Highly readable and non-technical, this handbook is designed to help students and non-profit managers gain a working knowledge of the principles and practices of conducting qualitative case study research in public organizations. This book is a motherload of practical and comprehensive guidance to planning, conducting, analyzing, and reporting case research project findings. McNabb begins with a detailed rationale for the use of the case research approach in public administration, non-profit organizations, and political science. Then it provides step-by-step instructions on how to conduct single-case, multicase, and meta-analysis research, with guidelines on organizing and writing the case report. Case Research in Public Management also includes many examples of case studies in a wide range of important topics in public administration, including performance management, sustainable government, technology management, security issues, emergency and disaster management, social and health services, infrastructure, public transportation, and transforming the work of government.

An overview of experimental research and methods in public management, and their impact on theory, research practices and substantive knowledge.

Research in public administration and public management has distinctive features that influence the choices and application of research methods. Periods of change and upheaval in the public sector provide ample opportunities and cases for research, but the standard methodologies for researching in the social sciences can be difficult to follow in the complex world of the public sector. In a dynamic political environment, the focus lies on solving social problems whilst also using methodological principles needed for doing scientifically sound research. Research Methods in Public Administration and Public Management represents a comprehensive guide to doing and using research in public management and administration. It is impressively succinct but covering a wide variety of research strategies including among others: action research, hypotheses, sampling, case selection, questionnaires, interviewing, desk research, prescription and research ethics. This textbook does not bog the nascent researcher down in the theory but does provide numerous international examples and practical exercises to illuminate the research journey. Sandra Van Thiel guides us through the theory, operationalization and research design process before explaining the tools required to carry-out impactful research. This concise textbook will be core reading for those studying research methods and/or carrying out research on public management and administration.

Highly readable and non-technical, this handbook is designed to help students and non-profit managers gain a working knowledge of the principles and practices of conducting qualitative case study research in public organizations. This book is a motherload of practical and comprehensive guidance to planning, conducting, analyzing, and reporting case research project findings. McNabb begins with a detailed rationale for the use of the case research approach in public administration, non-profit organizations, and political science. Then it provides step-by-step instructions on how to conduct single-case, multicase, and meta-analysis research, with guidelines on organizing and writing the case report. Case Research in Public Management also includes many examples of case studies in a wide range of important topics in public administration, including performance management, sustainable government, technology management, security issues, emergency and disaster management, social and health services, infrastructure, public transportation, and transforming the work of government.

"This book includes cases from local, state, Federal, and international governments, covering a wide variety of technologies such as geographic information systems, enterprise resource planning, Web-based customer response systems, and cross-agency shared systems, among others. The practitioners' in-depth knowledge brings a reality to the cases that readers will find stimulating as well as instructive"--Provided by publisher.

While public management has become widely spoken of, its identity and character is not well-defined. Such disparity is an underlying problem in developing public management within academia, and in the eyes of practitioners. In this book, Michael Barzelay tackles the challenge of making public management into a true professional discipline. Barzelay argues that public management needs to integrate contrasting conceptions of professional practice. By pressing forward an expansive idea of design in public management, Barzelay formulates a fresh vision of public management in practice and outlines its implications for research, curriculum development and disciplinary identity.

The contributors to this volume trace the evolution of public administration institutions and explore issues such as the protection and improvement of the public service, recent innovations in the area of service delivery, and how this has created increased legitimacy and recognition from citizens.