It's about time: Catching method up to meaning - The usefulness of narrative inquiry in public administration research

Sonia M. Ospina, Jennifer Dodge

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

As a form of interpretive research, narrative inquiry contributes to the pursuit of high-quality public administration scholarship, along with other forms of explanatory research that have dominated the field. In this article we discuss the unique features of narrative inquiry, review how this research orientation has been used in public administration, and use our experience with a national, multimodal, multiyear research project on social-change leadership in the United States to identify and illustrate the contributions of narrative inquiry to address two key issues in the field: the concern with good research and the aspiration to cultivate a meaningful connection between researchers and practitioners in the field.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)143-157
Number of pages15
JournalPublic Administration Review
Volume65
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Public Administration
  • Marketing

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