M. Ernita Joaquin
Email Dr. Joaquin for Zoom links for advising hours. Office hours are also by appointment.
Biography
Dr. Ernita Joaquin is a Professor of Public Administration and Policy. Her Ph.D. in Political Science from Northern Illinois University followed earlier degrees from the University of the Philippines and the University of Manchester (UK). Her career spans the Philippines and the United States, beginning with academic and training roles in municipal executive development and continuing through faculty positions at the University of Nevada and San Francisco State University. At SFSU, she has taught across the MPA curriculum, served as Graduate Coordinator and Program Chair, and promotes efforts to integrate teaching, service, and scholarship into a unified practice of civic engagement and public administration.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Joaquin teaches courses in public administration foundations, budgeting, organization and change management, crisis management, economic perspectives, and decision-making, often pioneering hybrid and online modalities. She has integrated climate justice, community service learning, and generative AI into her pedagogy. Many of her students have advanced to leadership roles in public service, supported by her guidance in research presentations, professional development, and applied projects. Beyond teaching and scholarship, she has served as the founding Chapter Director for the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) University Chapter at SFSU.
Research Interests
Dr. Joaquin’s research explores bureaucratic adaptation, accountability, crisis learning, and resilience in U.S. and comparative contexts. Her co-authored book with Thomas Greitens, American Administrative Capacity: Decline, Decay, and Resilience (Springer, 2021), frames the ebb and flow of federal administrative strength and today’s erosion of the civil service. Her recent work extends this framework to pressing global and constitutional issues. With Nathan Myers (2025), she examined how administrative capacity underpins international “One Health” plans to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Recently, she and Thomas co-authored a Scientific American essay warning that efficiency reforms risk undermining constitutional governance (2025). These works reflect her enduring interest in how institutions withstand upheavals while upholding democratic values.
Publications
Dr. Joaquin has published widely in Public Administration Review, Administration & Society, The American Review of Public Administration, and the Journal of Public Affairs Education. She has also authored and co-authored book chapters on governance, digital accountability, and urban service delivery, and contributed essays to the P.A. Times.
Selected Publications
- Greitens, T. & Joaquin, M. E. (2025). Breaking the Constitution Won’t Fix the Bureaucracy. Scientific American.
- Joaquin, M. E. & Greitens, T. (2021). American Administrative Capacity: Decline, Decay, and Resilience. Springer.
- Joaquin, M. E., Shea, J., & Wang, J. (2016). Pedagogical Design Factors that Enhance Learning in Hybrid Courses. Journal of Public Affairs Education.