Contemplating the big five questions in Public Administration and Management curriculation

Abstract

Public Administration and Management, as an applied discipline, needs to be reviewed and adjusted constantly. In this way it will remain relevant to scholars, students, public sector practitioners and society in general. Within a dynamic higher education landscape this process is known as curriculation. Through the application of the principles of Complexity Theory, this article aims to facilitate curriculation endeavors in Public Administration and Management by means of five �big� questions that should be contemplated by all those involved in curriculation decisions. The article does not attempt to provide answers to these questions, but rather to guide a curriculation discourse by posing the �right� questions. It is argued that these questions will contextualise any decisions regarding curriculation and could contribute to the discourse on relevancy regarding Public Administration and Management teaching at tertiary institutions in South Africa.