Camouflaged or deserted? A systematic review of empirical military research in public administration

Abstract

Over time, several researchers have observed that military organisations and personnel are not studied in public administration. This study synthesises the state of knowledge regarding the place of military organisations and personnel in empirical public administration research in thirty-one journal articles published from 1978 to 2019. The 71 empirical articles published in the past four decades focused mainly on human resource (HR) management of veterans and procurement contracts rather than on current members and military organisations. Public administration researchers, particularly outside the United States, are not studying active military personnel and the function of military organisations. Our argument is that, in our collective view of the state, we tend to disregard the state’s punitive or security missions, especially if they are foreign rather than domestic. Another explanation is that accessing military personnel and organisations involves negotiating restricted access. Our collective neglect of studying the military deprives the field and students of good practices that may be replicable in civilian organisations.