The “public field” after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020)

Em 2020, o termo “Campo de Públicas” (CP) completou 10 anos no Brasil. A nomenclatura, utilizada originalmente por docentes e discentes dos cursos de graduação em Administração/Gestão/Políticas Pública(s), surgiu no ato de uma Audiência Pública realizada pelo Conselho Nacional de Educação, no dia 5 de abril de 2010, para se discutir a elaboração de DCNs de Administração Pública (AP). A história do ensino de AP no Brasil, com seus diversos ciclos desde 1952, incluindo o movimento de redefinição da identidade da educação superior nesse campo do saber, que resultou na instituição das DCNs em 2014, é retratada por muitos livros e artigos. Todavia, a institucionalização do Campo de Públicas no período 2015-2020, com o estabelecimento de entidades representativas, o processo de implementação das DCNs nos cursos, a criação de eventos científicos próprios, a organização do Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes (Enade) de AP, a elaboração de publicações com títulos referentes ao CP e a conformação de uma comunidade acadêmica multidisciplinar, faz jus a uma sistematização. Assim, o objetivo deste artigo é descrever essa trajetória recente e analisar os desafios correntes do CP. A metodologia baseou-se no cotejamento da literatura com documentos para denotar os marcos do CP pós-DCNs e desvelar seus reptos, que, a partir das respostas de 365 membros – entre professores(as), pesquisadores(as), alunos(as) e egressos(as) – a uma survey, foram priorizados. Como resultado, o R E S U M O Fernando de Souza Coelho fernandocoelho@usp.br Doutor em Administração Pública e Governo FGV-SP PhD in Public Administration FGV-SP Universidade de São Paulo, unidade EACH-USP São Paulo/SP Brasil


Fernando de Souza Coelho Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida Suylan Midlej Paula Chies Schommer Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira
The year 2020 marks ten years since the term "Public Field" was introduced in Brazil. Professors and students of undergraduate programs in public administration, public management, and public policy were the first to adopt the term, which emerged at a public hearing of the National Education Council on April 5, 2010, held to discuss the preparation of the National Curriculum Guidelines (NCG) for public administration undergraduate programs. There are many books and articles about the history of public administration education in Brazil, discussing its various cycles since 1952 and the movement to redefine the identity of higher education in this field of knowledge, which resulted in the establishment of the NCG in 2014. During the period 2015-2020, the Public Field in Brazil witnessed the establishment of representative entities, the process of implementing the NCG, the creation of specific scientific events, the preparation of the National Student Performance Exam (Enade) for public administration students, the elaboration of publications with titles related to the Public Field, and the formation of a multidisciplinary academic community. However, there is no systematization of this period of institutionalization. This article addresses this gap, describing this recent history and analyzing the current challenges of the Public Field. First, we carried out a comparative analysis of Em 2020, o termo "Campo de Públicas" (CP) completou 10 anos no Brasil. A nomenclatura, utilizada originalmente por docentes e discentes dos cursos de graduação em Administração/Gestão/Políticas Pública(s), surgiu no ato de uma Audiência Pública realizada pelo Conselho Nacional de Educação, no dia 5 de abril de 2010, para se discutir a elaboração de DCNs de Administração Pública (AP). A história do ensino de AP no Brasil, com seus diversos ciclos desde 1952, incluindo o movimento de redefinição da identidade da educação superior nesse campo do saber que resultou na instituição das DCNs em 2014, é retratada por muitos livros e artigos. Todavia, a institucionalização do Campo de Públicas no período 2015-2020, com o estabelecimento de entidades representativas, o processo de implementação das DCNs nos cursos, a criação de eventos científicos próprios, a organização do Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes (Enade) de AP, a publicação de manuscritos sob o título CP e a conformação de uma comunidade acadêmica multidisciplinar, faz jus a uma sistematização. Assim, o objetivo deste artigo é descrever essa trajetória recente e analisar os desafios correntes do CP. A metodologia baseou-se no cotejamento da literatura com documentos para denotar os marcos do CP pós-DCNs e desvelar seus reptos que, a partir das respostas de 365 membros -entre professores(as), pesquisadores(as), alunos(as) e egressos(as) -a uma survey, foram priorizados. Como resultado, o texto constitui um balanço sobre o processo de construção do CP no país. Palavras-chave: ensino de graduação; comunidade científica; administração pública; políticas públicas; Brasil.
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira a group of university actors [...] from various parts of Brazil that a little over a decade ago had been carrying out common activities and addressing issues on science, organizations, regulation, and educational assessment. This group emerged with the establishment of new undergraduate programs in public administration, public management, and public policy in the country. These actors work based on different epistemological backgrounds and form a multifaceted space, considered an embryonic multidisciplinary knowledge area (Pires et al, 2014, p. 1, our translation, emphasis added).
The movement formed by these actors may be identified as part of an "emergent paradigm" in a Kuhnian sense (see Keinert, 2014). The movement is related to the public interest and the values of republicanism, which are elements characterizing a collective identity and leading to a growing scientific community in Brazil.
One of this community's first tasks was to reaffirm the differences between the undergraduate public management education and academic training for business management. The result of this first effort was the approval of the National Curriculum Guidelines (NCG) for undergraduate programs in public administration, on October 1, 2013. The NCG specific for public administration were formally established on January 13, 2014, by the Higher Education Chamber (CES), following the provisions of Resolution n. 1 of the Brazilian National Education Council (CNE). The first article of the NCG for public administration informed that such guidelines were designed to a "multidisciplinary field of research and professional practice directed to the state, government, public administration and public policy, public management, social management, and public policy management." This variety of terms used to designate undergraduate programs in this multidisciplinary field, each with a different history and links with areas of knowledge such as administration, political science, economics, law, urban planning, and sociology, shows the breadth of the Public Field. The scenario reveals how Brazilian higher education authorities have responded to transformations of the state and public administration after the 1988 Federal Constitution, the reform of the state apparatus of the 1990s, and the expansion of public policies in the 2000s. In addition, because of the complexification of roles of the public sector -in the three branches of government and their multiple agencies -, and the variety of arrangements of the 'network state' with civil society organizations (CSOs) and businesses, bachelor and technological degrees in the Public Field had to adapt to the reality of each territory (municipalities, regions, or states) and explore different curriculum designs.
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)  The implementation of the NCG since 2014 influenced the identity of academic training and the teaching-learning processes, requiring a particular reflection regarding the pedagogical aspects in the Public Field. As for academic management, the Public Field has its own educational assessment in Enade, but still faces difficulties concerning the job market and professional insertion of graduates. In addition, the community's attention is still necessary to defend the distinction between business and public administration. During the first quarter of 2020, for example, members of the CES proposed to combine the guidelines for the two fields. Institutionally, it is important to follow the influence of the political situation in Brazil in public adminis-The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira tration, as well as to tackle the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for higher education in the country.
The undergraduate programs' agenda of strengthening the Public Field mobilizes the entities representing the programs (Anepcp), students (the National Federation of Students of the Public Field -Fenecap), and alumni (such as Pro-Pública Brasil). It is an agenda that also gathers research and graduate programs, which have worked to consolidate the field of knowledge and to connect the Public Field within applied social sciences and human sciences. This work implies in emphasizing scientific issues regarding public interest and collective well-being that encompass government management, public policy analysis, and public governance between state and society. For Farah (2016), management, and public policy in Brazil have been moving academically, from "an unnamed practice" in the twentieth century to the term "Public Field" in the 2000s, combining the expansion of undergraduate programs with the increase in scientific production on approaches to the "public" study object.
Thus, this article sheds light on the period post-NCG for undergraduate programs in public administration. It focuses on pedagogical, academic, and institutional issues, describes the field's recent history, and analyzes current challenges.
The study compares national literature and official documents as a method to establish the Public Field's milestones between 2015 and 2020 and unveil the difficulties yet to overcome. In addition, we prepared a list of 10 challenges for the field in Brazil, based on our history as actors participating in the field's construction since the mid-2000s, and our professional experience as professors of undergraduate programs of public administration and public policy management in private and public (federal and state) higher education institutions in four of the five Brazilian regions (South, Southeast, Central-West, and Northeast). The challenges were then submitted in the form of a survey, from June to July 2020, to 365 members of the field -professors, researchers, students, and alumni -who were asked to organize them according to priority.
This study registers and problematizes the process of building the Public Field in Brazil. The article is organized into five sections, including this introduction. Section 2 provides an overview of the national literature on the Public Field and the international references on the teaching of public administration, public The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira management, and public policy. Section 3 presents a chronology of achievements and obstacles of the Public Field from 2015-2020, showing its institutionalization after the NCG. The following section highlights the ten challenges we developed, discussing them based on the inputs from the survey. The fifth and final section offers a synthesis of the article, exposing its contributions and limitations, presenting implications of the challenges for the Public Field and ideas for future research on this topic.
The national literature on the Public Field and the international references on the teaching of public administration and public management The Public Field in Brazil has developed since the mid-2000s, gaining momentum after the disputes involving a movement of students and undergraduate programs, and the Federal Administration Council (CFA). The disputes resulted in the establishment of National Curriculum Guidelines (NCG) for undergraduate programs in public administration in 2014, which marks the expansion, diversification, and autonomy of undergraduate teaching in public administration, public management, and public policy as a cycle of academic education in "Public Administration" in the country. These events are present developments of a process started in 1952 with the implementation of a bachelor's degree at the Brazilian School of Public Administration (Ebap), from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), in Rio de Janeiro.
The book by Coelho (2019)  to what was called the "minimum curriculum of administration." The curriculum was grounded on a 'business school' logic, which distorted the identity of public administration since it resembled practices of private management. In addition, The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira the bachelor's degree in public administration was juxtaposed with undergraduate programs in business administration. In the context of graduate programs, Fischer's doctoral dissertation (1984) showed how public administration programs (or lines of research) in Brazil lost space in the face of the advances of technical rationality, the growth of the state based on indirect administration, and the phenomenon called "economic miracle" during the military period, which prioritized the academic training of business managers.
The end of the 1990s to the beginning of the 2000s witnessed the binomial democratization-decentralization and the modernization of the government due to a) the adoption of principles from the new public management approach, b) the establishment of public policy systems, and c) the growth in the number of private organizations operating in matters of public interest. During those years, the academic education in public administration -which was restricted to a few undergraduate programs such as the one at Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo (Santos; Teixeira, 2019) -gradually reappeared in universities and colleges but with multidisciplinary curriculum guidelines and a technopolitical approach.
This stage of (re)construction of undergraduate education in Public Administration, teaching elements beyond those covered in business administration programs and including issues from Political Science, is the backdrop for the emergence of the movement originating the Brazilian "Campo de Públicas" or "Public Field." The movement disregarded the terms "Administration," "Management," and "Politics" and widely agreed on using "Públicas" (Public) for an identity in academic education. As for the period when this movement emerged, Pires et al. (2014) situate it between 2002 and 2014, a 12-years period in which professors and students coordinated in networks to advocate the independence of undergraduate programs in the Public Field from the scope of the business administration in the national higher education system. The authors separate this period into four moments ( Table 1).
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira  The NCG for public administration marked the beginning of the Public Field's institutionalization, a process with several milestones in the period from 2015-2020, which we will describe below. Before that, it is important to observe how the termand the movement -"Campo de Públicas" (Public Field) became visible through the academic production in the national literature, with the publication of several articles and books during the period.
In the 2015-2017 triennium, there was an increase in the number of articles discussing the identity of the Public Field in undergraduate education. The articles by Filgueiras and Lobato (2015), Tinoco (2016), and Gonçalves and Oliveira (2016) The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando Corroborating the author's argument, Robiatti (2019), in a book chapter on the growth of public policies as a subject in post-democratization Brazil, considers that state reform and the process of social participation contributed to the Public Policy Field's independence in Brazilian academia 50 years after its emergence in the late 1960s.

Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira
These studies discuss, directly or indirectly, the binomial 'identity-multidisciplinarity' regarding the notion of "public" as an object of teaching and research in the Public Field in Brazil. When establishing a parallel with other countries, Professor Peter Spink considers that the Brazilian Public Field deals with similar issues as the field of public affairs, i.e., academic training and research on topics such as common goods, the public sphere, and collective action.
In this sense, the Public Field has international counterparts. It is not an autochthonous phenomenon, even though its history shows no doubt of its national roots and development. In the words of Spink (2020) in the recently published collection "Contribuições do Campo de Públicas: um olhar sobre democracia no século XXI e os desafios para gestão pública" (Contributions from the Public Field: a look at democracy in the twenty-first century and the challenges for public management): The expression "public field" evokes the same political and emotional sense as the English expression "public affairs." I am aware this is not a literal translation, and my experience more or less bilingual in our field has already taught me that translation -even when the word has a similar root -is a literary art and not a science. [...] But in what emotional sense? Allow me an empirical answer. [...] We are here racking our brains about 'democracy in the twenty-first century and the challenges for public management,' because we think that the obligation to care for this small planet in the solar system cannot be left in the hands of the businesses ideas, principles, and theories of administrative coexistence. We advocate a very recent idea in human history -the idea that public means "the public" and not someone who speaks for the public. At the same time, we use the plural: "públicas" [referring to Campo de Públicas]. We know that the relationships between the different institutional parts of this hybrid arena are not always harmonious (and that is a good thing). So, I love the idea of the 'Campo de Públicas.' It evokes different images of movements, different academic and professional guidelines. It evokes the struggles one goes through to be able to say: this is a public matter. (Spink, 2020, afterword, our translation, emphasis added).
Taking advantage of this connection with the international context, it is worth briefly mentioning some works on teaching public administration, public management, and public policy, published in international journals. In the article "Teaching The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015-2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira public policies. The author discusses the journal's contributions as a forum for debate on a range of issues related to the topic of academic education and training and development (T&D) for the public sector. The author highlights five of the key themes published in the journal: • The pedagogy and teaching methods of undergraduate and graduate programs; • Capacity building for public service and government school systems; • The organization of public administration and the redefinition of bureaucracy competences; • The ethical perspective in the training of politicians and public managers and officials; and • Discussions about the concept of public management from the resignification of the term "public" due to the imbrications among the state, the market, and civil society in the governance environment.
Our analysis of the period revealed that the key themes Professor Fenwick identified were used as tracks in international congresses on Public Administration Education -such as the conferences held by the American Society for Public Administration (Aspa). We also verified that The Journal of Public Affairs Education (JPAE), published by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (Naspaa) in the United States presented articles addressing the same themes as observed by Professor Fenwick in the TPA, adding the topic 'accreditation,' which is traditional in North American higher education in several areas of knowledge.
In addition, the studies published in the main Public Administration Education journals, which have been historically concentrated on analyses of management education and public policies in North America and Western Europe, became more diverse in the period from 2011-2020. It was possible to find case studies of experiences in countries in Asia, Central/Eastern Europe, Australia, and Latin America.
We observed that the first issues of the journals TPA and JPAE in 2020 featured, respectively, a special issue on teaching public policy in Australia and an article on public administration education in the Philippines. Searching the publications about Brazil in the journal TPA in the last five years, we found that the Brazilian Public Field The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015-2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira appeared in two articles, "A new agenda for teaching public administration and public policy in Brazil: institutional opportunities and educational reasons," by Gomes, Almeida, and Lucio (2015), and "The Public Field in Brazil: toward a multidisciplinary educational approach for the professional with multiple roles," written by Lucio, Almeida, and Silveira (2017).
Several undergraduate and graduate programs considered part of the Public Field in Brazil are aligned, in terms of names and approaches adopted, with the field of knowledge and public ethos of what is called internationally public affairs. The scenario in Brazil, as observed in the US and the UK, witnesses a gradual influx of researchers from different areas of knowledge such as administration, anthropology, political science, information science, environmental sciences, social communication, accounting, demography, law, economics, education, philosophy, human geography, history, urban and regional planning, social psychology, international relations, collective health, social work, and sociology. These areas integrate the collective (such as a sense of belonging) and multidisciplinary (with the contribution of different areas of knowledge of the Human Sciences and Applied Social Sciences) identity of teaching and research around the "public" locus and based on the subfields of public administration, public policy, and social management. Around this core, there are two layers of disciplinary interfaces. The first, closer and, therefore, with stronger links, shows areas of knowledge that have shaped the paradigms of the subfields public administration, public management, and public policy in the country, such as administration, political science, law, and economics (Keinert, 1994). Nowadays, an indication of the links of the academic community of the Public Field with these subjects in the first layer is the predominant offer of Master and Ph.D. degrees in public administration, public management, and public policy by graduate programs in the following areas of evaluation, as designated by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes): public and business administration, accounting and tourism; political science and foreign The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira affairs; and urban and regional planning and demography, as well as some graduate programs in economics, interdisciplinary studies, social work, and sociology.  Therefore, the recent history of the Public Field after the establishment of the NSG begins in 2015. In the subsequent period, the institutionalization process of the Public Field continued with some milestones year by year, summarized in Table 2.  • In addition to the traditional Enecap, the organization students' meetings started. There were regional (Erecaps Sul and Nordeste) and state meetings (Epecap/SP, Em Público/MG, and Efecap/RJ). In addition, the students created the Revista dos Estudantes de Públicas (REP) (Journal of Students of the Public Field) and the collective "Oxente." The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges ( and public organizations, can only be provided by technologists and regular professional administrators in accordance with the law, who are obliged to prove, annually, before the employing organization, the regularity with the Regional Administration Council (CRA)." 5 For the past five years, Public Field actors have participated in public hearings and meetings with senators, federal deputies, and commissions in the National Congress to prevent the approval of this 'corporatist' bill; the matter is currently in the Senate's Committee on Regional Development and Tourism.
Finally, we highlight the appeal of the CFA to CNE in the first quarter of 2020, mentioned in Table 2, which resumed the dispute over the existence of different NCG for undergraduate programs in Public and Business Administration -CFA wan- The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015-2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira ts to unify the NCG. Although the CFA coordination with members of the CES managed to take the issue to the agenda, the appeal did not prosper in the face of the collective and forceful reaction of the Public Field. The event, however, is a warning to remind the academic community of public administration, public management, and public policy to be in constant surveillance to guarantee the NCG is being followed.
Immanent to these achievements and obstacles in the recent history of the Public Field are challenges, which are exposed and analyzed in the next section.

Current Challenges in the Public Field
This section, the core of this article, unveils ten current challenges of the Public Field and analyzes how actors in the Public Field -professors, researchers, students, and alumni -prioritize them. The results of this endeavor are presented here in four subsections.

THE IDENTIFICATION OF CHALLENGES AND LISTENING TO MEMBERS OF THE FIELD
To identify the current challenges of the Public Field in the country, the literature and documents in sections 2 and 3 were analyzed based on our experience as professors and researchers related to undergraduate and graduate programs in the Public Field, and as managers of some of the institutions that have contributed to create and consolidate the Public Field (Anepcp, Sbap, RGS, and Anpad). Table 3 lists the ten challenges presented to the sample during the survey.   (14). Of the sample, 76% were connected with programs located in capital cities and 24% from rural cities, and 95% from programs offered predominantly in face-to-face and 5% from predominantly distance taught programs.
The challenge that obtained the highest number (158 responses) of highest priority was Challenge 6 "Increasing the systemic performance of undergraduate programs," followed by Challenge 9, which deals with professional and work enhancement (148 responses ), and Challenge 4, which mentions perfecting curriculum guidelines, teaching-learning processes, and teaching activities (137 responses).
For a more comprehensive analysis, however, we considered the sum of the challenges classified as one of the three highest priorities. Thus, the challenges indicated among the three highest priorities by most respondents were: Challen-  (Table 1).
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (

Challenge 1: Implementation (or adaptation) of the pedagogical projects of undergraduate programs based on the NCG established in 2014
As mentioned above and shown in Chart 1, this challenge was considered one of the three priorities by 290 respondents. This is certainly due to its centrality after the establishment of the NCG, given that Article 12 determines that higher education institutions offering bachelor degrees in the Public Field must, obligatorily, carry out the undergraduate program approved within a maximum period of two years.
For the sake of a sense of belonging, there is an urgent need to rename the NCG from "Administração Pública" (Public Administration), when politically and institutionally viable, to "Campo de Públicas" (Public Field), or another term that reflects The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira the idea of public affairs and the multidisciplinary nature of this area of teaching and research, where undergraduate programs cross-cut several areas of knowledge ( Figure 1). This occurred in the area of Social Communication and its specializations such as Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations -even though the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education (LDB) establishes (Art. 9 th § 2 nd ) that the NCG must be formulated for the programs and not for areas or fields of knowledge.
In the Public Field, the fact that the NCG refers to "undergraduate programs in public administration" still causes resistance to the norms (and Enade) among some students and professors, even though Inep reaffirmed its technical application to all undergraduate programs. As the plurality of names and approaches (public administration, public management, public policy, public policies management, social management, and sciences of state) is intrinsically the set of ideas around "public" "field," one of the respondents pointed out -in the survey's open question -the importance of reducing the primacy of the public administration subfield. In the same direction, another respondent asserts: It is essential to recognize the field's internal diversity, which is part of the identity connecting the programs, in addition to the appreciation of multi and interdisciplinarity that is characteristic of pedagogical projects. Some programs may not consider themselves represented in the NCG because the guidelines may seem too close to 'administration.' We need to move forward in discussing the field's diversity.
From another perspective, one respondent emphasized the challenge of building an interdisciplinary arrangement of the Public Field, escaping the "shadows" of the founding subjects: One element that I consider fundamental involves the identity of the field and, beyond that, the programs themselves. I remember something I heard in one of the meetings of the Public Field: "unity in diversity," considering the plurality of programs, training of researchers, multidisciplinarity, etc. In my opinion, the struggle that united us in April 2010, at the NCG's "kickoff" during the public hearing in Brasilia at CNE/CSE, is lost. There is still some mobilization, especially when we have a corporatist movement from CFA/ CRA, but we are not moving forward. Anepcp was a great achievement, but at certain times, due to the discussions and developments that I follow, I have the perception that we took the programs in public administration and the Public Field from the "shadow" of the business administration and allocated it under the "shadow" of the political science/ sociology. In fact, it seems that this is the eternal "dilemma" for constructing the identity The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira of the field [the old political-administration dichotomy]. It is an area that is always (apparently) protected (either by the business bias of the Administration or by the more fluid bias of political science/sociology). This is the great challenge in my viewpoint. Without an identity, we follow "aimlessly" to the flavors of groups/areas of knowledge, which claim us for themselves.
The nature and multiplicity of the Public Field are alluded to, similarly, in challenge 6.

Challenge 6 -Increasing the systemic performance of undergraduate programs in favor of an interdisciplinary academic education (in addition to a multidisciplinary arrangement), based on the link between teaching, research, and extension and on the continuous dialogue between students, professors, graduates, partners, and potential employers
Challenge 6 was considered by 235 respondents to be one of the three highest priority challenges to the Public Field. In institutional and organizational terms, the Public Field has been gaining material density and political strength, as described in sections 2 and 3. The link between professors, students, and alumni with agencies of the public administration, civil society organizations, and companies has contributed to its recognition. However, it is crucial to move forward.
The Public Field is instigated to innovate in teaching (interdisciplinarity, flexibility, innovative training practices), in research and in assisting processes to find the solution of national, regional, and local problems, coordinating efforts with graduate programs. This requires dialogue among academia, governments, and society with a view to synergy, in actions that qualify training activities and the provision of public policies and services.
The respondents emphasized: a) the relevance of "research focused on common problems identified in public administration, especially those in the institutions' internal and sectoral spheres"; b) the "development of applied research"; c) the "more active role of the academia in the research and development of public policies"; d) the "closer relationship between the public policy programs and the public authorities, as a possibility to live the public policy implementation and management processes in practice"; and e) "encouraging the involvement of students in research and extension activities that combine teaching with practices in the public service." The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira According to one respondent: Students' political engagement based on social agendas is something very important. I think the program should provide the undergraduate student with practical classes with a social purpose, primarily in deprived areas of the city. This would help them to understand the difficulties they will face within the public sector, as well as present the program to the general public, showing a competent, responsible, and innovative professional who will work to improve society.
Another respondent points out that the biggest challenge of the Public Field is to demonstrate its contribution to improving the quality of services and public policies: The Public Field, as a science, has a complex, but well-known battlefield. The Public Field as a tool for promoting the efficient public sector, with quality public services, rational, and with ethics supported by republicanism still has a very little explored battlefield.
Therefore, in my view, the biggest challenge is to understand how, and where, the Public Field can effectively contribute to improving the quality of services and public policies.
What skills and knowledge are effectively needed in the public sector's daily life to promote a radical transformation in the quality of public administration? This is the biggest challenge.
One respondent highlights the need to know the reality and everyday processes of public management, especially in the municipalities, contributing to changes "inside" bureaucracy and management, avoiding idealized visions: Leaving This view is complemented by respondents' comments that point out the need to "approach municipalities, their associations, and representatives, diagnosing and contributing to the improvement of their management"; "Being connected with public sector innovations, training professionals prepared for new ways of acting as public managers," as well as encouraging "integration between different communities: undergraduate students, professionals, graduate students, professors, resear- The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira chers, and elected political actors." One of the respondents emphasized the role of program coordinators in "forming partnerships with other government agencies."

Challenge 4 -Perfecting curriculum guidelines, teaching-learning processes, and teaching activities within undergraduate programs
Challenge 4 was considered as one of the three highest priority challenges by 228 respondents, who highlighted the possibility of more connection of theoretical and conceptual elements with instrumental and practical aspects of public performance. One of the respondents commente: As long as professors do not understand that we need them to have experience in public management, training will always be unbalanced -the training [...] that exists in the classroom will prevail (always!) over the state's technical and legal demands.
The respondents express the breadth and variety of proposals to be interpreted in the light of the "unity in diversity" in view of the territoriality of each program in the Public Field, and the plurality of its faculty. According to one respondent, it is important to include teaching languages, including Brazilian indigenous languages: The requirement of at least two language courses, at least one of which is a Brazilian indigenous language. From the basics of a Brazilian indigenous language in the training of professionals in the Public Field, we will be reducing the distance of understanding about the formation of the Brazilian state.
Suggestions put forward by the respondents included "introducing businesses' tools into public administration without privatizing the state" and "leading the public service digitalization movement," and "not becoming an area of management, but of reflection on state action," "advancement in the public field in relation to the traditional and social innovation," along with "continued emphases on (1) fundamentals of science/political philosophy, (2) leadership as the main service of the manager [and] (3) civic engagement as a culture to be cultivated." According to some respondents, appreciating technological tools and their use in undergraduate programs is important. This is done by "evaluating the most adaptable tools for programs in the Public Field to the new demands of remote teaching activities, including internships, research, and extension" and with "debates The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira about the potential of technological tools, but also of their limits and how the field can meet such limits."

THE SECOND BLOCK OF PRIORITY CHALLENGES
This section focuses on challenges 10, 9, 7 and 2 which, according to graph 1, were considered to be one of the three highest priority challenges 226, 225, 223 and 222 times, respectively.

Challenge 10 -Extend the identity of being part of the Public Field to actors in graduate programs, with the creation of an evaluation area in Capes
Challenge 10 refers to the universe of graduate studies and research to strengthen the status of the Public Field as a multidisciplinary area of knowledge, in the connection among the field and applied social sciences and human sciences. The challenge calls the graduate programs to strengthen the Public Field as the area of scientific issues related to the public interest and to the collective well-being that involves government management, public policy analysis, and public governance between the state and society. The development of undergraduate programs in the Public Field to graduate programs offering master or doctoral degrees, as well as the increase in scientific production on "public" as the study object, naturally tend to push Capes to open a specific evaluation area (Farah, 2018).
The conflicts, in this case, are academic, between the areas of knowledge within the scope of the country's graduate and research system, represented by Capes and the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) at the federal level. In the case of Capes, the struggles of 2010s occurred in some of its evaluation areas, where the actors advocated the acknowledgement of the notion of "public" in scientific production. An example was the initiative led by Sbap to include the term "public administration" in the evaluation area 27 (as presented in Table2). Until 2015, the name designating the area did not include 'public administration,' even though there were 20 graduate programs in the country working with public administration and public management, granting master's, professional master's, and doctoral degrees. In political science and foreign affairs, the growth of graduate programs in public policy was significant in the past ten years, corresponding -in 2020 -to a quarter of the masters and doctoral programs approved by Capes in its evaluation area 39.
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira The respondents suggest ways for the Public Field to link undergraduate and graduate programs, such as the creation of specific graduate programs within their subfields that consider regional differences, expanding the offer of academic masters and doctoral programs in regions such as the North and Northeast of Brazil. The respondents also put forward the following suggestions: "when opening a process to hire professors in programs of public administration and public management, make sure to include that the applicants have a background in the Public Field." "More research funding in the area and more qualified journals for the field." "Support for graduates to pursue postgraduate studies." "A solid and integrated scientific community in the Public Field."

Challenge 7 -Following Alumni, the relationship with the public sector and alignment of undergraduate education with the demands of the world of work
Some undergraduate programs systematically follow their alumni, but it is clear that there is not yet a systematic and nationwide mechanism. Among the recent initiatives promoted by alumni, Pró Pública Brasil stands out, which, since 2016, conducts activities to strengthen the relationship between the Public Field and professional practice.
One respondent understands the challenge of alumni entering the job market as crucial: "I think that the most challenging thing is increasing the insertion of our students in the world of work, in the Public sector." Other respondents envision possibilities for this: "I believe that the definitive entry point for the field in municipal and state governments can be through alumni, who mostly lose their ties after graduation"; "Alumni can be the gateway to new internship programs and specific projects between academic programs in the Public Field and public authorities." One respondent mentions the obstacles, saying there is a "gigantic gap" between the possible spaces to work as a manager in the public sector and the places where the alumni actually work. Another, says: "Undoubtedly, incorporating into the job market as a public policy analyst is one of the biggest challenges. Currently, the opportunities are limited in the pursuit of a master's degree." In the words of one respondent, a process of "continuing education for graduates, offering opportunities for updating after completing the academic programs" is perhaps welcome.
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira Several respondents pointed out how important support is to newly graduated students. The "support and investment of knowledge in Junior Enterprises" is one way to achieve this, as well as more internships in city halls, city councils, and state-level legislative bodies. Trainee programs were mentioned, such as the work carried out by the non-profit Vetor Brasil, and residency practices in management and public policies. "I believe that the quality improvement and expansion of professional opportunities happened thanks to initiatives such as the residencies offered in nationwide projects." It is worth mentioning the previous experiences of internship in the Public Field. One regional experience is the "Mais Gestores," project, Internship of UFBA (Schommer and França Filho, 2010).
One respondent stressed that the intern activities and the alumni work are central to valuing professionals in the Plubic Field: The student in the internship needs to demonstrate to be useful to public organizations, respect the civil servants, and contribute, incrementally, to something new. We are recognized for our ability to contribute. We need to stop being a promise for new management; we need to contribute with consistent projects, going beyond the discourse. In this way, we will be recognized.
Another respondent suggests that events of the Public Field are spaces to celebrate and announce technical cooperation agreements with the public sector, bringing education and research into line with intervention projects in governments and public organizations. Finally, the entrance in the job market is linked to the penultimate challenge of this second block, which deals with the social and job market valorization for actors qualified in the field and the regulation of the profession.

Challenge 9 -Social and job market valorization for actors qualified in the Public Field and regulation of the profession
One respondent noted that there is no professional identity among the alumni. Another stressed the need to "recognize and legitimize the professional skills of The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira graduates from programs in the Public Field," which was corroborated commenting "the absence of requisites that applicants for some positions in the government should have academic qualifications in the Public Field," and that "students feel insecure regarding the job market." In this perspective, one respondent said: "We still have to explain what the Public Field is in different situations." One way to face the corporatist barriers (such as that of the CFA/CRA system), the relative ignorance about the field, and the difficulties of professional insertion is to develop a set of strategies for social and job market valorization for actors who went through academic education in the Public Field. This calls for consultation and communication with potential employers and society as a whole. Regarding public jobs, respondents would like to see more "connection with local governments, hiring processes that value the background in the Public Field, recognizing the professional from the field when hiring for appointed positions." For them, the public field should "influence the creation, maintenance, and development of specific management careers in the public sector, in the three levels of government, requiring more professionalization." Under this logic, some advocate for the legal regulation of the profession to remove barriers in hiring processes and avoid becoming "hostages" of the professional registration at CRA (which is sometimes required in hiring processes). One respondent considers future legislation providing for the background of professionals to be considered for public jobs, including jobs where professionals need to have an academic education in programs of the Public Field. The respondent argues that this measure would guarantee: Legal legitimacy to compete in hiring processes for positions in administrative areas, especially those designed exclusively for business administrators. It is odd that [some of the] graduates from programs in the Public Field are unable to go through a hiring process in the public administration because the positions are aimed only at (business) administrators.
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira Some respondents also proclaimed the need to create a Professional Council (such as a class body) that regulates the profession, supervises its performance and is able to fight for the rights of alumni, so that they are "recognized as a profession, with a salary floor and all the rights of a registered professional." Concluding this challenge on the Public Field job market, it is worth remem-

Challenge 3 -Continuity of the development process (quantitative and qualitative) of undergraduate programs, considering the movement of expansion and strengthening of the Public Field in the last 10 years
The growth in the number of undergraduate programs in the Public Field, especially bachelor degrees, was a result of both the "Reuni" program in federal public universities and the process of expansion of higher education in states. Therefore, the shortage of funding for public higher education planned for the coming years due to legal budgetary limits; the current economic scenario; the country's political landscape; and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, tends to jeopardize the maintenance and the imperative constant improvement of a massive number of programs. Many respondents were emphatic about the need for financial, technological, and human resources to consolidate the programs implemented in the past ten years.
For the respondents, the Public Field movement as a whole will be affected by the context. Some of them propose strengthening relationships between the entities of the field and associations related to the government (such as membership organizations gathering civil servants). For the respondents, "the connection [between the field and these institutions] is incipient." Another respondent considers that there is a lack of integration between organizations such as Fenecap, Pró Pública Brasil, and Anepcp, which would not be close enough to the reality of the programs. Particularly concerning Anepcp, it would be "an elite stronghold of professors and researchers." The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira In this sense, it is urgent to foster closer relationships with the academic communities around the bachelor degrees offered in the distance modality (PNAP/UAB) and the technological undergraduate programs offered by the Federal Institutes of Education, Science, and Technology and private universities and colleges.
Another respondent considers it necessary to "continue strengthening the links among the various programs to promote institutional closeness and exchange experiences, through the resumption of the Forum of Professors and Coordinators of the Public Field."

THE THIRD BLOCK OF PRIORITY CHALLENGES
The last part of this section discusses challenges 2, 8, and 5, which were least considered as the three priority challenges. Details of these challenges have been discussed earlier (in sections 2 and 3) and will be summarized below. Also, the respondents' comments in the survey's open-question rarely tapped on these challenges.

System (SINAES/Enade)
The improvement of the evaluation process of undergraduate programs in the Public Field was indicated among the three priorities by 210 respondents, one of whom suggested the elaboration of "indicators for evaluating the programs' effectiveness." As previously discussed in section 3, in the first edition of Enade in 2015, some undergraduate programs were unable to participate in the exam due to not meeting the NCG established in the previous year. However, the absence of traditional undergraduate programs in the second edition, in 2018, must be discussed. Also to be addressed is the below-average performance (concept 2) of many programs offered by public HEIs in the distance modality.
Self-assessment processes in undergraduate programs in the Public Field, emphasizing aspects of each reality, is a topic that can (and should) be explored to complement the evaluation instruments of SINAES/Enade. This kind of assessment should aim to detect the weaknesses and potential of each program (bachelor's or The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira technological degree), identifying its capacity to deliver the academic education expected (faculty and students' profiles, for instance) and local impacts.

Challenge 8 -Ongoing training for professors for effective and responsive performance in undergraduate programs
Challenge 8 was considered one of the three priorities by 207 respondents.
Notes on the open question included: the need for "need for professors to have better methodological knowledge"; the importance of having "professors trained in public management teaching the classes"; and an observation about the "absence of professors, masters, and doctors in public policy." The debates occurring in student events (Enecap and Erecaps) point out two types of problems related to the faculty of undergraduate programs, a) insufficient didactic capacity and low commitment to undergraduate teaching activities (due to the greater incentive they have to work in graduate programs and research in public universities); and the lack of professors with a background in the Public Field, holding degrees obtained in the same programs they teach -or obtained in programs related to the subfields public administration, public management, public policy. The students indicate that professors rarely show a more holistic view and contemplate possible connections of their subject with other disciplines. However, there is a "generational" gap that must gradually be closed over the next decade, as suggested by Pires et al (2014): [...] in the next 5 to 15 years, the first generation of graduates from the Public Field, will be transformed into professors and researchers with this [interdisciplinary] perspective.
In other words, just as the current professors had academic training and built multidisciplinary undergraduate programs in the Public Field, in the future, professors that enjoyed this new background and, therefore, more used to grouping knowledge, will be able to connect the multi-disciplines (in the meaning of juxtaposition of disciplinary matters) in inter-disciplines (in the sense of real and reciprocal cooperation between disciplinary knowledge).

Challenge 5 -Consolidation of the NCG approved in 2013 by the National Education Council and established in 2014 by the Ministry of Education
Among the ten current challenges of the Public Field, challenge 5 was least considered one of the three highest priorities (198). CFA's advances in the CNE in The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira the first quarter of 2020, proposing the unification of the NCG for undergraduate programs in business and public administration, shows that Public Field entities should always avoid setbacks in the identity of their undergraduate programs. Considering that the NCG in public administration are new and have been disputed and that the "deregulating wind" that has been blowing in the Ministry of Education and CNE in recent years, the uninterrupted process of monitoring the norms and dialogue with regulatory bodies is crucial.

Final Considerations
This article described the history of the Public Field since 2015, adopting as a starting point the establishment of the National Curriculum Guidelines (NCG) for undergraduate programs in public administration. It analyzed the field's current challenges regarding its institutional, pedagogical-scientific, and professional dimensions. Much has been done, is being done, and still needs to be done in favor of the development of a field that is essentially, multidisciplinary. The field embodies the "unity in diversity" around the "public" locus and the notion of res publica, connecting a plurality of actors, political and pedagogical projects, and relationships within the academia and society.
This study unveiled how the Public Field has built a collective identity and formed a scientific community in Brazil, pointing out advances and setbacks, specifically for building a new field of knowledge and specifying recent historical landmarks and data, which has helped to (re)interpret its route. The recognition and expansion of the field as an academic area is seen through the literature produced in the last five years, and as an area of relevant professional training, attentive to major issues in the public sector and Brazilian society.
Through the literature review and document analysis on teaching and research in public administration, public management, and public policy in Brazil, together with our personal experience as participants in the construction of this field, we presented ten challenges that we believe encompass structural and connective elements. These challenges were examined by 365 professors, researchers, students, and alumni of the Public Field, who participated in a survey that asked them The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando Testimonies and concerns expressed by the participants demonstrate the links and tensions inherent to the identity-multidisciplinarity binomial in the formation of a field that includes heterogeneous undergraduate programs. These programs are associated with a multidisciplinary, new, and plural scientific community.
They are permeated by multiple areas of knowledge, that historically comes from public administration and public policy -which have also been transformed in recent decades. Although united by values such as republicanism and democracy, and gathered around "public" as an object of teaching and research, the Public Field faces communication and complementarity conflicts in academic education, among its political-social and administrative-managerial dimensions and the theoretical-scientific and technical-professional guidelines.
The fact that we are all active actors in the Public Field brings undeniable advantages, but may also represent a limitation for the study since we lack distance from the analyzed object. However, because we work in a variety of institutions, public and private, state and federal, in four out of Brazil's five regions, in different undergraduate programs and participate in several associations related to the Public Field, we believe we found a balance in our analyses as authors/researchers.
In addition, the comments of colleagues who participated in the survey were wi- The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira dely considered, establishing a dialogue with their views, in the context of each challenge. Notwithstanding, the data collected is rich and can be further analyzed based on other perspectives. In a first analysis, there were no significant differences when considering responses from individuals who work in, or are related to, programs headquartered in capitals or rural cities, offered in-person or distance.
These differences, however, have yet to be explored. Future studies could investigate the representativeness of responses to the type and number of programs and potential respondents per state. The wording and grouping of the challenges may be reviewed in the future, as they are interconnected, and this study may offer new insights regarding their nature and relationships.
Among the possible implications of the study for the academic management and teaching-learning processes, it is clear that the implementation of the NCG for undergraduate programs in the Public Field required great dedication and reflection, within each HEI, in the academic-scientific institutional spaces, and the relationship with the professional and political environments. Members and organizations of the Public Field should pay special attention to a) the approximations between professors and students, between undergraduate and graduate programs, and among research, teaching, and extension during the path toward academic education; b) the continuous training of professors, which is necessary given the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the dynamics of scientific knowledge, and the demands in the face of the scenario after the pandemic; c) monitoring the performance of programs and the causes of student dropout; d) monitoring graduates and their professional status, as well as their capacity to bridging academia and public problems in the context in which they work; e) vigilance and permanent dialogue with official agencies of educational assessment, research support agencies, professional regulatory bodies, political agents, and public servants responsible for recruiting and hiring staff and for budget decisions.
Future research could aim to analyze in-depth the findings presented, or explore other features of teaching and research in the Public Field, considering the following suggestions: examining the implementation of the NCG observing regional and local contexts where graduation programs are headquartered; researching the profile of professors in undergraduate programs of the field; and comprehensive mapping the alumni professional activities (and their impacts) in the world of work.
The "public field" after the establishment of the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate teaching in public administration: trajectory and current challenges (2015-2020) O campo de públicas após a instituição das diretrizes curriculares nacionais (DCNs) de administração pública: trajetória e desafios correntes (2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) Fernando de Souza Coelho -Lindijane de Souza Bento Almeida -Suylan Midlej -Paula Chies Schommer -Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira In conclusion, the Public Field is in full motion, and actions must continue, even while considering the natural disputes within the field. There will not always be consensus and harmony, which is expected in a field that evolves based on diversity; at the same time that the motivating elements unite, the force fields are activated continuously. Amid conflicts, the current decade presents the macro challenge of advancing in the construction of a common language that, despite epistemic or political-ideological differences, potentiates and integrates the Public Field as a discursive community in academic education, a community of practices in the state and society, and a scientific and essentially interdisciplinary community.

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all professors, researchers, alumni, and students who responded to the survey that supported this article.
We would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to two professors who were essential in the establishment of the Brazilian Campo de Públicas (Public Field): José Renato Araújo, from the University of São Paulo (State of São Paulo), and Augusto de Oliveira Tavares, from the Federal University of Cariri (State of Ceará).
They are references either for their work implementing or coordinating academic programs or for their activities in the groups of professors responsible for monitoring the processes of conception, consolidation, and continuous updating of the program's pedagogical project (NDE). Professor Araújo and Professor Tavares have actively participated in what we call here the "Public Field" movement, engaging in forums, representative entities, and crucial debates. Their academic history was, to a large extent, the base of the consolidation of the Public Field, at the national and local levels. They left a legacy of reflections and made a valuable contribution to the movement. Many thanks to the two colleagues, who will always be present in the history of the Public Field in Brazil.