Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination: Public Administration,
Public Administration Theory and Public Management
August, 2013
Directions: Answer one question in each of the three sections below. Be sure to answer all parts of each question. Please indicate clearly which question you are answering. This is a closed book exam to take place in Robinson Hall. You will be given 8 hours to complete the exam.
In preparing your response to the questions please remember that the overall logic and reasoning of your answer is important. While we expect that you will reference relevant literature and research to support your logic, it is not sufficient to rely simply on references. Clearly indicating how and why the literature of the field (in terms of specific ideas, content, and/or data) supports your reasoning is important also. Additionally, where clearly contending schools of thought exist about a subject you should indicate the nature of each schools’ position and which school of thought you see as most persuasive and why. Where your logic rests on your own unique synthesis and understanding of the literature do not be afraid to underscore and elaborate your reasoning.
Bureaucracy, Organizations and Networks
- Models of organization decision making processes are often categorized into families such as “rational”, “incremental-bargaining”, and “aggregative”. Into which of these families would you classify “Garbage Can Decision-making”? Explain in detail why you would make this classification and discuss the relevant decision literatures.
- Goldsmith and Eggers introduce the concept of “network integrator” as a key element in the performance of networks. What are the positives and negatives of this concept from a “management” perspective? Does it make sense to suggest that networks which often form spontaneously should “design in” a network-wide function at the point of inception?
- Woodrow Wilson in his classic article on bureaucracy suggested that there is a logical separation between politics and administration. In the context of 21st Century government, is it possible to suggest that any institutional element of government, especially the bureaucracy, is apolitical?
Methodology and Public Administration
1. Barbara Geddes criticized ThedaSkocpol for her case selection in States and Social Revolutions. Subsequently Charles Ragin, Collier and Mahoney and others defended Skocpol's selection. Choosing cases well is a critical task in qualitative research. What should qualitative researchers consider when selecting cases? How would you apply these considerations to your own research?
2. Methodologists suggest that quantitative methods should be employed when the goal of the research is prediction and qualitative methods should be employed when the research goal is understanding. Explain the reasoning behind this assertion. Do you agree with this assertion? Why or why not? Draw on examples from research studies or your own proposed research to support your claims.
3. Some suggest that qualitative methods are not well suited for identifying causal relationships. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using qualitative methods for causal explanation. Using your own research or studies in your area of interest, describe how you could employ qualitative methods for identifying causal relationships.
Accountability and Policy Processes
- Many accountability scholars have pointed to the presence of multiple sources and strategies for accountability in advanced nations. Jonathan Koppell has coined the term “multiple accountability disorder” to refer to the presence of multiple and often competing forms of accountability. Drawing upon the relevant literature, discuss the multiple dimensions of the concept of accountability and the real and potential conflicts that can arise between them.
- “Accountability is a dynamic problem of governance, and the challenges posed vary as legal and bureaucratic institutions evolve.” Critically evaluate this thesis in light of the relevant literature and analyze the differences and similarities of accountability challenges confronting developed and developing countries.
- “One of the central challenges faced by representative systems of government is the assurance that adequate attention be paid to the general public interest in the face of legislators’ narrow electoral interests and bureaucrats’ specialized responsibilities and parochial vision.” Discuss three distinct ways that this challenge has been framed and conceptualized in the literatures on public administration, political science, and political economy and associated recommendations for mitigating this dilemma.