Guest Editorial: Public Administration: A Comparativist Framework

Ríggs, Fred W.

doi:10.2307/976597

Cited by 68 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…Such a framework will not be idiographic, consisting only of descriptive information and case studies; rather it will be nomothetic, focusing on explanatory theories that account for the continuously changing properties and problems faced by governments as they seek to implement public policies. (Riggs, , p. 473)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Wong

2013

Public Admin & Development

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SUMMARY This article examines the limits of Western public administration models and the importance of a contextually embedded and empirically based approach of knowledge building in Asian public administration. It is attainted through a case study of the post‐1997 public administration reform in Hong Kong to illustrate the mismatching between major models of Western public administration and the Asian domestic contexts. There are questions and doubts about both the goals and results of the public management reforms in Hong Kong. This article argues that post‐handover reforms in Hong Kong cannot be fully explained by the normative and efficiency‐oriented model of new public management self‐claimed by the government. They are driven more by the political elite that emerged in the new political order after Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty in 1997. Using administrative solutions to resolve political problems and address concerns on the domestic agenda has been a character of Hong Kong's administration, which is generalizable to other Asian countries. The article also sheds light on the bigger underlying questions raised in comparative public administration about the inadequate explanatory power of generalized Western public administration models and how the national context of Asian countries is more diverse and complicated from a so‐called global model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Wong

2013

Public Admin & Development

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“…A different issue in sampling concerns comparative public administration’s historical reliance on using entire countries as the unit of analysis (Heady 2001; Peters 2010; Pollitt 2011; Riggs 1991). Similarly, 80 percent of the articles we reviewed used countries as their unit of analysis.…”

Section: Implications Of Our Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quite a few may have little awareness of comparative theories and methodological issues 9 . Yet comparative scholarship offers much to these researchers to help them make choices about the levels of analysis, the problem of equivalence across cultures, and the need to examine culture itself as an independent variable (Peters 1996; Riggs 1991).…”

Section: Implications Of Our Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Look at Comparative Public Administration: Trends in Research and an Agenda for the Future

Fitzpatrick

Goggin

Heikkila

et al. 2011

Public Administration Review

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Intensified globalization, especially the necessity to learn more about how administrative reforms work effectively in different cultural contexts, requires public administration research to embrace comparative perspectives. How well is the field advancing in that direction? This article presents the results of a content analysis of 151 comparative public administration articles from 2000 to 2009. Results indicate that comparative research is building on theory and empirical research, making use of purposive samples, and using a mix of causal, descriptive, and exploratory methodologies. Subject matter varies widely, but most research focuses on European, Asian, and North American countries. Comparative research is primarily qualitative, making extensive use of existing data. The authors recommend enhanced application of mixed methods, increased use of culture as a key concept, and integration of a broad range of social sciences to encourage more students, practitioners, and scholars to think and work comparatively. Three senior comparative scholars respond, sparking a fascinating and insightful dialogue on this seminal topic in public administration.

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“…In other words, we should give more attention to comparative and international administration. This is a message that Fred Riggs (1991) and I, among others, have been preaching most of our careers, with only limited success.…”

Section: IIImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As both Riggs (1976) and I (1987) have pointed out, there are numerous examples of a recurrent tendency among major contributors to American public administration to show knowledge of and interest in non-national administrative experiences, but these occurred for the most part either relatively early or fairly recently. Active American statesmen during the formative period late in the eighteenth century, such as the authors of The Federalist (Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison) were pioneer comparativists in the sense that they brought their knowledge of other governmental systems to bear as they analyzed American institutions.…”

Section: IIImentioning

confidence: 99%

Priorities for 2001 and Beyond

Heady¹

2001

Public Administration Review

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In July 1995, ASPA's Endowment Board established the Donald C. Stone Fund to honor the memory of this public administration legend. Income from this fund is used to sponsor a lecture or symposium at ASPA's national conference, which reflects Stone's varied interests and contributions to the field. This year marked the sixth Donald C. Stone Lecture. On March 13, Ferrel Heady was ASPA's Stone Lecturer and gave the following speech.

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Guest Editorial: Public Administration: A Comparativist Framework

Cited by 68 publications

References 0 publications

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

THE SEARCH FOR A MODEL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN HONG KONG: WEBERIAN BUREAUCRACY, New PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE?

A New Look at Comparative Public Administration: Trends in Research and an Agenda for the Future

Priorities for 2001 and Beyond

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