ABSTRACT
Serving our country in the twenty-first century includes much more than working for a government agency, however, today, public service encompasses careers in nonprofit organizations that also improve society. This chapter begins with a discussion on why public administration is a worthwhile subject of study. It explores one major characteristic of public administration, which is the legitimate use of public power by the bureaucracy. The chapter elaborates the importance of civil society and the role that public administration can play in helping to strengthen the bonds between citizens and between citizens and their government. It focuses on the differences between managing in the private sector and managing in the public sector as encountered by a former CEO who was secretary of defense during one of the most turbulent eras in our national history, the 1960s. The chapter reviews the work of public management specialists who seek to answer the question of whether public management and private management are essentially same.
