Research Methods in Public Administration and Public Management

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1 SUB Hamburg A 2014/1742 Research Methods in Public Administration and Public Management An introduction R Routledge Taylor & Francis Croup LONDON AND NEW YORK

2 Contents List of illustrations Acknowledgements 1 Research in public administration 1.1 The unique features of research in Public Administration Research in Public Administration and policy Aim and outline of the rest of the book 10 2 The research problem 2.1 Choosing and formulating a research problem The research aim The research question 17 3 Theoretical framework 3.1 The empirical cycle What is theory? Philosophies of science The role of theory in Public Administration research 4 Operationalization 4.1 Operationalization in three steps Sampling Reliability and validity Validity and reliability: sources of interference 51 5 Research design 5.1 The different elements of the research design Choosing a research strategy, method and technique 6 The experiment 6.1 The classic experiment Simulations and gaming 64

3 CONTENTS 6.3 The field experiment Reliability and validity in experiments Observation 70 7 The=survey 7.1 The survey: characteristics and types The written questionnaire The reliability and validity of questionnaires 82 8 The case study 8.1 Case study research The selection of cases The reliability and validity of case studies The interview 93 9 Desk research 9.1 Using or re-using existing data Three methods for gathering and analysing existing data Analysing quantitative data Quantitative data Collecting and ordering the data Analysis Descriptive statistics Inferential statistics Reliability and validity when analysing quantitative data Analysing qualitative data Qualitative data Collecting and ordering the data Analysing the data The reliability and validity of qualitative data analysis Reporting results Forums Reporting formats The purpose of reporting research results Writing down the results Prescription 164 Bibliography 169 Glossary 175 Index 190 viii

4 Illustrations FIGURES 3.1 Schematic outline of the empirical cycle Schematic outline of the classic experiment Normal distribution Example of a scattergram Example of a taxonomic scheme of codes 148 TABLES 2.1 Research aims N Research questions Philosophies of science in Public Administration research Sampling Characteristics of the four main research strategies Characteristics of diverse research methods Example of a code book Example of a data matrix Example of a cross-tabulation 127 BOXES 1.1 Examples of prevalent topics in Public Administration and Public Management research Reconstruction of programme theories Evaluation and evidence-based policymaking Action research Example: formulating sub-questions Hypotheses Falsification and verification The regulative cycle 28

5 ILLUSTRATIONS 3.3 Example: schematic representations of theoretical model Examples of the use of theory in Public Administration research Literature skills Scales of measurement Validating or standardizing measurement instruments Triangulation The time dimension in research Exogenous variables and intervening variables Designing a simulation game Examples of policy experiments Example of observation study Examples of research with questionnaires Scales Examples of case study research in Public Administration Choices involved in designing a case study The interview manual The Delphi method Example: existing data sources for research on healthcare Types of textual analysis Examples of the application of content analysis in Public Administration Examples of secondary analysis in Public Administration Examples of meta-analysis in Public Administration and Public Management research Reporting on results Examples of studies in Public Administration and Public Management using quantitative data Forms of qualitative research Examples of qualitative research in Public Administration and Public Management Coding an interview: example Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) Selection of international, refereed journals in Public Administration and Public Management Guidelines for writing a press release Model for reporting research results Unwelcome tidings 166 x

Research Plan And Design

Research Plan And Design By Dr. Achmad Nizar Hidayanto Information Management Lab Faculty of Computer Science Universitas Indonesia Salemba, 1 Agustus 2017 Research - Defined The process of gathering information