ABSTRACT
It is axiomatic to say that a great deal of what we know about public administration is a matter of agreement among researchers, observers, and practitioners. Administrative knowledge is largely experiential and evolutionary, seldom based on a sudden, dramatic discovery. The execution of a research project requires skillful consideration of these and similar questions that affect research design such as selection of cases, descriptive data, explanatory statements, choice of appropriate techniques, and how to effectively obtain and apply the information needed. Comparative public administration scholarship is enriched by both good qualitative research and relevant quantitative analysis. As a field of study, administration of public policies constantly adapts theory and practice to accommodate shifting relationships and changing objectives. Comparative public administration made its most lasting intellectual mark in the area of cross-cultural analysis. The internal operating system is the management core, fundamentally affected by the external context even if distinct from it.
