on your computer using the IBM SPSS Installation and Registration document for PC or for MAC in this week’s Learning Resources. Using the SPSS software, open the Afrobarometer dataset or the High School Longitudinal Study dataset (whichever you choose) found in this week’s Learning Resources and then choose two variables that interest you. For this Assignment: Early in your Assignment, when you relate which dataset you analyzed, please include the mean of the following variables. If you are using the Afrobarometer Dataset, report the mean of Q1 (Age). If you are using the HS Long Survey Dataset, report the mean of X1SES. A description of what the each of the variables measure. A description of the unit of analysis. A description and explanation of the levels of measurement for each variable (i.e., nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio). Explain how you might conceive these variables to be used to answer a social change question. What might be the implications for social change?