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Publication
To Restore and Renew: The State of the Federal ServiceThe terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11 reminded the nation just how important the federal public service is in times of crisis. The night after the attacks, President Bush said, "the functions of our government continue without …
Course
PADM-GP.4119
Data Visualization and StorytellingIn our increasingly data-reliant and data-saturated society, people who understand how to leverage data to generate insights have the power to change the world. Data visualization and storytelling is a crucial skill for policy and data analysts, …Course
PADM-GP.2214
Constructing National Development StrategiesIn this course, students examine the challenges and opportunities of national development. Following Lant Pritchett, we define national development as the lockstep improvement in (i) economic productivity, (ii) political representation, (iii) public …Publication
The New Public ServiceAccording to Paul C. Light's controversial new book, The New Public Service, this January's 4.8 percent federal pay increase will do little to compensate for what potential employees think is currently missing from federal careers. Talented Americans are …
Capstone Projects
EXPLORING MIDWESTERN LABOR LAWS AND HOUSING POLICY DURING THE GREAT RECOVERYSix states passed Right-to-Work (RTW) statutes between 2001 and 2017 that made it illegal for employers to require their workers to pay union dues. The team theorized that the loss of union benefits such as regular wage increases, health insurance, and …
Stories
Alumni Spotlight: Jessica González-Rojas (MPA 2003) In 2020, Jessica González-Rojas (MPA 2003) was elected to the New York State Assembly representing the 34th Assembly District, which includes the diverse Queens communities of Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Woodside, and Corona. She is an unapologetic …
Faculty Profile
Brendan McLaughlinBrendan McLaughlin is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he teaches Real Estate Finance. He currently is the Managing Director of Programs & Originations at CPC Mortgage Company, a …
Publication
Making Nonprofits Work: A Report on the Tides of Nonprofit Management ReformIn Making Nonprofits Work, Paul C. Light charts the current trends of management reform in the nonprofit sector and assesses the climate for reform at the local and national levels. Light examines the four popular philosophies, or "tides," being …
Publication
How Patients Understand the Term “Nonmedical Use” of Prescription Drugs: Insights from Cognitive InterviewsBackground : With rising rates of prescription drug abuse and associated overdose deaths, there is great interest in having accurate and efficient screening tools that identify nonmedical use of prescription drugs in health care settings. The authors …
Publication
The Political Right to Have 'Society in the Bones': The Skill and Brawn of Male Workers in QatarScholars of gender and work have considered the gendered interpretation of embodied skill, and have shown how discourses about gender inform the visibility of skill and the value attributed to it. In their focus on discourse, they have overlooked the …
Webpage
EventsThe NYU Wagner Labor Initiative convenes experts from across government, academia, and civil society to explore methods to advance and safeguard workers' rights. Register to join us for upcoming events and view our past events to learn about previous …
Publication
Government by Investigation: Congress, President, and the Search for Answers, 1945–2012Presidential and congressional investigations are particularly powerful tools for asking tough questions about highly visible, often complex government breakdowns, including: communist infiltration of government 1950s, the Vietnam War during the 1960s, …
Publication
The Political Right to have ‘Society in the Bones’: The Skill and Brawn of Male Workers in QatarIskander, Natasha …
Publication
The True Size of GovernmentThis book addresses a seemingly simple question: Just how many people really work for the federal government? Official counts show a relatively small total of 1.9 million full-time civil servants, as of 1996. But, according to Paul Light, the true head …
Faculty Profile
Katherine GraingerKatherine Grainger is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service. She is also a respected attorney, has worked on civil rights, women’s rights, labor, and education issues. Currently, Katherine is Partner of Civitas Public Affairs Group. She has …
Publication
The Search for Social EntrepreneurshipResearch on social entrepreneurship is finally catching up to its rapidly growing potential. In The Search for Social Entrepreneurship, Paul Light explores this surge of interest to establish the state of knowledge on this growing phenomenon and suggest …
Capstone Projects
Strategic Expansion PlanCause Effective is a nonprofit consulting firm that works with other nonprofits to develop fundraising strategies. It is currently considering ways to expand its client base to diversify and stabilize its own income streams. The Capstone team was engaged …
Webpage
PublicationsIssue Brief: How State and Local Government Can Support Workers’ Right to Form and Join Unions By Terri Gerstein | April 22, 2025 For nearly a century, the right to form and join unions has been established by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). That …
Publication
The Federalist Papers Revised for Twenty-First-Century RealityPublic administration scholars answer the question: What might Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison, who between October 1787 and August 1788 penned the Federalist Papers promoting ratification of the U.S. Constitution, add now to the pamphlets, …
Publication
The Changing Shape of GovernmentWithout discounting the significant downsizing that has occurred, only one of the two ingredients for a leaner, more efficient government is in place. The girth of government-measured by the total number of federal employees-may be shrinking, but its …
Publication
Searching for Social EntrepreneursThe question for this paper is not whether social entrepreneurs exist, however, but whether the field of social entrepreneurship is too exclusive for its own good. The field has mostly defined social entrepreneurs as individuals who launch entirely new …
Publication
The Four Pillars of High Performance: How Robust Organizations Achieve Extraordinary ResultsIn 1999, Paul C. Light embarked on an ambitious project which, if successful, would provide organizations of all kinds with a powerful new tool for navigating the turbulent sea of change that is today’s global business environment. A guide to achieving …
Publication
Insights from a national survey into why substance abuse treatment units add prevention and outreach servicesWells, R.B. Lemak, C.H. & D’Aunno, T. …
Webpage
Guidelines for Wagner-Invited Speaker InvitationsThese guidelines are intended to convey the sense of the faculty with respect to invitations extended by the School and members of the School community to outside speakers. They build on the University’s Guidelines for Administrative Implementation of …