Definitions and typologies in public administration research : the case of decentralization
By: DUBOIS, Hans F. W
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Contributor(s): FATTORE, Giovanni.
Material type: 
ArticlePublisher: Philadelphia : Routledge, July 2009International Journal of Public Administration - IJPA 32, 8, p. 704-727Abstract: The field of public administration knows many concepts. By focusing on one such concept, this research shows definitions can be deceptive, and how typologies unable to capture all dimensions of a concept can blind policy makers and researchers. We concentrate our attention on decentralization. This has been a core concept in the field of public administration for decades. Definitions and typologies of decentralization have flourished. The present study gives an overview. We categorize definitions and analyse their different emphases. Typologies serve to order and compare items, but have themselves become prone to disorder. We provide a meta-analysis of typologies ignore - and definitions explicity exclude - certain aspects of decentralization. One such issue is "silent decentralization". It is characterized by absence of explicit decentalization reform, initiative shifts, policy emphasis developmenets, or resource availability alterations. Highlighting this particular aspect might well proof useful for other concepts in the field as well.
The field of public administration knows many concepts. By focusing on one such concept, this research shows definitions can be deceptive, and how typologies unable to capture all dimensions of a concept can blind policy makers and researchers. We concentrate our attention on decentralization. This has been a core concept in the field of public administration for decades. Definitions and typologies of decentralization have flourished. The present study gives an overview. We categorize definitions and analyse their different emphases. Typologies serve to order and compare items, but have themselves become prone to disorder. We provide a meta-analysis of typologies ignore - and definitions explicity exclude - certain aspects of decentralization. One such issue is "silent decentralization". It is characterized by absence of explicit decentalization reform, initiative shifts, policy emphasis developmenets, or resource availability alterations. Highlighting this particular aspect might well proof useful for other concepts in the field as well.
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