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A short measure of general policy alienation: Scale development using a 10‐step procedure
Author(s) -
van Engen Nadine A.M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/padm.12318
Subject(s) - compromise , measure (data warehouse) , alienation , reliability (semiconductor) , scale (ratio) , validity , computer science , psychology , psychometrics , sociology , data mining , political science , social science , clinical psychology , law , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
Public administration research is becoming increasingly quantitative. As seen in psychological and managerial research, the result is a growing demand for valid and reliable measures. Given the tradition of contextually embedded research in public administration – where research should cover multiple factors to find useful answers to real‐life problems – survey research should ideally incorporate many measures. This is driving a need for short measures that do not compromise on validity and reliability. In this study, a short measure of general policy alienation is developed and tested, observing stringent criteria. The analyses on three independent datasets (N = 1,183, N = 354, and N = 933) show that the original multidimensional 26‐item measure can be abbreviated to a short five‐item measure with limited compromises on validity and reliability. Practical applications and methodological implications regarding both the developed measure and the 10‐step procedure used are discussed.