Experiments in Public Management Research
Challenges and Contributions

An overview of experimental research and methods in public management, and their impact on theory, research practices and substantive knowledge.

Oliver James (Edited by), Sebastian R. Jilke (Edited by), Gregg G. Van Ryzin (Edited by)

9781316614235, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 July 2017

548 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.9 cm, 0.79 kg

'This book is an excellent introduction and exhibit of experimentation in public administration, offering both chapters on how to carry out an experiment, the different types of experiments that exist ranging from panel surveys to lab experiments, the pros and cons of the method, as well as a large number of actual applications. The increase in the use of experiments coincides with the rise of a behavioural public administration and a call for more replication studies.' Sandra van Thiel, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Interest in experimental research in public management is on the rise, yet the field still lacks a broad understanding of its role in producing substantive findings and theoretical advances. Written by a team of leading international researchers, this book sets out the advantages of experiments in public management and showcases their rapidly developing contribution to research and practice. The book offers a comprehensive overview of the relationship between experiments and public management theory, and the benefits for examining causal effects. It will appeal to researchers and graduate-level students in public administration, public management, government, politics and policy studies. The key topics addressed are the distinct logic of experimental methods in the laboratory, in the field, and in survey experiments; how leading researchers are using different kinds of experiment to build knowledge about theory and practice across many areas of public management; and the research agendas for experimental work in public management.

1. Introduction. Experiments in public management research Oliver James, Sebastian R. Jilke and Gregg G. Van Ryzin
2. A systematic review of experimental studies in public management journals Huafang Li and Gregg G. Van Ryzin
3. Experiments and the classical roots of public administration: comments on the potential utility of experiments for contemporary public management Kenneth Meier and Kendall Funk
4. Causal inference and the design and analysis of experiments Oliver James, Sebastian R. Jilke and Gregg G. Van Ryzin
5. Field experiments in public management Oliver James, Peter John and Alice Moseley
6. Survey experiments for public management research Sebastian R. Jilke and Gregg G. Van Ryzin
7. Laboratory experiments: their potential for public management research Markus Tepe and Christine Prokop
8. Work motivation Nicola Belle and Paola Cantarelli
9. Experimenting with leadership in public organisations Lotte Andersen, Louise Bro, Anne Bøllingtoft and Jacob Ladenburg
10. Prospects for experimental approaches to research on bureaucratic red tape Sanjay Pandey, Sheela Pandey and Gregg G. Van Ryzin
11. Managerial use of performance data by bureaucrats and politicians Donald Moynihan, Poul Nielsen and Alexander Kroll
12. Citizens and public performance measures: making sense of performance information Oliver James and Asmus Olsen
13. Public sector transparency Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen, Ulrike Weske, Robin Bouwman and Lars Tummers
14. Representative bureaucracy: an experimental approach Gregg G. Van Ryzin and Norma Riccucci
15. Coproduction of public services Simon Andersen, Morten Jakobsen, Søren Serritzlew and Mette Thomsen
16. Expectations and satisfaction with public services Jue Young Mok, Oliver James and Gregg G. Van Ryzin
17. Citizen and users' responses to public service failure: experimentation about blame, exit and voice Oliver James and Sebastian R. Jilke
18. Assessing public support for government policy: comparing experimental and attitudinal approaches Scott Robinson, James Stoutenborough and Arnold Vedlitz
19. Legislative oversight of the bureaucracy: insights from formal modeling and experimental testing Susumu Shikano, Michael Stoffel and Markus Tepe
20. Experimental research for nonprofit management: charitable giving and fundraising Mirae Kim, Dyana Mason and Huafang Li
21. Replication of experimental research: implications for the study of public management Richard Walker, M. Jin Lee and Oliver James
22. The experimental turn in public management: how methodological preferences drive substantive choices Steven Van de Walle
23. Changing how government works: the transformative potential of an experimental public management Peter John
24. Conclusions. Towards an experimental public management? Oliver James, Sebastian R. Jilke and Gregg G. Van Ryzin.

Subject Areas: Business & management [KJ], Public administration [JPP], Research methods: general [GPS]