Public Administration

PA — 2026-06-21 Original The Disconnection of Advocacy and Analysis in Public Administration: A Critique of Robust Governance Gerry Stoker, Brenton Prosser, B. Guy Peters

PSJ — 2026-06-21 Original Policy Learning: Mapping the Conceptual Minefield Bishoy Zaki Abstract ABSTRACT Policy learning has become a central and widely deployed lens in public policy and administration research. Yet policy learning's success has also produced paradoxical effects. Decades of scholarship have generated a dense conceptual terrain populated by numerous constructs and learning descriptors that are often unclearly positioned and frequently collapsed into the broad label of “learning types.” The result is persistent conceptual ambiguity that limits comparability and hinders cumulative knowledge production, leaving policy learning widely experienced as a “minefield” of overlapping constructs. This article addresses that problem by mapping the policy learning terrain through building an Archimedean device that develops four construct categories, forms , modes , mechanisms , and types of learning , anchored in two reference points: the occurrence of learning, defined as the deliberate pursuit and processing of policy‐relevant knowledge by policy actors, and learning outcomes, meaning what learning produces, ranging from stability to varying degrees of change. It maps a selected set of prominent constructs into these categories to provide a construct‐identity crosswalk and shared analytic grammar that support clearer specification, more defensible operationalization, and the space for more consistent cross‐study synthesis without erasing theoretical pluralism, and that can be layered onto existing learning frameworks for additional analytical leverage and theory development.

JPART — 2026-06-15 Original Mapping the temporal evolution of causal effects in public administration and policy research Lefteris Jason Anastasopoulos, Inkyu Kang Abstract Abstract Recent growth in the use of randomized and quasi-experiments in public administration and policy research has advanced the ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships. However, many studies adopt static conceptions of causality, focusing on snapshots or time-averaged effects while overlooking how the effects change over time. This oversight is problematic, as interventions of scholarly interest, such as leadership training or the adoption of new technologies, are likely to produce impacts that unfold in various ways. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework for understanding the temporal dynamics of causal effects and their implications for research hypotheses and design. We then introduce Bayesian changepoint models (BCMs) as a methodological tool for detecting shifts in the average, variance, or trend of causal effect series, providing a more rigorous yet accessible alternative to visually inspecting graphs. Next, we demonstrate the application of BCMs with an illustrative example derived from simulation data as well as a real-world case examining the effect of body-worn cameras on police officers’ use of force. Finally, we discuss how examining temporal changes in effects can advance theoretical understanding of why and how they occur, as well as inform the design and implementation of policies and strategies in practice.

PAR — 2026-05-31 Original From Threat to Challenge: Addressing Resistance to Diversity Through Holistic Diversity Previews and Tools Ines Jurcevic, Felix Danbold, Miguel M. Unzueta

PAR 86/5 pp. 1447-1461 2026-04-21 Original An Unstable Hierarchy: Departmental Dynamics in Local Government Organizations Bradley M. Johnson, Kimberly L. Nelson, Mary Beth Spoehr Abstract ABSTRACT Local governments offer untapped insights into public organizational change. Despite their large number and variety, internal departmental dynamics are poorly understood, with implications for information processing, service delivery, and democratic accessibility. Using data from 272 municipalities collected 5 years apart (2014–2019) analysis finds that 88% changed at least one department name and 69% experienced an increase or decrease in the total number of departments. To understand what contextual elements may lead to these changes, capacity and institutional triggers are explored. Findings indicate that turnover of executive leadership increases the likelihood of change, while population and employment change affect the scale of change. Other commonly discussed conditions such as changes in financial resources, the turnover in legislative bodies, and the independence of executives are not significantly associated. For public administration, the consequences of continuous change in organizational hierarchies could affect assumptions of bureaucratic stability, democratic responsiveness, administrative burden, and organizational legibility.

PA — 2026-04-07 Original Rethinking Reproductive Governance: What Can Public Administration on the Island of Ireland Learn From Abortion Accompaniment? Anna Theresa Schmid Abstract ABSTRACT The recent decriminalization of abortion marked a crucial step toward improved reproductive care on the island of Ireland. However, this has not translated into fully accessible abortion provision—barriers, including inaccessible services, persist, leaving gaps that public administration has not formally addressed. In response, informal actors, particularly abortion accompaniers, may continue playing a critical role in enabling care. Drawing on asynchronous online discussions with 19 individuals who accompanied abortions over the past decade, this article examines how accompaniment operates not merely as individual support but as a structural necessity that illustrates alternative futures for abortion administration. The analysis demonstrates how accompaniment assumes a quasi‐administrative function, helping individuals navigate bureaucratic systems and compensating for shortcomings in formal provision. It also highlights how accompaniment embodies alternative models of care, rooted in demedicalization and reproductive justice. I outline key learnings for public administration: rethinking abortion governance as a system that centers on accessibility and dignity, learning from accompaniment to design community‐based services, and eliminating bureaucratic barriers to create more equitable abortion care. Current accompaniment practices are not simply a workaround for legal and medical failures but an indicator of systemic shortcomings—offering a blueprint for more accessible reproductive health care that truly serves the public.

JPART 36/3 pp. 329-342 2026-04-03 Original Dual anchors in the shadow of the future: how renewal expectations and relational history govern behavior in public contracts

PMR — pp. 1-33 2026-03-30 Original Experiments in public administration research: contributions, challenges, and the road ahead Ricardo C. Gomes, Gustavo M. Tavares, Gustavo Mirapalheta Abstract Experiments are essential for testing theory and evaluating policy interventions as they uniquely enable causal inference. This study provides a primer on experimental and quasi-experimental methods and reviews their use in public administration research by analysing 1,143 articles through bibliometric and regression techniques. It focuses on laboratory, field, survey-based, and quasi/natural experiments. The findings reveal rapid growth in experimental research, particularly survey-based experiments, which now dominate the field. Key theoretical clusters, themes, and references are identified, and statistical analyses investigate the link between experiment type and citation counts. The study concludes with recommendations for advancing experimental research in public administration.

GOV 39/2 2026-03-28 Original Tracing the Trends of Governance in Governance From 1988 to 2023: Achievements and Future Prospects Kyungdong Kim, Min Han Kim, Brainard Guy Peters

GOV 39/2 2026-03-19 Original Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Administrative Capacity With Open Data: Could ‘Administrative Throughput’ Be the Missing Link Between Administrative Inputs and Outputs?