Abstract
Civic engagement has become more important today in helping people adapt to the complexities of a rapidly changing world and mitigating the negative attitudes toward government. This study, which focused on city managers in Minnesota, explored local government manager’s role in helping citizens understand a broad spectrum of issues in their communities. The study’s conclusion demonstrate that local government managers see themselves as civic educators covering a broad spectrum of issues, educational foci and educational methods. This gives them numerous opportunities for engagement with local government stakeholders in various settings. The nature of the work, as well as the political tone in local government, has led to the need to adopt this role to facilitate others to participate in the decision making process in an informed manner. The manager’s primary focus is with the elected officials. One recommendation of this study is that teaching methods and strategies should be considered for graduate level education in public administration to better prepare local government managers for their career.
Presenters
Miriam PorterInstitute Director/Professor, Urban and Regional Studies Institute, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Community Diversity and Governance
KEYWORDS
Civic Education, Knowledge Based Society, Civic Engagement
