Public Administration Research in Contemporary Russia: An Analysis of Journal Publications, 2010–2014

ABSTRACT

This study examines the latest tendencies in Russian research on public administration (2010–14) as it appears in Russian academic journals. The study considers the subjects of articles, their methodological features, and the characteristics of contributors. Revealing problems in public administration research in Russia contributes both to the development of Russian science and to the ongoing international discussion regarding the need for better research on public administration and state policy. By drawing attention to the shortcomings and weaknesses of Russian public administration research, the study is meant to advance the current discussion on ways to strengthen the quality of policy research around the world.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic journals
• public administration research
• Russia
• scientometrics

Notes

¹ The Russian system of academic degrees includes candidate and doctor of sciences and the academic ranks of assistant, docent (associate professor), and (full) professor. This system, established in 1934, continues to function in the present. However some universities in Russia have PhD programs. According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011, “candidate of sciences” belongs to ISCED level 8, “doctoral or equivalent,” together with PhD, DPhil, DLit, DSc, LLD, doctorate, and similar degrees.

² For instance, one could use the most popular theories in public administration journals indexed in Web of Science or Scopus. According to Barabashev and Utkina (2014a) these theories are bureaucracy theory, New Public Management, Good Governance, Anticipatory Governance and Effective State. For the research methods, this analysis was initially supposed to measure only those methods that are more common for applied research, such as econometric analysis, mathematical modeling, and sociological research. However, as a result of such approach, it was found that more than 70% of the articles did not have research al all. Switching to a softer open coding allowed understanding what methodology is though used in most Russian articles on public administration.