The Iron Cage of Methodology

Abstract

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

Preparing Public Administration Scholars for Qualitative Inquiry: A Status Report

“…In either case, public administration research must better articulate a clear purpose of explanation or understanding (Adams & White, 1994;Lowery & Evans, 2004;Neumann, 1996;Raadschelders, 1999). Such disclosure will help forge linkages between empirical research on issues of practice (applied) and underlying theoretical foundations (basic) so that both practical and scientific knowledge are enhanced and a clearer relationship between inductive and deductive approaches is forged.…”

Methods for analyzing decision-making: a framework approach

“…It recognizes the complex governance of modern societies (Pierre and Peters 2005). However, the absence of the methodological consequences of this has been in focus for this study (Gill and Meier 2000;Lowery and Evans 2004). Important conclusions can be drawn from this, and we now turn to discuss three topics that are found to be of certain importance.…”

“…However, the methodological consequences have not been fully implemented in line with such changes and are falling behind. Scholars in particularly public administration have been critical of the lack of concern about research design and method in the field, including both quantitative and qualitative techniques (Gill and Meier 2000;Lowery and Evans 2004). In relation to the empirical and theoretical changes mentioned, this article presents a way of trying to fill this lacuna.…”

The rationale of e-health evaluation: the case of NHS Direct

“…According to Lowery & Evans (2004) and Myers & Avison (2002) that selecting an appropriate research approach is about setting a research strategy considering the underlying characteristics or assumptions about what constitutes valid research. Such strategy should guide the researcher through the research process by embodying a particular style and employing different research methods.…”