Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration doc

[...]... programs or in academic research involving theorybuilding and theory-testing Second, the authors document illustrative past uses of quantitative methods in public administration They link scientific quantitative techniques to their uses in public administration literature and practice in the past and present Third, the chapters explore potential emerging uses of quantitative methods in public administration. .. Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 1 Introduction Gerald J Miller and Marcia L Whicker Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey The purposes of this handbook are varied and they build on each other First, it provides a comprehensive survey of quantitative methods used in public administration research whether in government administration of public. .. M.C.R.P Doctoral Candidate, Department of Public Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey MICHAEL MARGOLIS, PH.D Cincinnati, Ohio Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Cincinnati, GERALD J MILLER, PH.D Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey CHANGHWAN MO, M.P.A Doctoral Candidate, Department of Public Administration, ... against administering shocks Upon reaching a certain level of electrical shock and hearing the staged pain reactions of confederates, some participants refused to continue administering the shocks and withdrew from the study Others, however, continued to administer increasing levels of ‘‘shocks’’ (in spite of the knowledge of a pre-existing heart condition) Milgram’s research was troubling because... LANCER, PH.D Assistant Professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, Illinois DAN W DURNING, PH.D Research Associate, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia VATCHE GABRIELIAN, PH.D Associate Director, National Center for Public Productivity, Graduate Department of Public Administration, Rutgers University, Newark,... even exhaustive instances of ethical dilemmas, but rather are intended as heuristics for examining the sorts of ethical problems that can arise in the course of doing research and alerting the researcher to the range of potential ethical dilemmas II TREATMENT OF HUMAN SUBJECTS Much of the current debate on ethical research pertains to the treatment of human subjects The impetus for this interest can be... forsake the standards of good scientific work and advocate for one side of a political debate in the name of science Becker urges us to keep in mind the objective of our work—what it is we are trying to do in our research which is to understand and explain social/ behavioral phenomena (1967) Also pertinent to uses of scientific knowledge is the issue of the timing of reporting research findings Is the common... in the research process discussed above presents its own dilemmas for the researcher In considering the ethical treatment of human subjects, researchers are expected to design their studies so as to protect the rights of participants and treat them with respect and dignity During the process of research, the researcher is expected to be objective and unbiased in conducting research The methods of research. .. This handbook will increase their awareness and ease in dealing with those methods, both for consuming studies that they use in their jobs as well in carrying out research projects The chapters are grouped in nine main areas: 1 The Big Picture 2 Describing and Measuring Phenomena 1 2 MILLER AND WHICKER 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Data Collection and Manipulation Research Issues and Design Association and Testing... Construction.’’ Alana Northrup then describes ‘‘Sampling and Data Collection.’’ Finally, Carmine P F Scavo gives useful insight into ‘‘Constructing Data Sets and Manipulating Data.’’ In Part 4, research issues are discussed, especially those involving research design In the first of these chapters, Nicholas Giannatasio outlines the ‘‘Threats to Validity of Research Designs.’’ More generally, Vatche Gabrielian . Assistant Professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, Illinois D AN W. D URNING ,P H .D. Research. administration research whether in government administration of public programs or in academic research involving theory- building and theory-testing. Second,