UofG Centre for Public Policy

In an era when 'public servants are being vilified, dehumanized, and used as pawns in an ideological war', Patria de Lancer Julnes - who spoke at the recent EGPA 2025 conference in Glasgow - explores how academic societies are uniquely positioned to create positive change, offering three key actions.

Blog by Patria de Lancer Julnes, immediate past president of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)

This is a pivotal moment in the history of the United States and the history of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) because public servants are being vilified, dehumanized, and used as pawns in an ideological war. ASPA's mission is to advance excellence in public service, guided by four core values: Accountability, Professionalism, Ethics, and Social Equity. We are uniquely positioned to derail the divisive currents and focus on positive change. But to do this, our efforts must go on steroids.

Public servants today face a rhetoric that goes beyond simple criticism. They face a fundamental attack on the integrity of the profession as they are portrayed as being part of a “deep state” conspiracy. They are also characterized as incompetent and lazy, protected by a bureaucracy that refuses to improve. Lastly, they are being personally attacked and threatened.

Alas, this fusion of "fake news" and political rhetoric, amplified by social media, is designed to fuel an already out-of-control citizen distrust. Our first, steroid-level action must be to counter this.

1. Amplifying our power: The forum for change

ASPA speaks to both academics and practitioners. This collaboration is our unique strength—it makes us a powerful force for change that we often fail to fully acknowledge and capitalize on. We are a forum where cutting-edge research and real-world experience meet.

Learned societies like ASPA provide a forum to foster collaboration and the free exchange of ideas, unlocking opportunities for solving the challenging problems facing our society today. To put this on steroids, we must:

• Increase and rapidly disseminate research on institutional resilience and democratic governance. For the past few years ASPA’s conference attendees have been preoccupied by an apparent threat to democracy, from a focus on how democracy is under attack to how to support communities and to become resilient. There is a large body of work by academic and practitioners that has been shared at these different conferences that can become the foundation for policies and curricular reform.
• Swiftly translate research and practice-based insights into training for practitioners. As suggested above, the exchanges at conferences have yielded insights which can help prepare practitioners for these moments of chaos and instability.
• Vigorously defend the essential, non-partisan nature of public service. The public needs to understand that public servants serve all and not just those who look like them or think like them. Many of them become public servants because they want to make a positive impact on the communities they serve. And, most believe in professionalism and the values of accountability, efficiency, ethics, and effectiveness.

2. Getting out of the comfort zone

Obviously, ASPA and other societies must continue to serve their members. However, to meet the current challenge, we must forge ahead to broaden our engagement and collaboration beyond our walls.

Long ago, our members were the natural partners called upon by the government to address reform and reorganization. Now, as a field, we feel the weight of increasing public distrust. We must get out of our comfort zone, to reach out and talk to those who are not part of our associations. ASPA and other learned societies need to work harder to convey their message to the broader society—to help expand people’s understanding of how public servants work to solve problems, address community needs, and ensure that we achieve larger societal goals. We must find ways to reach those who are not listening.

3. The human element in the age of AI

Finally, some believe that technology, particularly AI, will simply replace public servants. And a few have taken steps in that direction. In the USA, this is exemplified by Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), which promised to get rid of corruption, fraud, and waste he claimed existed in the federal government. But, as I scan our landscape, nothing seems further from the truth. We don’t have space here to discuss this in more detail; however, suffice it to say, DOGE has presented little to no credible evidence of the fraud, corruption, and waste claimed by Musk.

We must loudly and vociferously convey to leaders the message of the centrality and pivotal role of the human element in the application of technology and innovation in public administration. For example, technology could help with the most tedious tasks of administration, which would free up time for administrators to focus on people and strategy. Yes, there will be shifts and new efficiencies. However, there is a universal belief that humans are needed to make decisions that affect others with empathy, grace, skills, compassion, and gratitude.

These core human qualities are hard to teach to a robot. Our societies must ensure that as public administrations adopt AI, it is guided by the ethical, social equity, and human-centric values that define public service. We must lead the responsible integration of the machine, not simply be led by it.

Author

Dr Patria de Lancer Julnes is Rosenthal Endowed Professor at the University of New Mexico’s School of Public Administration. She is immediate past president of ASPA, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), and internationally recognized scholar and consultant in performance measurement, government capacity building, and citizen-driven governance.

“It was a true honor to speak during one of the plenary sessions at the 50th Anniversary of the European Group for Public Administration in Glasgow this past August.” - Dr Patria de Lancer Julnes

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First published: 9 October 2025