Abstract
Both the field and the practice of public administration have been extraordinarily dynamic. While essential public services are not likely to disappear any time soon, the manner in which their administrative functions are carried out and evaluated is likely to change considerably. In a globalized world characterized by increasing uncertainty and growing expectations of demanding citizenry, the politics of budgetary austerity is pressing on public administrators at every level of government. They must think in radically different ways about what it means to govern in the 21st century. ‘The future of public administration’ predicts a future with new sets of challenges for the nation-state and its public administration systems.