Theory–Practice Exchange in Local Government Management: Perspectives of Practitioners and Scholars

Abstract

The connection of theory to practice in public administration represents a critical transfer of information between scholarship and application. This important relationship establishes a basis of exchange among those engaged in the field, a bond that may be most magnified and accessible at the local levels of government. This study examines the perspectives of practitioners and scholars toward improving the theory–practice exchange in local government management through a series of focus group interviews held at the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) annual conference over 4 years. The findings suggest that the scholar and practitioner communities agree on several approaches and principles that may contribute to enhancing the theory–practice exchange within the themes of research transaction, collaboration, and professionalism. These themes offer mutual contexts for theory–practice interactions, which may help to inform institutional integration and best practice models, and facilitate a functional coexistence of interdependence and improved exchangeability in local government management.