The presence of political scientists in the public administration

Abstract

This article reviews the presence of political scientists in Spanish public administrations. The text is divided into three sections: first, a descriptive analysis of the representation of political scientists in the public service of Spain in the recent past and the present. Secondly, an analysis of the value that political scientists bring to modern public management in which their multidisciplinary and versatile profile stands out provided by the degree in Political Science and Administration. Finally, the study delves into the prospective analysis and examines the changes that are potentially going to take place in public administrations and how these will affect the new competencies that public employees of the future will have to acquire. Political scientists can absorb these transformations and mutations of professional profiles quite smoothly as long as the curricula of specialized degrees and master's degree programs in Political Science and Public Management incorporate subjects that address the new competencies required. The conclusion is that in the near past, as well as in the present and the future, the presence of political scientists in our public administrations is not very significant at a quantitative level due to the low weight of graduates in Political Science and Public Administration in comparison with other university degrees, but their qualitative presence is very relevant considering the strategic positions occupied by political scientists.