Reclaiming Origins, Reshaping Futures: A Call to Reframe Public Administration

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Gedeon M. Mudacumura
June 12, 2026

Introduction: From Recognition to Responsibility

In a recent reflection on the field’s origins, I suggested that the story of public administration is more expansive than its conventional telling. The question before us is no longer whether the discipline’s narrative is incomplete, but what responsibility that recognition now demands.

For a field committed to advancing the public good and strengthening democratic governance, this moment presents both a challenge and an opportunity. If public administration is to remain responsive, relevant and globally engaged, it must be willing to reexamine the intellectual foundations upon which it stands.

The Limits of a Narrow Canon

Public administration has traditionally traced its intellectual lineage to late 19th-century developments, often anchored in Western institutional thought. These contributions remain foundational. Yet, when treated as the point of origin rather than one expression within a broader historical continuum, they risk narrowing the field’s conceptual horizon.

This narrowing is not merely conceptual. It carries practical consequences.

It shapes how governance is taught, how administrative capacity is developed and how institutional legitimacy is assessed across diverse contexts. It may also overlook governance systems that, for centuries, embodied principles of accountability, participation and ethical stewardship—principles that align closely with the profession’s enduring commitment to serve the public interest with integrity and competence.

To recognize these limitations is not to diminish the field’s achievements, but to strengthen its capacity for inclusive excellence and global relevance.

Why Reframing Matters Now

The urgency of this conversation is not academic alone. It is profoundly practical.

Across regions, public institutions are navigating increasing complexity: rapid urbanization, digital transformation, institutional fragility and rising expectations for transparency and responsiveness. In such an environment, effective public administration depends not only on technical proficiency but also on legitimacy, cultural resonance and public trust.

A discipline that draws on a broader, more inclusive intellectual foundation is better positioned to meet these challenges. It can support governance systems that are not only efficient, but also contextually grounded, ethically anchored and responsive to the communities they serve—reflecting the broader professional commitment to advance social equity, uphold accountability and strengthen democratic values.

Reframing the field, therefore, is not about revisiting the past for its own sake. It is about strengthening the future of public service.

From Recovery to Integration

The path forward is not one of replacement, but of integration.

Expanding the canon of public administration does not diminish established contributions; it situates them within a broader and more representative global narrative. This approach reflects a wider recognition that the discipline is strengthened when it embraces diverse perspectives, fosters dialogue and advances inclusive knowledge.

Moving from recovery to integration requires:

• comparative and cross-regional scholarship
• interdisciplinary collaboration
• openness to multiple administrative traditions and logics

Such an effort reinforces the field’s commitment to ethical leadership, continuous learning and innovation—principles essential to effective, ethical and accountable governance.

The goal is not fragmentation, but coherence at a higher level—one that reflects the full diversity of the field’s intellectual inheritance while strengthening its collective capacity to serve.

A Platform for the Next Phase

Advancing this work requires more than individual scholarship. It calls for sustained collaboration and institutional engagement.

The African Origins of Public Administration Review (AOPAR) is one such initiative. It seeks to contribute to and help shape this emerging conversation by supporting research, fostering dialogue and advancing a more inclusive understanding of governance traditions within the global field.

As part of this effort, a 2027 Continental Conference in Cape Town is being envisioned as a convening platform for scholars, practitioners and institutions committed to strengthening public administration through broader intellectual engagement. Selected contributions will be considered for inclusion in an edited volume, marking an initial step toward building a more globally informed body of knowledge.

Toward a Global Genealogy of Public Administration

As the discipline continues to evolve, a defining question comes into focus:

Is public administration ready to embrace a truly global genealogy—one that fully reflects the depth and diversity of its intellectual foundations?

Engaging this question does not call for abandoning established frameworks, but for expanding them through dialogue, scholarship and collaboration. In doing so, the field can strengthen its ability to advance the public good across diverse contexts while remaining grounded in its core commitments to integrity, accountability and service.

Conclusion: Reexamining the Field’s Memory

The future of public administration will not be secured by refining its methods alone. It will also depend on a disciplined reexamination of its memory.

For a field dedicated to advancing the public good, this is not a peripheral task. It is central to its mission.

In rediscovering where the field truly comes from, we may better discern how it can continue to evolve, serve and lead with clarity, legitimacy and purpose in an increasingly interconnected world.

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Author: Dr. Gedeon M. Mudacumura is Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and Chair of the Section on African Public Administration (SAPA) of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). His work focuses on governance, institutional development, and advancing a globally grounded understanding of public administration, including the integration of African administrative traditions into the discipline.

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