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Behavioural and experimental public administration: Emerging contributions and new directions
Author(s) -
James Oliver,
Jilke Sebastian R.,
Van Ryzin Gregg G.
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.12363
Subject(s) - popularity , variety (cybernetics) , set (abstract data type) , embodied cognition , core (optical fiber) , administration (probate law) , focus (optics) , work (physics) , political science , management science , positive economics , computer science , economics , artificial intelligence , engineering , mechanical engineering , telecommunications , physics , optics , programming language , law
This article introduces the symposium on the emerging subfield of behavioural public administration. The nine articles of the symposium each combine a focus on behavioural theory with the use of experiments as the method for testing theoretical expectations. The contribution of this work to public administration theory is revealed in the expanding set of insights into core topic areas, and there are associated contributions to public administration as a design science informing policy and practice. We analyse the variety of experimental methods employed by investigators in the subfield and the current relative popularity of survey experiments. We note maturation of the subfield embodied in emerging programmes of multiple experiments on particular topic areas. In conclusion, we propose directions for future research in which behavioural public administration develops as complementary to more established approaches to theory and method.