Public Administration papers

Pofolia’s corpus holds 77 papers from Public Administration (2012–2026), each with a short summary. Below, the 20 most-cited, then the most recently added.

At a glance

• Most cited: Theories of the Policy Process (2019, 3,503 citations).
• The 20 papers listed have 27,987 citations between them.
• 11 of the 12 with a known journal quartile appeared in a Q1 journal.
• 3 have a free full text (open access).
• Most frequent journals: Public Administration Review, Administration & Society, International Public Management Journal.
• Published between 2012 and 2023.

Most cited

Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”. How to read the signals

• Theories of the Policy Process

  2019 · FWCI 98.13 · 3,503 citations

  This third edition of "Theories of the Policy Process" updates and expands upon established frameworks for understanding how public policies are made and evolve.

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• The Managed Heart

  2012 · FWCI 116.16 · 3,051 citations

  This work introduces the concept of "emotional labor," where workers manage their feelings to align with organizational goals, distinguishing between "surface acting" (managing expressions) and "deep acting" (managing feelings).

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• The strengths perspective in social work practice

  2023 · FWCI 234.13 · 2,358 citations

  This article outlines the core tenets of the strengths perspective in social work, emphasizing its person-centered and empowering approach.

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• Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor

  2013 · FWCI 62.78 · 1,748 citations

  This text proposes that the concept of 'border' can function as a methodological tool to analyze the multiplication of labor. It suggests examining how borders, in various forms, contribute to the fragmentation and intensification of work.

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• Wicked Problems

  Administration & Society · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 52.77 · 1,465 citations

  This article synthesizes research on "wicked problems" to highlight their organizational and cognitive dimensions for public administration, identifying new approaches and challenges.

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• Public Value Governance: Moving Beyond Traditional Public Administration and the New Public Management

  Public Administration Review · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 79.36 · 1,449 citations

  A new public administration movement, 'Public Value Governance,' is emerging to address the complexities of a networked, multisector world, prioritizing democratic values over mere efficiency.

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• The Customs Union Issue

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2014 · FWCI 42.03 · 1,403 citations

  Jacob Viner's 1950 book, "The Customs Union Issue," pioneered the analysis of global trade agreements and introduced the concepts of trade creation and diversion.

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• The Division of Labour in Society

  2023 · FWCI 380.01 · 1,252 citations

  Societies only recently became aware of the division of labor, a concept first theorized by Adam Smith, which has become increasingly widespread and powerful.

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• Putting the Public Back into Governance: The Challenges of Citizen Participation and Its Future

  Public Administration Review · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 79.05 · 1,189 citations

  Experiments in participatory governance over the last two decades show mixed results in advancing democratic values, with effectiveness showing promise but legitimacy and social justice facing significant obstacles.

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• Religion and Organization Theory

  Research in the sociology of organizations · 2014 · FWCI 230.88 · 1,185 citations

  This work explores the theoretical and methodological issues in organizational sociology, specifically focusing on labor relations and unions.

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• Designing and Implementing Cross‐Sector Collaborations: NeededandChallenging

  Public Administration Review · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 62.18 · 1,168 citations

  A decade of research confirms that cross-sector collaborations are complex and challenging, despite their increasing necessity.

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• INNOVATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND FUTURE RESEARCH AGENDA

  Public Administration · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 11.85 · 1,167 citations

  This systematic review synthesizes 181 studies on public sector innovation published between 1990 and 2014, identifying key themes and proposing a framework for future research.

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• Co-Production and the Co-Creation of Value in Public Services: A suitable case for treatment?

  Public Management Review · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 109.36 · 1,114 citations

  This paper proposes a theoretically grounded conceptualization of co-production in public services, arguing it's a poorly formulated concept often used as a 'woolly-word'.

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• A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving

  2019 · FWCI 71.14 · 918 citations

  This guide, drawing on 40 years of experience, offers practical tips and real-world examples to train effective, accurate, and persuasive policy analysts.

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• Administrative Burden: Learning, Psychological, and Compliance Costs in Citizen-State Interactions

  Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 16.19 · 914 citations · Open access

  This paper introduces 'administrative burden' as a key concept to understand citizen experiences with government, defined by learning, psychological, and compliance costs.

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• Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm and Its Implications for Social Work Research

  Social Sciences · 2019 · Q2 · FWCI 78.10 · 849 citations · Open access

  This essay critically reviews and synthesizes literature on pragmatism as a research paradigm, arguing it can empower marginalized communities and provide evidence for macro-level discourse in social work.

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• Common Method Bias in Public Management Studies

  International Public Management Journal · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 48.57 · 832 citations

  Public management research often relies on questionnaire surveys for data, risking common method bias where the same source measures both independent and dependent variables. This bias, a significant methodological challenge, has been largely overlooked as a distinct topic in the field.

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• A New Theory for Public Service Management? Toward a (Public) Service-Dominant Approach

  The American Review of Public Administration · 2012 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 48.31 · 821 citations

  This article proposes a new "public service dominant" approach to public management theory, arguing that current theories are flawed by focusing on internal processes and manufacturing-based models, which fail to capture the interorganizational and service-oriented nature of public service delivery.

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• Varieties of Participation in Public Services: The Who, When, and What of Coproduction

  Public Administration Review · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 70.41 · 803 citations

  This article clarifies the concept of coproduction in public services by introducing a new typology that categorizes participation by who is involved (individual, group, collective) and when in the service cycle it occurs (commissioning, design, delivery, assessment).

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• Public Service Motivation: A Systematic Literature Review and Outlook

  Public Administration Review · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 23.05 · 798 citations · Open access

  This systematic review synthesizes 323 publications on public service motivation, structuring a rapidly growing but previously unorganized field.

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Recently added

• Striking a Bargain: Narrative Identification of Wage Bargaining Shocks

  Journal of Applied Econometrics · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 12.87 · 6 citations

  German minimum wage introductions and strikes reveal that wage bargaining shocks significantly drive aggregate fluctuations in unemployment and inflation.

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• Wages Against Housework

  Feminist Studies · 2025 · Q2 · FWCI 760.44 · 560 citations

  This essay argues that making reproductive labor visible and compensated under capitalism is essential for women's status as workers and for broader worker struggles.

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• Critical Social Research

  2025 · FWCI 7.87 · 392 citations

  Critical Social Research offers a unified methodology transcending quantitative/qualitative divides, arguing knowledge is shaped by social relations and aiming to challenge oppressive structures.

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• The Division of Labour in Society

  2023 · FWCI 380.01 · 1,252 citations

  Societies only recently became aware of the division of labor, a concept first theorized by Adam Smith, which has become increasingly widespread and powerful.

  Go to source →

• The strengths perspective in social work practice

  2023 · FWCI 234.13 · 2,358 citations

  This article outlines the core tenets of the strengths perspective in social work, emphasizing its person-centered and empowering approach.

  Go to source →

• The Life Model of Social Work Practice

  Columbia University Press eBooks · 2020 · FWCI 10.15 · 686 citations

  The fourth edition of The Life Model of Social Work Practice updates the foundational ecological perspective with contemporary theory and research, illustrated by diverse case examples.

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• The COVID-19 pandemic as a game changer for public administration and leadership? The need for robust governance responses to turbulent problems

  Public Management Review · 2020 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 80.03 · 620 citations

  COVID-19 has exposed public administration's need for robust governance strategies adaptable to unpredictable, turbulent problems, moving beyond simple or complex challenges.

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• Leadership for a high performing civil service

  OECD working papers on public governance · 2020 · 498 citations

  Senior civil servants need four key leadership capabilities—values-based leadership, open inclusion, organisational stewardship, and networked collaboration—to translate political direction into effective public services.

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Journals in this field

The journals that publish most of this field’s papers. Quartile (Q1–Q4), SJR and h-index are from SCImago Journal Rank; “in this field” is how many of the journal’s pooled papers belong here. What is a Q1 journal? · What is the h-index?

Every journal in Public Administration (Q1–Q4) →

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