ABSTRACT
There are increasing numbers of federal agencies finding the need for an overseas presence or that are experiencing global dimensions to their work. For example, Health and Human Services, whose Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health track and respond to health and medical developments worldwide; the Education Department’s American Overseas Research Center promotes global exchange of ideas and innovations through Americanfunded academic research overseas; the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey must track global developments such as climate change and catastrophic events for their impact on American life; the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration monitors shipping activities in an increasingly integrated global economy; and the Federal Aviation Administration assesses and monitors flight safety in airports and airspace covering the globe. Furthermore, many regulatory agencies have decision-making responsibilities that affect other nations and their nationals. In short, given the many bilateral and multilateral exchange agreements with other countries to which the United States is a party, there is almost no policy arena that does not require public administrators to engage with international counterparts and to monitor global trends and events. More and more, successful mission accomplishment for agencies requires the ability to influence events and ideas across national and cultural boundaries-in essence, to exercise effective global leadership (Dorfman 2003). This chapter addresses these three important questions:
• What is global leadership? • What are the public dimensions of global leadership? • How should government develop globally competent leaders?
