Reversing Democratic Backsliding by Learning From “Bright Spots” of Public Service: Teaching Resignations as Object-Lessons in Upholding Public Service Values

Abstract

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alvandipour

(2026). Teaching democratic ideals to public affairs students: Findings and reflections from diverse course designs (Book review). Journal of Public Affairs Education, 32(1), 143–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/15236803251409112

Anderfuhren-Biget

(2012). Profiles of public service-motivated civil servants: Evidence from a multicultural country. International Journal of Public Administration, 35(1), 5–18.

Argyriades

(2011). Ethics and globalization in historical perspective: The relevance of Socrates in our days. In Vries

M. S.

Kim

P. S.

(Eds.), Value and virtue in public administration: A comparative perspective (pp. 47–83). Palgrave Macmillan.

Bae

K. H.

(2012). A study on the relationship between public service motivation and exemplary civil servant: Focusing on the senior civil servant in the ministry of health & welfare. Korean Society and Public Administration, 22(4), 473–495.

Bauer

M. W.

(2024). Public administration under populist rule: Standing up against democratic backsliding. International Journal of Public Administration, 47(15), 1019–1031.

Bayram

Zoubi

(2020). The effect of servant leadership on employees’ self-reported performance: Does public service motivation play a mediating explanatory role. Management Science Letters, 10(8), 1771–1776.

Belrhiti

Van Damme

Belalia

Marchal

(2019). Does public service motivation matter in Moroccan public hospitals? A multiple embedded case study. International Journal for Equity in Health, 18(1), 160–172.

Bowman

J. S.

West

J. P.

Berman

Van Wart

(2016). The professional edge: Competencies in public service. M. E. Sharpe.

Brenya

Adu-Gyamfi

Kyei

E. Y.

Tariah

F. P.

Nmerukini

Boateng

E. K.

Angmor

R. Y.

(2017). Public service motivation in Ghanaian civil service: A case study of Ejisu-Juabeng municipality. International Journal of Public Administration, 40(2), 164–175.

10.

Callahan

Bhattacharya

(2017). Public health leadership: Strategies for innovation in population health and social determinants. Routledge.

11.

Callahan

R. F.

(2025). Teaching democracy seriously: A public administration challenge. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(4), 413–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2478765

12.

Cheng

Fink

Ozug

(2025). Former CDC official explains his decision to leave the agency. https://www.npr.org/2025/08/29/nx-s1-5521993/former-cdc-official-explains-his-decision-to-leave-the-agency

13.

Cooper

T. L.

(1987). Hierarchy, virtue, and the practice of public administration: A perspective for normative ethics. Public Administration Review, 47(4), 320–328.

14.

Cooper

T. L.

(1991). An ethic of citizenship for public administration. Prentice Hall.

15.

Cooper

T. L.

(2012). The responsible administrator: An approach to ethics for the administrative role. Jossey-Bass.

16.

Cooper

T. L.

Bryer

T. A.

(2015). William Robertson: Exemplar of politics and public management rightly understood. In Riccucci

N. M.

(Ed.), Serving the public interest: Profiles of successful and innovative public servants (pp. 48–58). Routledge.

17.

Cooper

T. L.

Menzel

D. C.

(2013). Achieving ethical competence for public service leadership. M.E. Sharpe.

18.

Cooper

T. L.

Wright

N. D.

(1992). Exemplary public administrators: Character and leadership in government. Jossey-Bass.

19.

Cox

C. D.

(2025). Systematic review and Metasynthesis: Dissent and Guerrilla government in public administration research. Public Administration Review, 86, 383–396.

20.

Cox Richardson

. (2026). Letters from an American. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-6-2026-monday?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=20533&post_id=193439783&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=5js0s&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

21.

Diamond

Schultz

(2018). Democracy and the teaching of public administration. Teaching Public Administration, 36(3), 203–206.

22.

Garisto

Kozlov

Leford

(2025, September 10). Scientists take on Trump: These researchers are fighting back. Nature, 645, 298–300. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02811-4

23.

Gilman

S. C.

Nelson

K. L.

Lewis

C. W.

(2026). The ethics challenge in public service: A problem-solving guide. John Wiley & Sons.

24.

Goddard

S. E.

Newman

(2025). Further back to the future: Neo-royalism, the Trump administration, and the emerging international system. International Organization, 79(S1), S12–S25.

25.

Grundstein-Amado

(1999). Bilateral transformational leadership: An approach for fostering ethical conduct in public service organizations. Administration & Society, 31(2), 247–260.

26.

Guy

M. E.

(2025). Has public administration education failed? Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(3), 280–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2484131

27.

Faust

(2025, August 27). Breaking news: Read three top CDC officials’ resignation emails. Inside Medicine. https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-news-read-three-top-cdc

28.

Feltman

Young

Mwangi

Sugiura

(2025, September 5). Experts warn of growing threats amid CDC resignations. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/inside-the-cdcs-breakdown-legal-battles-staff-exodus-and-public-health/

29.

Frederickson

H. G.

Hart

D. K.

(1985). The public service and the patriotism of benevolence. Public Administration Review, 45, 547–553.

30.

M. T.

Doan

B. S.

(2024). Exploring moral voice in Vietnam’s public sector: A study of socially responsible human resource management, public service motivation, and ethical leadership. Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 16(1), 34–62.

31.

Haelle

(2025). Trust, public health reporting and the CDC: Insider perspectives. Association of Healthcare Journalists. https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2025/11/trust-public-health-reporting-and-the-cdc-insider-perspectives/

32.

Hart

D. K.

(1984). The virtuous citizen, the honorable bureaucrat, and “public” administration. Public Administration Review, 44, 111–120.

33.

Henry

Goodsell

C. T.

Lynn

L. E.

Stivers

Wamsley

G. L.

(2009). Understanding excellence in public administration: The report of the task force on educating for excellence in the Master of Public Administration degree of the American Society for Public Administration. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 15(2), 117–133.

34.

Heres

Lasthuizen

(2013). From ethical competence to ethical leadership. In Cooper

T. L.

Menzel

D. C.

(Eds.), Achieving ethical competence for public service leadership (pp. 51–70). M.E. Sharpe.

35.

Houry

(2025, September 17). Testimony, The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Hearing “Restoring trust through radical transparency: Reviewing recent events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health.” https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/e7a31f2a-d31c-42bb-1a95-38e6abef8195/Houry%20Testimony.pdf

36.

How 2025 showcased the power and resilience of science. (2025, December 15). Nature, 648, 499. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-04049-6

37.

Hussain

W. A.

Siddiquee

N. A.

(2025). Does ethical leadership deter unethical behavior in the public sector? Exploring the mediating effects of public service motivation. International Journal of Ethics and Systems. Advance online publication.

38.

Ibañez

Bello-Gómez

R. A.

(2025). Merit and impartiality in public administration: The effect of democratic backsliding through participation and contestation. Policy Studies, 1–25. Advance online publication.

39.

Jacobs

(2025, August 28). Attempt to oust CDC director sparks key resignations by agency officials Susan Monarez, who clashed with the U.S. health secretary over vaccine policy, refuses to step down. ScienceInsider. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.zn7rnnt

40.

James

T. S.

(2025). Democracy, public administration, and democratic backsliding. Policy Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2025.2521170

41.

Kang

Lemmie

Williams

B. N.

(2025). “What does public service means to us? Offering a new perspective – The Pracamunal.” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 1–9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2546265

42.

Khan

N. U.

Zada

Ullah

Khattak

Han

Ariza-Montes

Araya-Castilo

(2022). Servant leadership and followers prosocial rule-breaking: The mediating role of public service motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 848531.

43.

King

C. S.

Zanetti

L. A.

(2005). Transformational public service: Portraits of theory in practice. M.E. Sharpe.

44.

Koliba

(2025). Democratic accountability standards and the education of public administrators: A call to action. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(2), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2459992

45.

Kozlov

(2025a). Susan Monarez. Public health guardian. Nature, 648, 516–517.

46.

Kozlov

(2025b, September 17). Three ways ex-CDC chief says that Trump team is sidelining science. Nature. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03014-7

47.

Kozlov

(2025c, October 2). Exclusive: Ex-CDC director talks about why she was fired. Nature. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03179-1

48.

Lee

H. J.

Min

K. R.

Kim

M. Y.

Park

S. M.

(2022). The impact of entrepreneurial leadership and ethical climate on public service motivation in Korea and China: Moderating role of Confucian values. Sustainability, 14(21), Article 14162.

49.

Lewis

. (2026). Who is government? The untold story of public service. Penguin Group.

50.

Lyon

M. A.

Ivonchyk

Appe

Dodge

Fox

Gil-Garcia

J. R.

Rubin

Luna-Reyes

L. F.

(2025). Using generative AI in public affairs education and scholarly activity: A much-needed reflection. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2024.2429195

51.

Lipsky

(1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public service. Russell Sage.

52.

Lotta

Silva

M. M. D. S. E

. (2026). Democratic backsliding and the challenges for public administration scholarship. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 9(2), 76–85.

53.

Lynn

L.E.

Heinrich

C. J.

Hill

C. J.

(2000). Studying governance and public management: Why? How? In Heinrich

C. J.

Lynn, Jr.

L. E.

(Eds.), Governance and performance: New perspectives (pp. 1–34). Georgetown University Press.

54.

McDonald

B. D.

III Hatcher

Bacot

Evans

M. D.

McCandless

S. A.

McDougle

L. M.

Young

S. L.

Elliott

I. C.

Emas

E. Y.

Abbott

M. E.

Bearfield

D. A.

Berry-James

R. M.

Blessett

Borry

E. L.

Diamond

Franklin

A. L.

Gaynor

T. S.

Gong

, . . . Zhang

(2024). The scholarship of teaching and learning in public administration: An agenda for future research. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 30(1), 11–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2023.2294654

55.

Menzel

D. C.

(2010). Ethics moments in government: Cases and controversies. CRC Press.

56.

Menzel

D. C.

(2015). Leadership in public administration: Creative and/or ethical? Public Integrity, 17(4), 315–318.

57.

Menzel

D. C.

(2017). Ethics moments in government: Cases and controversies. Routledge.

58.

Mishra

S. S.

Hassen

M. H.

(2023). Servant leadership and employee’s job performance: The role of public service motivation in Ethiopian public sector organizations. International Journal of Public Leadership, 19(1), 64–80.

59.

Monarez

(2025a, September 4). Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The CDC and Me. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118584/documents/HHRG-119-GO27-20250909-SD003.pdf

60.

Monarez

(2025b, September 17). Testimony, The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Hearing “Restoring trust through radical transparency: Reviewing recent events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health.” https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/e7a31f2a-d31c-42bb-1a95-38e6abef8195/Monarez%20Testimony.pdf

61.

Mosher

F. C.

(1968). Democracy and the public service. Oxford University Press.

62.

Mosher

F. C.

(1979). The GAO: The quest for accountability in American Government. Westview Press.

63.

Nabatchi

(2010). Addressing the citizenship and democratic deficits: The potential of deliberative democracy for public administration. The American Review of Public Administration, 40(4), 376–399.

64.

Newland

C. A.

(2012). Values and virtues in public administration: Post-NPM global fracture and search for human dignity and reasonableness. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 293–302.

65.

O’Leary

(2019). The ethics of dissent: Managing guerrilla government. CQ Press.

66.

Oliveira

F. B.

Rubin

M. M.

(2013). Public administration education in Brazil: Evolution, challenges, and opportunities. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 19(4), 635–655.

67.

Philips

J. B.

(2025). Hood academics and the strength of street knowledge: The role of educators and practitioners from marginalized backgrounds in nonprofit education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(2), 176–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2024.2419811

68.

Riccucci

N. M.

(1995). Unsung heroes: Federal execucrats making a difference. Georgetown University Press.

69.

Riccucci

(2015). Serving the public interest: Profiles of successful and innovative public servants. Routledge.

70.

Rinfret

(2026). Annual statement from NASPAA’s President. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 32(1), 9–10.

71.

Rinfret

S. R.

Young

S. L.

(2025a). Introduction: Emerging themes to rethink how we approach public affairs education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(3), 277–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2527538

72.

Rinfret

S. R.

Young

S. L.

(2025b). Introduction: The future of public affairs education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2456391

73.

Ripoll

Schott

(2024). Responding to unethical demands by one’s leader: The role of public service motivation. International Journal of Public Administration, 47(14), 990–1000.

74.

Rubaii

(2012). Leading by example: Modeling global public service excellence. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 18(1), 1–8.

75.

Salamon

L. M.

(2005). Training professional citizens: Getting beyond the right answer to the wrong question in public affairs education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 11(1), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2005.12001373

76.

Sanabria-Pulido

(2026). From public service motivation to public sector avoidance: Career decisions in fragmented governance systems. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 1–17. Advance online publication.

77.

Sanabria-Pulido

Pliscoff

(2022). What do we know yet about public service motivation in Latin America? A review of the evolution of empirical research. In Stazyk

E. C.

Davis

R. S.

(Eds.), Research handbook on motivation in public administration (pp. 89–104). Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.

78.

Shim

D. C.

Park

H. H.

(2019). Public service motivation in a work group: Role of ethical climate and servant leadership. Public Personnel Management, 48(2), 203–225.

79.

Stewart

Young

S. L.

Rinfret

S. R.

Mirabella

Jeong

(2025). Introduction to the special issue: The future of nonprofit education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(2), 113–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2498871

80.

Svara

J. H.

(2021). The ethics primer for public administrators in government and nonprofit organizations. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

81.

Tavares

G. M.

Lima

F. V.

Michener

(2024). To blow the whistle in Brazil: The impact of gender and public service motivation. Regulation & Governance, 18(1), 226–244.

82.

Terry

L. D.

(1990). Leadership in the administrative state: The concept of administrative conservatorship. Administration & Society, 21(4), 395–412.

83.

Terry

L. D.

(2015). Leadership of public bureaucracies: The administrator as conservator: The administrator as conservator. Routledge.

84.

Tongsongsom

Potipiroon

(2025). Volunteer motivation in emergency services: Joint effects of leader public service motivation and citizen gratitude on volunteer prosocial behavior. Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Advance online publication.

85.

Tran

T. K. P.

Truong

T. T.

(2021). Impact of servant leadership on public service motivation of civil servants: Empirical evidence from Vietnam. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(4), 1057–1066.

86.

Uluturk

Yilmaz Altuntas

Isik

(2023). Impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction and work-related burnout among Turkish street-level bureaucrats: The roles of public service motivation, perceived organizational support, and red tape. Public Performance & Management Review, 46(6), 1502–1534.

87.

Van der Wal

. (2015). “All quiet on the non-Western front?” A review of public service motivation scholarship in non-Western contexts. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 37(2), 69–86.

88.

Ventriss

Perry

J. L.

Nabatchi

Milward

H. B.

Johnston

J. M.

(2019). Democracy, public administration, and public values in an era of estrangement. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 2(4), 275–282.

89.

Ventriss

Candler

G. G.

(2026). The relevance of publicness in an era of democratic backsliding. The American Review of Public Administration, 56(2), 91–100.

90.

Villarroel-Nuñez

Salanova

Acosta-Antognoni

(2026). Servant leadership, work engagement, and public service motivation in the Chilean public administration from a gender perspective. Administrative Sciences, 16(4), 171–196.

91.

Vuong

B. N.

(2023). The influence of servant leadership on job performance through innovative work behavior: Does public service motivation matter? Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 45(3), 295–315.

92.

Waldo

(1974). Reflections on Public Morality. Administration & Society, 6(3), 267–282.

93.

Waldo

(1988). The enterprise of public administration. Chandler & Sharp.

94.

Wang

T. M.

van Witteloostuijn

Heine

(2024). Morally motivated public service: An empirical examination of the moral theory of public service motivation. International Public Management Journal, 27(2), 165–189.

95.

Woodring

R. J.

Feeney

M. K.

(2022). Public service values education: A call to service for public affairs programs. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 29(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2022.2101082

96.

Yeboah-Assiamah

Baidoo

P. A.

Asamoah

(2025). Democratic backsliding and public administration: The experience of Ghana. Policy Studies, 1–24. Advance online publication.

97.

Yin

(2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Sage.

98.

Young

S. L.

(2025). Global perspectives on public administration values, integrity, and professional formation. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(4), 409–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2025.2604471

99.

Young

S. L.

(2026). Introduction: Public affairs education as an institutional response to complex social problems. Journal of Public Affairs Education. Advance online publication.

100.

Young

S. L.

Rinfret

S. R.

(2024a). Reflection, responsibility, and resilience in public affairs education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 30(4), 531–533. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2024.2432845

101.

Young

S. L.

Rinfret

S. R.

(2024b). Introduction: The evolving dynamics in public affairs education: Challenges, advancements, and future directions. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 30(3), 343–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2024.2393069

102.

Zanetti

L. A.

(1998). At the nexus of state and civil society: The transformative practice of public administration. In King

C. S.

Stivers

C. M.

(Eds.), Government is us: Public administration in an anti-government era (pp. 102–121). Sage.

103.

Zavattaro

S. M.

Schuneman

Mastracci

S. H.

(2024). “Every day of your life you deal with death:” Incorporating dirty work into the MPA curriculum. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 30(2), 194–215.