GOVERNING in modern-day society requires good public administration. The duties of government officials and public administrators are multifaceted and complex. Meeting the demands of public administration requires a balanced combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors. This can be captured in one word: competence.
In a Cambridge University Press article about government competence and the Covid-19 pandemic, Elizabeth Fisher and Sidney Shapiro said: "Competence is not exactly a concept that gets the heart racing. To call someone competent is often faint praise. To be competent is not to be exciting, even dullness about it. But it is essential for a good government... Government must be able to act competently — sensibly and effectively — if collective action problems are to be addressed and mitigated."
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