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Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice: The Case of Administrative Policy
Author(s) -
EGEBERG MORTEN
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.46
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1468-0491
pISSN - 0952-1895
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0491.1994.tb00170.x
Subject(s) - constructive , bridging (networking) , politics , field (mathematics) , empirical research , public administration , organizational theory , public policy , action (physics) , focus (optics) , sociology , political science , public relations , economics , management , law , computer science , epistemology , computer network , philosophy , physics , mathematics , optics , process (computing) , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , operating system
The discipline of public administration could play a more constructive role in the field of administrative policy if the gap between empirical‐theoretical research and the professional role of political scientists in governments were bridged. This article outlines an instrumental or “action‐oriented” model which provides a theoretical framework through which to focus on formal organizational, demographic and physical structures of institutions as the possible instruments, or “steering factors” in organizational design. The model emphasizes empirical observations of the relationships between the instrumental indendent) variables and actual decision behavior (dependent variables). The author draws on studies conducted in the central governments of several countries.