Human(e) government: charting a positive path in a hostile world

Abstract

In an environment of turbulence and an era of intensifying hostility to public servants, how can we chart a more positive pathway for the field of public administration and management? In the 2025 Donald C. Stone Lecture at the American Society for Public Administration, new foundations to inform a more human(e) approach were explored as a way of addressing this question. Important dynamics in the current environment are sketched out, followed by four ideas to shape thinking on the future: positivity, complexity, humility, and empathy. Each of these big ideas is presented as pieces of a broader movement toward a new paradigm of public administration and management.