Towards an empirical research agenda for public value theory

There is considerable scholarly writing about the theory and application of public value concepts, but this article explores why there is, by contrast, so little empirical research on public value. The article then goes on to provide a framework and a research agenda for inspiring and guiding new em...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public management review 2017-05, Vol.19 (5), p.670-685
Main Authors: Hartley, Jean, Alford, John, Knies, Eva, Douglas, Scott
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Comparative analysis
empirical research
Interest groups
methodology
public management
Public Value Management
Qualitative research
Quantitative analysis
research agenda
Research methodology
Research methods
Theory
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Summary:There is considerable scholarly writing about the theory and application of public value concepts, but this article explores why there is, by contrast, so little empirical research on public value. The article then goes on to provide a framework and a research agenda for inspiring and guiding new empirical research, based on three different conceptualizations of public value, with researchers needing to be explicit about which approach they are using in order to avoid confusion. While case studies have been used as a research method, the authors suggest a much wider array of potential research methods (depending on the research question) covering both quantitative and qualitative approaches and with a wider variety of designs, including comparative analysis. It is suggested that empirical research is undertaken with a more diverse range of stakeholders of public value, breaking out of the public manager-centric approach. This is an exciting agenda for research, though the paper warns that public value may fade from view unless empirical research is undertaken to test, challenge and extend the scholarly contributions.
ISSN:1471-9037
1471-9045
DOI:10.1080/14719037.2016.1192166