Who Should We Count as Citizens? Categorizing People in Public Administration Research

Abstract Citizenship is a core concept in public administration research . This article examines how the concept was employed in 29 research articles published in Public Administration Review since 2009 . It finds two difficulties . The first is a tendency to omit an explicit definition of the concept , contrary to good practice . The second is a tendency to adopt an implied definition of citizenship that encompasses all of the general population . The article considers possible justifications for current practice . Research would be improved by using the concept less frequently , defining it explicitly , adopting a definition that is closer to ordinary usage , and attending more carefully to the ways in which attitudes and behavior are influenced by a person's status within a jurisdiction .