Public Administration Research: Work in PAR, 1940-1984

The current state of research in the field of public administration has been much debated in recent years. Some writers have discussed research methods employed by doctoral students in the course of their dissertations' while others have commented on appropriate research strategies for the field as a whole, including its university-based faculty.2 Using empirical evidence, Perry and Kraemer in 1986 presented an initial examination of the methods of research actually used in the field during the period, 1975-1984,3 as evidenced by articles published in the Public Administration Review (PAR). This paper extends the work of Perry and Kraemer. Like those authors, we analyze actual data on characteristics of reported research rather than merely stating our likes and dislikes. We investigate changes in the types of research designs and methods used in the study of public administration over time as reflected in PAR. The purpose of our study is to identify trends in research during the past 45 years as reflected in this journal. Whereas Perry and Kraemer made comparisons between the periods 1975-79 and 1980-84, we analyze data for fiveyear intervals from the inception of PAR in 1940 through 1984. Thus we empirically examine for the first time some trends in the research base of the field and are able to speculate about what these trends may indicate regarding the future of public administration research.