Jos Raadschelders has been teaching and writing about public administration for 35 years, lately at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs of The Ohio State University. The role and position of government has changed significantly in the past two centuries, and there is no historical precedent for its current functions, tasks, and services. Citizens need to know that in the imagined communities of today we cannot live without government.

Also, citizens will appreciate that a government not captured by private interests (be they businesses, interest groups) is the best safeguard for democracy. Dr. Raadschelders is a professor of public administration and serves as the associate dean of faculty development at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. He has been a faculty member since 1983, and has taught at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands and the University of Oklahoma before coming to the Ohio State University. His interests include administrative history, the role and position of government in societies, comparative government and anything else that appears intriguing. He loves teaching undergraduate and graduate students and mid-career professionals, and hopes they will never to lose (or will find again) their "hunger-puppyness," the childlike curiosity that keeps one searching for answers and, more importantly, is vital for keeping in open mind. Living a comparative perspective has certainly helped with the latter. In his private time he plays cards and board games with his family, makes rugs, and (less than he'd like) plays classical guitar. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.