Editorial
| Author | John Diamond,Joyce Liddle |
| Published date | 01 September 2006 |
| Date | 01 September 2006 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/014473940602600201 |
Teaching Public Administration, Autumn 2006, Vol.26, No.2, pp.1-3
EDITORIAL
JOHN DIAMOND (Edge Hill University) and JOYCE LIDDLE
(University
of
Nottingham)
The need for constructive engagement or creative tension between academics
and practitioners
is,~
necessary element in framing any discussion on
contemporary policy
ail4
practice issues within Public Administration.
We
are
acutely aware
of
the need,to avoid reinventing practices which have been well
established or celebrating innovation which
is
current and "normal". But in this
Special Edition we want to suggest that it is possible to discern anumber
of
trends which we cautiously describe
as
"innovative" and "distinctive". In
particular we wish to highlight both specific examples
of
innovative curriculum
and professional development and developments in practitioner/researcher
networks which indicate longer term change and innovation.
There have, in ourjudgement, been five developments over the past ten
to
fifteen years which suggest that we are in one
of
those phases
of
transition
which signal abreak with current practices and prefigure aprocess
of
more
fundamental change. These developments are:
1.
The impact
of
partnership and collaboration within and between the public
and voluntary sector and their effects on management, organisation and
administrative structures
2.
The relationship between practitioners/managers and researchers and how
these have informed developments in professional training, skills
development and accreditation
3.
The focus on addressing skills shortages in the public sector and the ways
in
which the newly formed sector skills councils have influenced programmes
and post graduate (as well as undergraduate and foundation) degrees in
higher education
4.
The new significance afforded to the notion
of
the "reflective practitioner"
5.
The emphasis on promoting both new styles
of
learning and curriculum
design
In the papers which follow contributors to this edition
of
Teaching Public
Administration address each
of
these developments. Akey concern has been the
cumulative impact
of
the changes to the public sector over the past
25
years.
We
1.
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