Description
Book SynopsisThe best decisions made by public managers are based not on instinct, but on an informed understanding of what's happening on the ground. Policy may be directed by ideology, but it must also be founded on reality. The challenge of making the right decisions as a public manager is often, therefore, based on the need for rigorous, actionable research. Now in a thoughtfully revised second edition, this textbook shows students of Public Administration exactly how to use both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to give them the best chance to make the right decisions.
Uniquely, Eller, Gerber, and Robinson present research methodologies through a series of real-life case studies, with each chapter exploring situations where a public manager can use research to answer specific questions, demonstrating how that research can inform future policy. Taking readers through the key concepts, from research design and sampling to interviews, survey data, and more statistic
Table of Contents
Section 1. The Purpose and Value of Evaluation and Analytic Skills and their Use in Evidence in Decision-making 1. Introduction: What is Research? 2. Evidence-based Practice for Public Affairs 3. The Research Process: An Introduction to Key Concepts 4. Conducting Preliminary Research Section 2. The Basic Operations of Research: Setting Up a Project, Gathering Data 5. Research Design 6. Measurement 7. Population Sampling 8. Case Studies 9. Interviews 10. Field Research 11. Survey Data Section 3. Estimating How the World Works: Testing Claims and Drawing Inferences 12. Coding and Data Display 13. Descriptive Statistics 14. Introduction to Probability and Distributions 15. Hypothesis Testing 16. Measures of Association Section 4. Advanced Quantitative Techniques and Applied Decision Tools 17. Simple Linear Regression 18. Multiple Least Squares Regression Analysis 19. Applied Decision Tools 20. Mixing Research Methods Section 5. Managing Project, Completing Projects 21. Managing Research and Evaluation Projects 22. Presenting Research: Writing and Speaking in Policy and Management Settings 23. Conclusion: Bringing It All Together Appendix
