04. Introduction

Abstract

The Public Management Simulation (PMS) was conceived as a unique way to combine teaching and research in, public administration. The ideal of combining teaching and research all too often finds its expression as a classroom lecture on somebody's pet study or as the lonely process of grinding out a dissertation or thesis. While both of these methods have undeniable merit, they tend to lack the vitality and challenge that comes from working with a group of intelligent and informed people to understand complex social phenomenon. PMS provides an alternative that utilizes the students as policy researchers with the added stimulus of an adversary setting. In this instance the PMS was used to develop alternatives for government funding of Long Term Care.