Public administration research methods : tools for evaluation and evidence-based practice / Warren S. Eller, Brian J. Gerber and Scott E. Robinson

Includes bibliographical references and index.

What is Research? -- Evidence-Based Practice for Public Affairs -- The Research Process: An Introduction to Key Concepts -- Conducting Preliminary Research -- Research Design -- Measurement -- Population Sampling -- Case Studies -- Interviews -- Field Research -- Survey Data -- Coding and Data Display -- Descriptive Statistics -- Introduction to Probability and Distributions -- Hypothesis Testing -- Measures of Association -- Simple Linear Regression -- Multiple Least Squares Regression Analysis -- Mixing Research Methods -- Managing Research & Evaluation Projects -- Presenting Research -- Conclusion: Bringing It All Together.

"The best decisions made by public sector 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 sector manager are often, therefore, based on the need for rigorous, actionable research. In this major new textbook, Eller, Gerber, and Robinson show 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, the book presents the various methodologies through a series of real-life case studies, with each chapter exploring the types of situations where a public sector manager can use research to answer specific questions, and how that research can inform future policy. Taking readers through the key concepts, from research design and sampling to interviews, survey data, and more statistical-based approaches, the book builds to provide the complete guide to using research in the public and voluntary sectors. Each chapter also includes discussion questions, class exercises, end of chapter review questions, and key vocabulary to provide students with a range of further tools to apply research principles to practical situations. Readers of the print book will also have automatic access to an interactive electronic version, which will include not only hyperlinks to further reading, but access to a series of data sets to enable practice using the statistical methodologies outlined in the text. Public Administration Research Methods: Tools for Evaluation and Evidence-Based Practice is the most accessible and comprehensive research methods textbook available to students of Public Administration and will be essential reading not only to students during their studies, but also as a companion in their future careers."--Publisher's website.