The introductory chapter introduces students to contemporary issues in public administration research like Covid-19, environmental problems, social equity, public service motivation, and general challenges in public service.These contemporary issues and challenges have been identified by the National Academy of Public Administration.The chapter discusses how data can be manipulated to tell a particular side of a story. Therefore, data and research ethics are also covered. Students are introduced to ethics in human subjects research and associated best practices.

Our contemporary moment presents significant new justice challenges for people on the move. This chapter outlines some of the core issues and how the author aims to address them, offering an overview of the book’s key arguments. She begins by showing how anti-migrant sentiment has emerged in several ways. By executive order, the US has adopted immigration policy that looks remarkably similar to a Muslim ban. There are new threats to deport long-settled residents, such as the so-called Dreamers. Our defunct refugee system has not dealt adequately with increased refugee flows, forcing desperate people to undertake increasingly risky measures in efforts to reach safe havens. Increased migration flows over recent years appear to have contributed to a rise in right-wing populism, apparently driving phenomena such as Brexit and Trumpism. Brock outlines how to address such migration justice challenges, sketching the comprehensive framework she develops in this book for understanding what justice requires for people on the move.