Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators: A Practical Guide

Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators is a practical guide to research for students and practitioners in public administration and/or policy. The book's foremost emphasis is on practical applications, helping students to recognize the importance and utility of research in their professional lives, and to master research methods that are immediately applicable in their professional settings. The text emphasizes the alignment of research components with “real world” applications. The reader is guided through an integrated approach that aligns the following research components: • How does one formulate a research question that addresses an existing operational, social or community problem? • How does the research question influence the research design I should choose? • Given the research design and question at hand, what methodological tool should I use? • Now that I have performed my analysis, what does it mean? Have I answered my research question? The “research alignment” concept is highlighted in this textbook by interweaving a set of cases throughout the chapters to assist the reader with grasping the application of the methods to the professional environment. At the beginning of the text the reader is introduced to a set of actors who address issues within their organization that require the proper use of research methods. The background and problems are fully detailed at the onset that will guide the reader in understanding the research options delineated in the chapters that follow. The cases are referenced throughout the text. Summary of Key Features: • Full alignment of the research process: The authors work to integrate and align the entire research process, rather than presenting it as fragmented or discrete steps. They accomplish this by devoting a full chapter in the beginning to the entire process, emphasizing that no one phase of the process stands apart from the rest. This chapter also serves as an overview of the full process, which gives students the big picture before they launch into defining the research question. • Uses a case approach for practical application of the material to public and nonprofit management: Without giving short-shrift to nonprofit – which other texts often do – the authors will integrate original cases throughout the text to illuminate the concepts through the situations of “real-world” actors in public and nonprofit organizations who face specific scenarios in which methods need to be applied to their work. • Ethical issues woven throughout: Students will address common ethical issues throughout each part of the research process, as the authors include coverage of ethics in each chapter. • Statistics presented in a nontechnical manner • Qualitative analysis also covered Research Methods and Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administrators is a core text intended for upper division and graduate level research design and research methods courses for students in the field of public affairs, public administration, and nonprofit management. This book will be most suitable for courses intended to teach students how to identify research problems, research design and appropriate research methods that match the research approach. This book can also be used as a guide for students working on a master's thesis, doctoral dissertation and other applied research.