Knowledge and Theory Development in Public Administration: The Role of Doctoral Education and Research

White, Jay D.; Adams, Guy B.; Forrester, John P.

doi:10.2307/977043

Cited by 43 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Evaluations of public administration research have permeated Public Administration Review for over a decade (Perry and Kraemer 1986;Stallings 1986;Stallings and Ferris 1988). Two themes pervade the literature criticizing research in the field: Critics contend that knowledge is not being cumulated (Adams and White 1994;White et al 1996) and that research in general (dissertation research in particular) is of poor quality (Adams and White 1994;Cleary 1992;McCurdy and Cleary 1984;White 1986a;White et al 1996). Criticisms that public administration research lacks quality remain largely unchallenged (see Bailey 1992 andBox 1992, for two rare exceptions).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cumulating the Intellectual Gold of Case Study Research

Jensen

Rodgers

2001

Public Administration Review

216

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two criticisms of public administration research have been leveled. First, knowledge in the field is not being cumulated. Second, the research has low quality. A preference for case studies as a form of scientific inquiry is behind both criticisms. The authors propose a solution to the first problem by showing how meta-analysis can be used to cumulate knowledge using case study evidence. Viewed cumulatively, case studies comprise an intellectual goldmine awaiting discovery. The authors challenge the second criticism, proposing that quality judgments should be based on the important principle of knowledge cumulation, which acknowledges the value of all research methods.Evaluations of public administration research have permeated Public Administration Review for over a decade (Perry and Kraemer 1986;Stallings 1986;Stallings and Ferris 1988). Two themes pervade the literature criticizing research in the field: Critics contend that knowledge is not being cumulated (Adams and White 1994; White et al. 1996) and that research in general (dissertation research in particular) is of poor quality (Adams and White 1994;Cleary 1992;McCurdy and Cleary 1984;White 1986a;White et al. 1996). Criticisms that public administration research lacks quality remain largely unchallenged (see Bailey 1992 and Box 1992, for two rare exceptions).The use of case studies as a preferred research methodology in public administration lies behind both themes. Critics contend that case studies play a limited role in knowledge cumulation (Adams and White 1994) and that they fare poorly on indicators of quality (Adams and White 1994;McCurdy and Cleary 1984). Both claims can be traced to the perception that case studies are not generalizable, a perception we show to be terribly misconceived.We contend that public administration is well suited to case studies because they satisfy the recognized need for conditional findings and in-depth understanding of cause and effect relationships that other methodologies find difficult to achieve. Case studies are a key part of the solution, not part of the problem. We will show this by first defining case studies and by outlining a typology of case studies. Next, we will show how the knowledge-cumula-tion problem can be solved by using meta-analysis. Finally, we will explain how the criticism that case studies have poor quality is based on a problematic definition of quality and misguided criteria.The critics' test of quality generally involves counting the number of quality criteria that are satisfied in a study. The higher the count, the better the quality of the study. That is, the criteria are additive (see McCurdy and Cleary 1984). When a whole range of quality measures are applied to any single case study, it fares badly. Similarly, when a whole range of quality measures are applied to a study using a different methodology (survey research, for example), it is also likely to fare badly. The errors of this logic lie with the application of all quality criteria to each single, isolated study pertaining to a par...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cumulating the Intellectual Gold of Case Study Research

Jensen

Rodgers

2001

Public Administration Review

216

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While some scholars examined doctoral dissertations in the PA field to answer the W questions (e.g., Adams & White, 1994;Brewer et al, 1999;Cleary, 2000;McCormick & Rice, 2001;White et al, 1996), many concentrated on academic journal publications instead. For instance, some scholars used content analysis to find the trend of papers accepted in a single journal, such as Public Administration Review, arguably the most widely recognized PA journal in the United States (e.g., Cooper, 1990;Stallings & Ferris, 1988; for a recent review, see Raadschelders & Lee, 2011).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of Recent Authors and Authorship Patterns in Taiwan's Public Administration Research

Lin

et al. 2013

International Journal of Public Administration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The public administration (PA) field in Taiwan has undergone a period of rapid transformation over the past two decades. The purpose of this study is to provide a more recent assessment of Taiwanese PA research. To that end, this study examines the characteristics of contemporary PA authors who published articles in five core PA journals in Taiwan between 1996 and 2007, assesses the journals' co-authorship/collaboration trends over the period, and identifies the publication and funding patterns of the 20 most-frequently published scholars. Implications of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed in the paper.

show abstract

“…Perry and Kraemer (1994) drew three conclusions from a review of articles published in Public Administration Review (PAR) between 1975 and 1984: (a) Articles reflect a near-exclusive focus on applied rather than basic research, (b) research in the field is not cumulative in nature, and (c) there is a lack of institutional support for research. White, Adams, and Forrester (1996) examined the publication records of eight classes of doctoral recipients in the field. They determined that their overall contribution to knowledge and theory…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Iron Cage of Methodology

Lowery

Evans

2004

Administration & Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article addresses the strategies and tools that public administration scholars use to understand phenomena of interest. The range of qualitative methods used has been limited, and the kind of rigor generally associated with quantitative methods has largely been absent in the application of their qualitative counterparts. Two conclusions are drawn from an analysis of articles published in two respected journals: Training on research methods in Ph.D. and M.P.A. programs should be expanded to include a broader range of strategies and tools, and the rigorous use of a broader range of research tools promises to better position the field of public administration to identify, examine, and answer the many big questions that it now faces.Scholars continue to express concern about the quality of research produced in the field of public administration. Perry and Kraemer (1994) drew three conclusions from a review of articles published in Public Administration Review (PAR) between 1975 and 1984: (a) Articles reflect a near-exclusive focus on applied rather than basic research, (b) research in the field is not cumulative in nature, and (c) there is a lack of institutional support for research. White, Adams, and Forrester (1996) examined the publication records of eight classes of doctoral recipients in the field. They determined that their overall contribution to knowledge and theory

show abstract

Knowledge and Theory Development in Public Administration: The Role of Doctoral Education and Research

Cited by 43 publications

References 16 publications

Cumulating the Intellectual Gold of Case Study Research

Cumulating the Intellectual Gold of Case Study Research

An Assessment of Recent Authors and Authorship Patterns in Taiwan's Public Administration Research

The Iron Cage of Methodology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About