Methods, Designs, Theories - a research agenda for Public Administration - Single View

Toshkov D (2016) Research Design in Political Science. 1st ed. London: Palgrave.

Basic knowledge about research in social sciences (epistemology, quality criteria for quantitative and qualitative research) is a necessary precondition as well as the willingness to work in teams and participate in the interactive teaching design of this class.

• participation in the PBL-projects, including the corresponding presentations (min. 3 out of 4)
• research design (roadmap, 2,500 words without references)
• exam (60 min)

The goal of this seminar is enabling all participants to reach an even level of knowledge and experience in empirical social research methods, focussing on Public Administration as the research object and prepare them for own research projects (M.A. thesis and beyond). For this reason, participants of this class are going to be introduced to formulating research questions, creating a research design including the choice of appropriate theories and suitable methods. Both quantitative and qualitative (as well as mixed) methodological approaches are part of the curriculum.