Why Every Future Public Administrator Should Understand Intergovernmental Management
Why Every Future Public Administrator Should Understand Intergovernmental Management
UIC’s Online Master of Public Administration (MPA) program equips working professionals with practical skills in public management, policy analysis, and leadership. Professor Jered Carr, who has over 25 years of experience researching and teaching local government with a focus on intergovernmental relations, teaches PA 561: Intergovernmental Management. This course dives deep into the constitutional, political, and fiscal relationships among federal, state, and local governments, emphasizing how successful public policies depend on collaboration across these levels.
In this interview, Professor Carr explains why understanding intergovernmental management is essential for anyone pursuing public service careers today and how his course prepares students to meet the real-world challenges they’ll face.
Why Intergovernmental Management is Essential for Public Administrators in Today’s Changing Political Climate
We all live and work in an intergovernmental environment where critical public services and significant policy challenges are managed across multiple government levels. This is something many people don’t often consider when thinking about public administration. Most local government services involve collaboration with other governments, either at the same level or higher, and they frequently rely on funding from federal, state, or other sources. For instance, in the Chicago region, much of what gets done, whether transportation, economic development, or public health, is supported by federal money. There’s very little in public policy that isn’t intergovernmental.
This system is dynamic and constantly changing. It evolves in response to political shocks, often driven by presidential administrations seeking to implement new policy agendas. Historically, we’ve seen this with leaders like FDR, who expanded the role of the federal government to launch major programs, or Ronald Reagan, who shifted more responsibility to the states. Today, we may be at a significant inflection point, with major shifts in federal funding and priorities disrupting how services are delivered and regional problems are addressed. Intergovernmental organizations are being asked to do more with fewer resources. Understanding and navigating this shifting landscape is more critical than ever for public administrators and nonprofit professionals at every level.
What major challenges do public administrators face, and how does this course help address them?
Most of the significant issues we deal with in public administration are intergovernmental and often intersectoral. That means they not only involve multiple levels of government, but they also engage the non-governmental sector. Traditionally, many online MPA programs have not reflected this reality. There’s been a long-standing conversation about how these programs tend to emphasize running the organization with a focus on areas like organizational change, finance and budgeting, and human resources while overlooking the skills needed to work across organizational boundaries.
This course is part of our effort to address that gap. It’s designed to help students better understand the challenges that arise in intergovernmental settings, whether working horizontally with other governments at the same level, collaborating with nonprofit partners, or coordinating vertically across federal, state, and local levels. These are critical competencies for today’s public administrators.
Course Overview: What You’ll Learn in PA 561: Intergovernmental Management?
This isn’t a skills-based course like statistics or management; it’s more conceptual. The focus is on helping students understand how the U.S. federal system shapes public policy, program implementation, and service delivery across different levels of government.
Students in PA 561 will learn:
- The structure of the U.S. federal system
- Forms of intergovernmental relations
- How major programs are implemented intergovernmentally
- Regionalism and interlocal collaboration
- Intergovernmental networks
To help bring these ideas to life, I’ve also recorded interviews with people from some of the types of organizations involved in intergovernmental management to bring real-world perspectives into the course. I intersperse those throughout the class so students can hear how the concepts we’re covering actually play out in practice.
A Hands-On Project That Prepares Students for Public Sector Collaboration
The key assignment involves analyzing a real-world collaboration between two governments on a specific issue. Students are required to conduct interviews with people directly involved in that partnership. They learn about the barriers to starting and sustaining the collaboration, what has made it successful, and how different entities work together to tackle complex public problems.
It’s a great way to build insight into interorganizational dynamics. And it often goes beyond just government-to-government partnerships. Many of these collaborations also involve nonprofit organizations. For instance, students might interview a city official and a nonprofit executive director working together on a federally funded program.
One student even got a job offer after completing this assignment. The person they interviewed followed up later with an opportunity. So it’s not only a meaningful academic project but can also open doors professionally. In other cases, students have selected projects that created an opportunity to meet people who they want to add to their professional network.
What types of professionals or roles would especially benefit from taking a course like PA 561?
Everyone can benefit from this course. A solid understanding of the federal structure, fiscal federalism, and the intergovernmental context of public policy is valuable no matter where you work, whether you’re in government or a nonprofit organization.
Most people don’t think about it initially, but once they’re in the field, it becomes clear that the environment in which public policy is implemented is mainly intergovernmental. If you’re working in a nonprofit, you’ll likely see it firsthand since many nonprofits operate using state or federal grants. On the flip side, if you’re in the state or federal government, your role might involve overseeing the grants that fund other governments or nonprofit partners to deliver key parts of important programs. So even if students don’t come into the course thinking about intergovernmental dynamics, they quickly recognize how important it is.
What advice do you have for students considering UIC’s Online MPA program?
My biggest piece of advice might sound simple, but it’s important: enjoy it. Grad school is a great time to learn. It gives you the space to explore ideas, talk through complex topics, and engage with the material. That said, it also takes discipline, especially in a fast-paced, asynchronous format like UIC’s Online MPA program. You get out of it what you put into it.
Beyond that, I’d also say to take advantage of this opportunity to connect to your fellow students. It may feel a bit independent because the program is asynchronous, but there are discussion opportunities and even a group project in my class. Just like in a traditional classroom, you can learn a lot from the experiences and insights of your peers.