Guest editorialNovel and overlooked techniques for public management research questions

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PurposeThis article provides a snapshot of several innovative and underused methodological approaches employed by scholars from across public management.Design/methodology/approachA comparative review of methodological approaches to public management research is used.FindingsThe authors find evidence of scholars applying numerous novel methodological approaches to study social science phenomena, including agent-based modeling, nonparametic approaches, social network analysis, Granger equations and techniques for correcting selection bias.Research limitations/implicationsThe review does not cover all of the innovative methodological approaches used in social science. However, the methodological techniques showcased offer promise for advancing public management research, whether used as primary applications or as one of multiple methods (triangulation) to test the validity of research findings and/or to more comprehensively understand the phenomena being studied.Originality/valueThe techniques reviewed include example applications to aid researchers who may wish to apply them in their own research. The novel tools and methods already in use by public management researchers contradict the perception that public management methods have lagged behind other social science disciplines.