Relational public administration: a synthesis and heuristic classification of relational approaches

Interest in the relational dimensions of public administration is growing. However, the significance of relationality has not been understood, nor has the diversity of relational approaches been synthesized into a coherent research agenda. Relational public administration developed from the decline of rational policy models and the advent of network governance. We draw on relational sociology to formulate a relational perspective of larger scope, integrating relational process ontology, practice theory, social network analyses, and interpretive policy analysis. A heuristic framework classifies relational public administration research in four types: Connected Actors, Co-Creation Networks, Interactive Performance, and Dynamic Systems.