ABSTRACT
Qualitative research approaches help further our understanding in a range of concerns involved in the study and practice of public administration and policy. Qualitative research includes a variety of approaches that attend to words, arguments, memes, ideographs, symbols, images, signs, significations, narratives, plots, or other symbolic practices. Although qualitative research has historically included work that was based on a positivist perspective, today it is more common for approaches to qualitative research to be based on either an interpretive or critical theory perspective. It seeks an insider's view and is quite often done in a natural setting. The resulting engagement with the participants in qualitative research is one reason why the field of public administration has historically welcomed it. To enhance their credibility, qualitative researchers need to be exceptionally transparent about their approaches.
