Introduction to the Virtual Issue: Advancing Public Policy Research through the Lens of Public Administration

Abstract

We select and include 16 articles published at PAR in the last two years (2021 and 2022) in this virtual issue, representing key insights public administration scholarship can contribute to public policy research. We group these insights into four major themes and provide a brief summary of each article. In particular, we focus on public administration scholarship’s contributions in challenging the policy/politics and administration dichotomy, developing a deep understanding of bureaucracy, accounting for the human agency across different levels of management, and embracing different methodological approaches (particularly qualitative and mixed-methods research). We hope these articles’ methodological approaches, theoretical underpinnings, and analytical focus provide insights into a deeper understanding of how public policy is formulated, implemented, and evaluated.