Augusta University
AU Online
The 1988 presidential race between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis was a memorable election. The famously aggressive attack ads and tense debates kept political buffs tuned in constantly.
William Hatcher, 8 years old and years away from earning his doctorate, was among them.
“When I was a kid, I was a nerd,” he remembered. “I was interested in the presidential campaign between Bush and Dukakis and I wanted Bush to win because he seemed ‘nice,’ but I didn’t really know what to do with that.”
By the time he got to undergrad, he had decided to major in computer science. However, he quickly discovered political science and what he could do with his fascination with government.
“I took a class on state and local government and really saw all you can do with public administration to help better communities,” Dr. Hatcher said.
Since then, Dr. Hatcher has channeled his passion into numerous groundbreaking research projects and, most recently, preparing tomorrow’s public servants through the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at Augusta University Online. However, no matter what he does, improving how governments serve their communities is always at the forefront.
Making the Case for Bureaucracy
When Dr. Hatcher narrowed down his niche, he found himself at the center of a subject many people don’t care for. In fact, just the mention of the word is often enough to elicit cringes.
“‘Bureaucracy’ is a hated word,” he explained. “But bureaucrats are very much one of the main key ingredients for democracy and community development.”
As a skilled researcher with a love for community development, he’s made a strong case for that statement by exploring what a good bureaucracy does and looks like.
What Happens When Bureaucracy Breaks Down
In one of his most recent peer-reviewed works, Dr. Hatcher and a few of his Augusta University colleagues explored the relationship between local and regional governments and instances of domestic terrorism. This massive undertaking involved analyzing 73 government organizations around the world.
What they found was that without a professional bureaucracy, decisions are often made based on personal connections, bribery and other under-the-table means. Citizens were left underserved and without the means to rectify their situation.
“It leads people to be more frustrated and turn to nondemocratic, illegitimate means to interact with the political system all the way to domestic violence,” Dr. Hatcher explained. “So even though sometimes it seems boring, you need bureaucrats.”
Showing How Bureaucracies Work for Communities
While Dr. Hatcher’s study on domestic terrorism showed what happens when bureaucracies devolve into self-serving cronyism, that’s only one theme in his larger body of work. He and his colleagues also focus on how positive bureaucracies can be for local communities.
“Some of the research groups that we work in, our real focus is on the local government level because that’s the level where, to a certain degree, we can still get things done and to rebuild trust in government,” he said. “You have to rebuild it from the bottom up and show that communities work.”
Having spent much of his life living, working and studying in small towns, Dr. Hatcher hasn’t just written on this subject — he has firsthand experience.
Bringing the Internet to Rural Kentucky
Before coming to Augusta University in 2015, Dr. Hatcher lived in Richmond, Kentucky, a small university town in the eastern half of the Bluegrass State. While in Richmond, he was part of an effort to bring e-government services to the more rural and often more impoverished towns further east in Appalachia and coal country.
Through this endeavor, small local governments were able to get the infrastructure and technical support needed to provide basic internet services, such as online bill payment, to citizens. To Dr. Hatcher, this is a prime example of not only how public administration works but also of it at its best.
“In our discussions today about politics and government involvement, we have a very black and white view that either it’s all the government doing it or all the private sector. It really doesn’t work that way,” he said. “To develop and empower communities, all sectors really need to work together.”
Empowering Public Administrators to Do More Good
Digital infrastructure is only one of the many topics Dr. Hatcher knows well. His extensive body of work also encompasses healthcare access, cybersecurity in local government, government-university partnerships and a wide range of other issues.
However, as much as his research interests are driven by his innate curiosity, that’s not his only motivation. His work is also driven by the needs of today’s public administrators.
“If you’re a city manager, especially in a small community, but all the way up to if you’re managing a large community, you’re going to be involved with every part,” he said. “It’s important that they’re successful and we really have to connect theory and practice.”
In the end, that’s the goal of all of Dr. Hatcher’s research: to give today’s professionals the tools they need to empower their communities and change the conversation around bureaucracy. Through his relentless campaign of researching, publishing, speaking and getting involved with local projects, he’s doing just that.
Preparing the Next Generation of Public Servants
Dr. Hatcher certainly has a lot to be proud of in terms of his research, but as chair of the Department of Social Sciences and Professor at Augusta University, he’s equally proud of the work he and his colleagues have done to ensure that students are ready for careers in the public sector.
“We have faculty with the experience in actually doing this work as managers, but also in researching and developing ideas for the future,” he said of AU Online’s MPA program.
“AU Online’s really done a good job at having innovative class schedules. We have eight week courses that are really built for the working practitioner,” Dr. Hatcher noted. “There are a lot of options to explore. You can get the general understanding of public administration but also a more in-depth understanding of nonprofit or urban planning or criminal justice.”
To find out more about AU Online’s MPA program, request more information or reach out to the admissions team today.
Recommended Readings
How to Become an Urban Planner
Public Sector vs. Private Sector: MPA Career Comparison
What Does a City Manager Do?
