The Future Development of Schools of Public Policy: Five Major Trends

I argue that five major trends have affected the development of public policy schools. These trends include the rational bureaucracy approach of Max Weber and Woodrow Wilson, the application of behavioral and social science to administration with Herbert Simon and James March, as well as the more recent trends of the new public management's inter-sector governance approach and anti-government populism. As a result of these trends, schools in the United States typically fall into three categories: policy analysis schools, smaller public administration programs, and larger comprehensive and interdisciplinary schools. In my view, the most promising future for schools of public policy lies in the further development and expansion of these comprehensive schools, and this expansion is, in fact, necessary if we want to effectively and collaboratively address societal needs.