Invitation for country studies in Public Administration Review

Government is a global phenomenon since most of the world's landmasses are (a) carved up in local, regional, and national jurisdictions and (b) are governed by means of bureaucratic organizational structures at these levels of government. At the same time, government and its study are a local phenomenon in two ways. First, the position and role of the study of PA and of government varies from country to country: how does the study of PA and government vary in countries that operate in and with a somewhat or highly authoritarian political system as compared to a more democratic system? We hope to attract papers by authors from both democratic and more authoritarian political systems.

The modern study of PA focuses on administrative skills (e.g., HRM, budgeting and finance, program evaluation, etc.), leadership, law, management, and policies in the public sector. It is the study of challenges and problems which can only be solved through collective efforts between and with public, non-profit, and private actors. A pivotal role is played by career civil servants who have evolved from being mere sycophants of rulers and ruling elites to being the guardians of democracy (cf. Hegel). That career civil servants are vital to government is underlined in Bismarck's observation as that “With bad laws and good civil servants it's still possible to govern. But with bad civil servants even the best laws can't help.”

Elements of the content of each contribution:

Two general elements:

1. The state of the study of PA in your country.
2. The relation between the study and the government in your country.

On the state of the study in your country, possible elements include:

• Number of PA programs in higher education.
• Organizational context: PA as an independent department or college; PA is a section in a political science department, or in law, or in organizational studies.
• Anything on the growth of the study in the past 50 years.
• Research output: is the focus on national problems and challenges, focus on publishing in country-wide or continent-wide outlets; what efforts exist to connect to international (admitted: often Euro-American) scholarship.
• The extent of government support for PA programs.
• How is the balance struck between PA as a science (for developing theory), a craft (for training in practical skills), an art (for educating in understanding the position and role of government), and as a profession (preparing pre-career students for a career in the public sector, offering continuing education for mid-career civil servants)?
• To what extent is PA in your country reaching out to colleagues in other countries (on your continent, and/or globally)?
• Attention to changes in the substance (topics) and approach (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, etc.) of the study.

On the relation between the study of PA and government in your country, possible elements include:

• Does the study of PA in your country contribute to improving government at the local up to the national or central government levels. If so, how?
• In what political, economic, cultural, etc., tradition does your study of PA operate? (one can think here of the distinctions made between, for example, Napoleonic, Germanic, Communist, Westminster, etc., systems)
• What are the major challenges in your country that require a government role and how can the study of PA contribute to addressing these challenges?
• In various countries across the globe trust between people in general but also of people in their elected officeholders has been declining while political intolerance has increased. What is the situation in your country?
• In various countries and for various reasons, populist policies have increased. Also, in several countries, the government is almost treated as if the property of the leader/president. Fukuyama called this neo-patrimonialism. To what extent has this been the case in your country?
• To what extent is the administrative past visible in the present? (think, for example, of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial times; but also of monarchical or dictatorial periods followed by parliamentary democracy; or of democratic periods followed by more authoritarian governing).

Nota bene: you are not expected to address all the topics listed above but can select those you find most relevant and informative for an international audience.

By way of example: one article on the state of theory in American PA, one article on the link between the study and government, and one edited volume on African public management:

• Raadschelders, Jos C.N. (2018) The State of Theory in the Study of Public Administration in the USA: Balancing Evidence-Based, Usable Knowledge and Conceptual Understanding. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 41(1), 79–98. (pdf of this article can be sent upon request)
• Raadschelders, Jos C.N. (2020). The Future of Public Administration Scholarship in South Africa and the World: Serving Democracy, Practice and Academe. Journal of Public Administration (South Africa), 55(2), 176–196. (pdf of this issue can be sent upon request)
• Van der Waldt, Gerrit (ed.) (Forthcoming 2023). Handbook of Public Management in Africa. Edward Elgar (with excellent continent-wide and country-wide chapters on (aspects of) public management).

Given the nature of this type of article we expect it to be written by a seasoned scholar with in-depth knowledge of the study in her/his country and familiar with challenges, issues, problems, etc. in their country's government. These articles can be generated in two ways: submitted upon initiative of an author or solicited by Jos Raadschelders. However done, these pieces will go through the same double-blind review process as any other submission to PAR.

With regard to the text, we are looking for pieces of about 8000 words including abstract, endnotes, and references; tables, figures, charts, and appendices should be excluded from the word count. With regard to the references, follow the PAR-style. All material should be 12-point, Times New Roman, double-spaced with margins of 1″ (one inch).