Measuring micro-foundations of governance: A behavioral perspective

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the use of individual level measurement in public governance research, and discusses the development, validation, and refinement of survey scales as a measurement instrument for public governance. We conducted a systematic literature review of 51 articles that report a development, validation, or refinement of a survey scale in public governance. This review demonstrates a recent and strong momentum of validated survey scales and shows how the discipline embraced the use of this type of measurement. Several criteria for the reliability and validity of survey scales are discussed, based on classical test theory. The discussion of the literature also provides concrete examples of the application of these criteria in public governance research and shows how the validation and refinement of survey scales in public governance matured. We also look ahead and discuss various emerging trends in measurement of public governance, including physiological measurements.