Public Administration Research Research Articles

Does a government's organizational structure affect the governance structure of local family firms? A perspective on the number of cities’ subordinate counties

Previous research has explored factors influencing the governance structure of family firms from family and corporate levels, while this study taking the number of a city's subordinate counties as the lens, examines the impact of a government's organizational structure on local family firms’ governance structure. Results show that in cities with a larger number of subordinate counties, local people are more likely to form a sense of identity with the county rather than the city. Influenced by this “small-group” sense of identity, locals tend to place greater emphasis on familial unity, trusting and relying more on family members. Thus, when running family businesses, local people are more willing to involve family members in operations and increase their shareholdings. Moreover, in regions with lower population mobility, this relationship is more significant. By analyzing the factors which can affect family firms’ governance structure from a macro institutional environment perspective, this study elucidates how regional characteristics impact local family firms’ management, and establishes an academic link between public administration research and business administration research.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Public Administration Research, Vol. 13, No. 1

Reviewer acknowledgements for Public Administration Research, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2024.

Performance information and issue prioritization by political and managerial decision-makers: A discrete choice experiment

Abstract Issue prioritization is the first stage of attention-based theories of decision-making, but remains theoretically and empirically uncharted territory in public administration research. We propose and test how issue prioritization is informed by the characteristics of the performance information on which decision-makers rely, in particular its source (internal or external information), nature (objective or subjective information), aspiration level (historical, social, or coercive aspirations), and required cognitive effort (attention costs). Furthermore, we theorize how these characteristics of performance information determine issue prioritization decisions of political and managerial decision-makers in different ways. We empirically examine issue prioritization decisions in road maintenance and primary school education using a discrete choice experiment among 2,313 local government officials. The experiment reveals that decision-makers are more likely to prioritize issues that are signaled through objective performance measures and that are articulated relative to coercive aspirations, but that the effects of the information’s source and attention costs differ between policy domains. Comparison of observational variation regarding decision-makers’ roles indicates that public managers more strongly prioritize road maintenance issues that are articulated in objective performance information, but not in primary school education. The study advances public administration research and theory with a ‘horizontal’ behavioral perspective on decision-makers’ information processing to prioritize between simultaneous performance issues.

“What le phoque?!”

This study explores the information behaviour of staff working in postsecondary education who write work emails in second-language French (L2). The article is inspired by existing research in public administration and translation. An exploratory study is conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews. Three participants (n=3), bilingual in English and French, shared their experiences preparing work emails in French and discussed their consultation of internal, online, and social information resources. The findings highlight several themes: linguistic identity, reliance on prior L2 knowledge, use of online tools like DeepL and WordReference, and consultation with Francophone colleagues for complex questions. These themes help to shape a proposed framework based on Byström and Järvelin's (1995) model, elaborating a process of information seeking according to perceived task complexity. The model also invokes Zipf’s Principle of Least Effort, demonstrating participants' interest in minimizing time and effort in consulting information resources, while prioritizing accurate email content. Overall, the study illuminates how individuals in postsecondary roles navigate writing work emails in a learned language, outlining their information behaviour and the relationship between internal and external information resources.

Failing states and failed politics: A call for public administration research

Failing states and failed politics: A call for public administration research

Changing discourse of public administration: Where PAD stands?

AbstractPublic administration in the recent years has become a very dynamic and vast domain owing to evolving challenges. Our study aims to comparatively evaluate the changing discourse in public administration research in general and ‘Public Administration and Development’ (PAD) in particular. For this purpose, we have taken research articles from nine journals of public administration domain for the period of 2010–2022. We have used the text‐mining based approach of Dynamic Topic Modelling to understand the evolution of topics in public administration research. This is followed by the Named Entity Recognition (NER) to discover the geographic importance given in public administration research vis‐à‐vis PAD. We have used the measure of ‘Jaccard similarity’ to compare the changing discourse of PAD with respect to other journals. We have found that topics on approaches to governance, organization performance and health were always on the priority in literature. We have also found that topic coverage in PAD is more diverse and niche compared to the overall trends in public administration research. NER findings suggest that public administration research is more Euro‐North American centric while PAD has pan‐continental presence with focus on developing countries.

Crowdsourced data in public administration research: A review and look to the future

AbstractCrowdsourcing platforms such as MTurk and Prolific have emerged as data sources for researchers in the social sciences. This article delves into the past, present, and future use of crowdsourced data in public administration scholarship. Through a review of published articles in top public administration journals (years 2013–2022), we uncover a general growth in the use of crowdsourced data over time. Additionally, we document how researchers have leveraged crowdsourced data to study a diverse range of themes and topics, with particular emphasis on survey experimental approaches and the examination of citizen attitudes and responses. Moreover, drawing on insights from a survey among quantitative public administration researchers, we discuss why the use of crowdsourced data is unlikely to diminish in the foreseeable future—despite ongoing debates regarding data quality and validity. We provide a set of guiding questions for researchers to consider when using crowdsourced data in public administration studies.

Distributed Architectures for Big Data Analytics in Cloud Computing: A Review of Data-Intensive Computing Paradigm

Big Data challenges are prevalent in various fields, including economics, business, public administration, national security, and scientific research. While it offers opportunities for productivity and scientific breakthroughs, it also presents challenges in data capture, storage, analysis, and visualization. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of Big Data applications, opportunities, challenges, and current techniques and technologies to address these issues. This study presents a system for managing big data resources using cloud for the development of data-intensive applications. It addresses even the challenges related to technologies that combine cloud computing with other allied technologies and devices. In addition, the increasing volume, velocity, and variety of data in the era of Big Data necessitate advanced methods for data processing and management. This study delves into the intricacies of data scalability, real-time processing, and the integration of diverse data types. Furthermore, it explores the role of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence in extracting meaningful insights from massive datasets.

Autonomy by Decree: How Administrative Law Shapes Bureaucratic Autonomy in Four Administrative Traditions

Administrative law is a not a frequent subject of research in public administration, but it can reveal a great deal about the functioning of the public sector and governance in general. The nature of administrative law is, we argue, closely linked with administrative traditions, and therefore administrative law is an especially apt focus for comparative analysis. This article discusses administrative law in four countries representing different administrative traditions. The perspective is that of the student of public governance, rather than that of the lawyer, with the principal concern here understanding bureaucratic autonomy within the administrative system.

Citizen Satisfaction Research in Public Administration: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

This study presents a systematic review of the 122 studies on citizen satisfaction in the field of public administration. The research aims to identify the current state of knowledge on citizen satisfaction by drawing on existing empirical results and conceptual arguments, highlighting research gaps, and developing a heuristic framework to guide future research. Based on a literature search of 12 major public administration journals, our findings indicate that citizen satisfaction has gained significant academic attention as a performance measure to monitor and assess public service delivery, particularly at the local level. Despite substantial scrutiny in diverse research contexts, quantitative studies still predominate, mainly using secondary survey data in their research. Furthermore, we observed an absence of an agreed-upon definition for citizen satisfaction and an over-emphasis on the expectancy-disconfirmation model to explain the satisfaction process, highlighting the need for scholars to move beyond the performance-expectation dyad. While reviewing a set of environmental, organizational, and individual-level antecedents and outcomes, we noticed few scholars have considered the effects of moderating variables on citizen satisfaction. As such, our paper concludes by identifying a few underexplored research themes that could facilitate knowledge-building regarding citizen satisfaction.

Developing “learning society” as a basic condition for perfect management education in China

The article analyzes the Chinese educational system historical formation as an instrument of human capital development. Using the historical retrospection method and hermeneutic method, the authors, based on the works of ancient Chinese thinkers, study the development and formation of management education as a core element of the Chinese educational system. Turning to Chinese prognosticism, the authors take the image of the Great Unity society, that is, social justice and equal opportunities for all citizens (“Datong”) as a basis for the future desired image, which throughout centuries of Chinese history show the universal value of education and the high status of a civil servant in such a society. The historical background of modern educational system formation has been described and one of the key problems of modern China – the gap between the huge demand for higher education in society and the difficulties in the employment of graduates – pointed out. Conclusions have been drawn about the main features of the public administration modern system, the Chinese education place in the international market of educational services and the possible contribution of Chinese public administration researchers to the solution of public problems both within the country and around the world. Strategic scenarios for the further development of Chinese society in the context of the Datong project have been outlined.

The role of gender equality in advancing development

AbstractGender equality and women empowerment are central to academic and policy debates on development. In the spirit of celebrating and reflecting on 75 years of research published by Public Administration and Development (PAD), this article aims to take stock of the journal's contribution to the knowledge base and practice of promoting gender equality. This article reviews research output published in PAD and identifies key themes and perspectives on gender equality and their reflection on the practical implementation of equalising policies. We use thematic analysis to review 43 relevant articles and evaluate the intellectual landscape, shedding light on the journal's contribution to gender equality research. Four broad themes are discussed along with their implications for practice and future research. We highlight the importance of not only expanding the horizons of gender equality research but also developing keen awareness reflected in the scholarship of the changing landscape of gender and the need to balance constructions of gender and the high variability of gender norms and practices in the Global South that should be taken into account when designing policies. This article concludes with recommendations and several questions that invite public administration researchers and policymakers to take this conversation and develop it further through research, education, and practice.

Bureaucratic sludge: Bureaucratic tasks and procedures leading to experiences of strain

AbstractIn light of the recent conceptual debate about the administrative burdens framework, this article introduces the ‘bureaucratic sludge framework’ as a complementary theoretical approach for social policy and public administration research. The framework enable researchers to pursue novel research questions about for instance the interplay between administrative procedures, informal bureaucratic practices and public employees' experiences of strain and thus addresses a conceptual gap in the field. The article presents a non‐normative conceptualisation, proposing a typology of bureaucratic tasks—information seeking, assessment, implementation, and emotional labour—that may impose cognitive‐affective strain. Finally, a research agenda is outlined, and the bureaucratic task typology is proposed as a conceptual point of departure for researchers to empirically explore and audit practical instances of bureaucratic sludge in their contexts to further theorise and advance our understanding of the phenomenon. Social welfare is considered as an especially fruitful context within which to pursue this research agenda.

The strategic use of AI in the public sector: A public values analysis of national AI strategies

Governments worldwide are strategically investing in artificial intelligence (AI) to improve public services and streamline internal operations. In this context, national AI strategies play a pivotal role. This study uses combined qualitative research methods analyzing 28 national AI strategies (i.e., the texts). Our aim is to delve into how governments define and position AI applications within the public sector. Specifically, the study explores how the texts convey AI's application in this context employing a public value(s) perspective. Its discursive analytical approach coupled with a comprehensive take on public value theory (Moore, 1995) engenders novel insights into national discourses on AI in the public sector. Against this background we draw on public administration and policy research in our analysis of three dominant discourses that we identify in the texts, i.e. empowerment through information, enhanced administrative practices, and improved service delivery. We find that the discourses involve different positions in relation to governments' use of AI and depend on particular actors and types of public service. Commonly, they concern government objectives to tackle critical societal issues through AI, such as in the areas of health and social care and employment. In particular, the discourse of enhanced administrative practices commonly positioned AI as a tool to optimize internal processes, resource allocation, and organizational management. On the other hand, the discourse of improved service delivery similarly placed public services front and center, while the discourse of empowerment through information framed AI as being able to enhance citizens' service experiences. Interestingly, discourses emphasizing the policymaking function, i.e., AI applied to the development of public policy,—receives limited attention. Our findings underscore strategic prioritizations. While efficiency and service delivery dominate the discourse, citizen engagement remains underemphasized. We argue that policymakers must strike a balance, ensuring AI aligns with broader societal outcomes while addressing democratic imperatives.

DHR‐PA—Democracy and human rights in public administration in Africa

AbstractWhile public administration research has traditionally paid profound attention to democratic values in government‐citizen relations, public institutions are still wrestling with entrenching human rights norms today. This article's Democracy and Human Rights in Public Administration (DHR‐PA) perspective offers a view that a human rights‐anchored reforms agenda may assist with setting the much‐needed tone for realizing democratic norms in African administrative contexts where society is still dealing with extreme forms of human rights abuses. It operationalizes institutional nuances and qualities of democratic and human rights values using Afrobarometer's Round 9 dataset for Namibia, Kenya, and Nigeria. Results show that human rights proclivities of African public administration remain subtle and nebulous despite more targeted DHR‐PA reforms and the creation of institutions like human rights commissions and administrative justice agencies. Overall, for democracy to work, African public administration must acquire and entrench human rights norms and values in its engagements with citizens.Related ArticlesKahn‐Nisser, Sara. 2018. “Constructive Criticism: Shaming, Incentives, and Human Rights Reforms.” Politics & Policy 46(1): 58–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12240.Zavala de Alba, Luis Eduardo. 2012. “Toward an International Implementation of Public Policies in Human Rights: A Necessary Step in Every Democratization Process for Advancements in Economic and Social Rights.” Politics & Policy 40(5): 783–801. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2012.00385.x.Nchofoung, Tii, Simplice Asongu, Vanessa Tchamyou, and Ofeh Edoh. 2022. “Gender, Political Inclusion, and Democracy in Africa: Some Empirical Evidence.” Politics & Policy 51(1): 137–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12505.

Power and Public Administration: Applying a Transformative Approach to Freedom of/Access to Information Research

Freedom of Information (FOI) or Access to Information (ATI) legislation regulates the right to make written requests for government records. Previous research either interrogates the effectiveness of FOI/ATI legislation for advancing government transparency or positions the requests as a means for gathering data on government institutions. This article intervenes in this debate by treating FOI/ATI mechanisms as the vantage point from which to examine questions about power in public administration. Adopting a transformative approach, this article explores the potential of using FOI/ATI requests as a liberatory tool that enables the analysis of power dynamics in public administration. For this purpose, the author draws upon her experience with Canada’s ATI regime and requests from the Immigration and Refugee Board. This article documents how ATI requests reveal policy tensions within the Board related to case and performance management, as well as patterns of front-line staff resistance to these measures. It goes on to examine complaints about delays made to the ATI watchdog which expose the attribution of ATI resources towards non-ATI responsibilities. This article highlights the contribution that FOI/ATI requests can make to public administration research.

Does sticking close to home make for better research? In‐state authorship and citation rates in public administration journals

AbstractObjectiveAlthough other social science disciplines have considered researcher positionality, whether a researcher belongs to the communities they study (insider) or does not (outsider), public administration scholars have yet to examine this aspect of scholarly production nor its impacts on perceptions of research quality.MethodsWe use a data set of 554 articles from eight top public administration journals that focus on a single or a few states in the United States as the research setting. Using in‐state authorship as a proxy for insider research, we test whether insider status significantly affects citation rates for these articles.ResultsFindings indicate that citation rates are higher for in‐state authors, but the journal impact factor serves as a critical moderating factor. Articles written by in‐state authors in Public Administration Review or Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory (the field's top two journals) are cited around 30 percent more than out‐of‐state authors, and we estimate that the articles across journals likely to be cited most are written by in‐state authors.ConclusionAlthough there is room for strong insider and outsider research in social sciences, generally, and public administration, specifically, scholars should remain mindful of positionality from both the production and consumption sides of the research process.

Public Sector Collective Bargaining: A Meta-Review

Public sector labor unions and their commitment to collective bargaining are central to the study of public sector human resource management. This study explores collective bargaining scholarship in the United States as exemplified in the public administration literature. Systematically coding 220 articles from the top fifteen (mainstream) peer-reviewed public administration journals over a period of 50 years (1970–2020), this study examines how public sector collective bargaining is framed and conceptualized in public administration research, identifying, and studying the dimensions of public sector collective bargaining research in the United States. The primary purpose of this article is to map trends and gaps in local, state, and federal public sector collective bargaining scholarship, which is an essential public personnel function in need of further academic attention. It is also hoped that this study could stimulate future research into public sector collective bargaining.

Research on the Development of Public Administration in Lithuania

<div><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p class="AbstractText">Research conducted on public administration in Lithuania covers various subjects related to different fields and activities within the public sector. However, most research focuses only on challenges associated with the civil service and local self-government in Lithuania. This research aims to define public administration research and improve understanding of the progress and trajectory of contemporary public sector research in Lithuania. The research methods include document analysis, qualitative descriptive approaches, and historical data analysis. Moreover, the triangulation method verifies research results by integrating data and observations from many sources. The research results found that in the development of public law in Lithuania, researchers in the field of Lithuanian public administration focused on the goals of government reform, civil service modernization, creative solutions, and trends and reforms in central and regional administration. They also concentrate on social policy procedures, improving public governance, and intelligent examination of public administration. Lithuanian authors also focus on improving public governance through the use of the concepts of cooperation, participation, and teamwork. The study of Lithuanian public administration is closely related to the evolution of traditional public administration, focusing on evaluating new public management practices and implementing various public management innovations in government sector organizations since the start of state restoration. Future directions of public administration research in Lithuania will focus on addressing the challenges faced by the public sector and society in other countries. These challenges include sustainable development, climate change, gender equality, and other contemporary issues that directly or indirectly impact the public sector.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div>

Inconvenient truths about logistic regression and the remedy of marginal effects

AbstractLogistic regression is a standard technique in public administration research. However, there are two inconvenient truths about logistic regression of which scholars should be aware. First, logistic regression results are difficult to interpret. Raw coefficients are expressed in an enigmatic log odds scale and odds ratios are regularly misinterpreted as risk ratios. Second, logistic regression results are non‐collapsible, which renders model comparisons invalid. A review of recent public administration articles reveals that these inconvenient truths still plague the discipline. This paper advocates the use of average marginal effects to reckon with both inconvenient truths. Average marginal effects are easy to comprehend because they measure effect sizes on a probability scale. And average marginal effects are collapsible, and hence facilitate valid model comparisons. These concepts are illustrated using data simulations and data from the 2017 Current Population Survey. The paper concludes with suggestions for improved research practice.