Behavioral Public Administration

Abstract

Behavioral public administration is an interdisciplinary research field that studies public administration topics by connecting insights from public administration with psychology and the behavioral sciences more broadly. Behavioral public administration scholars study important public problems such as discrimination, corruption, and burnout. Behavioral public administration has various potential uses. First, behavioral public administration tests and extends theories and concepts from psychology in political-administrative settings. Second, it tests and extends the microfoundations of public administration theories and concepts. Third, behavioral public administration scholars develop new theories and concepts. Fourth, behavioral public administration can help in tackling practical public problems. There are various future research suggestions for behavioral public administration. The field could move beyond one shot single studies and aim to build cumulative knowledge. This can be done among else via large scale collaborations and via replications. In addition, it is also beneficial if behavioral public administration scholars broaden their methodological toolkit to answer different kinds of research questions.