Taking Stock: Evidence about the Standing of Public Administration in Academia

Abstract

This article reviews existing empirical evidence regarding the status of public administration as a field of study. It finds, overall, very little research taking stock of public administration as an academic field and a lack of research examining public administration as an interdisciplinary field. Indicators that do exist offer a mixed view of field growth and development along with an apparent decline in status and standing. Nevertheless, it is apparent that public administration has standing independent of political science. The study identifies areas in which evidence is lacking, dated, or limited and calls for research in five different areas necessary to gain a better understanding of the status and development of public administration.

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Lois Recascino Wise

Professor Wise's research and teaching interests center on the broad area of employment policies and practices with a special focus on the public sector. Her research examines issues pertaining to administrative innovation and reform, including flexible pay policies, performance motivation, the distribution of rewards and status within the public bureaucracy, and the way internal labor market systems function in government organizations. She has served as a consultant in areas related to her research interests to public and private sector organizations in the United States and Europe. Dr. Wise's work can be found in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Governance. Public Administration Review. Public Administration Quarterly. The British Journal of Industrial Relations. The International Labour Review. The Public Productivity and Management Review. The Review of Public Personnel Administration. Public Personnel Management. Knowledge in Society. Forskning om utbildning, and Scandinavian Studies. She is the author of Labor Market Policies and Employment Patterns in the United States.