<i>‘Graduate students would find inspiration in this book, as well as senior researchers interested in the topics and/or grappling with the relationship between academic public administration and the practice of governance and public management.’</i>
- Petra Svensson, International Review of Public Policy,
<i>‘The book offers an appealing mix of subject and method; while some chapters stand out in their clarity and unique approach to problems, the book as a whole is a worthwhile journey through the current thinking about PA research and where it is headed. It will be of principle interest to those engaged in such research, and most immediately, those that are looking for ideas about how to make immediate and strong impact, not just in academic circles but on practice, and thus on the future of our field.’</i>
- Christopher Atkinson, International Journal of Public Administration,
<i>'This surprising book does not just present a research agenda. Leading public administration scholars ask important questions about the relevance of the field: why are we doing this? And they're not afraid of slaughtering a herd of sacred cows on the road to relevance.'</i><br /> --Steven Van de Walle, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium<p></p>
<i>'Andrew Massey has assembled an all-star cast of mostly European public administration scholars to develop, as the title suggests, a research agenda for the field of public administration. Most assuredly the book does that, and does it exceedingly well, as current research approaches are examined from many perspectives, both critically and analytically. What is most intriguing however is whether Massey intentionally set out to do what this book so ably does and that is to demonstrate that the most substantively interesting scholarship in the field is now being done on the European side of the Atlantic Ocean. This book is a must read for scholars on both sides of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.'</i><br /> --Allan Rosenbaum, Florida International University, United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration and International Commission on the Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs - IASIA, US<p></p>
In order to be successful, public administration (PA) research has to be methodologically promiscuous. Attempting either quantitative or qualitative purity is no way to reflect the complex realities of public administration in the real world. Looking to the future of the subject, this Research Handbook seeks to suggest the future of PA research, and the directions which it may - or should - take.
With chapters from leading researchers, A Research Agenda for Public Administration offers observations, analysis, and concerns from researchers. With thematically linked chapters, this book focuses and clarifies the current research agenda for public administration while endorsing the need for relevant research in the field, and advocating for theory which fits the reality and practice of public administration, for example, in the areas of climate change, disease control, and migration and inequality.
This Research Agenda will assist students of PA as well as of public sector management, especially postgraduates, but it is also a useful resource for more established researchers seeking to understand the major emerging issues.
Contributors include: T. Brandsen, G. Brewer, W. Dreschsler, P. Dunleavy, C.A. Dunlop, M. Evans, M. Halupka, S. Kuhlman, T.R. Liiv, A. Massey, C. McGregor, K. Pan-Suk, C. Pollitt, C.M. Radaelli, T. Randma-Liiv, R. Rhodes, K. Sarapuu, T. Steen, B. Verschuere, D. Walker, L. Zhiyong