Re-examining the Perceived Complexity of Public Administration and its Implication for Research in the Discipline

The intricate nature of Public Administration as a discipline is well established in literature but a concern that stems from such disposition is its implication for the discipline‟s research tradition/methodology. This paper attempts to contribute to the longstanding debate of what constitute the research tradition of Public Administration by first re-examining the question of why Public Administration as a discipline is complex with focus on issues categorized as endogenous (i.e. issues that stem from within) and exogenous factors (issues that stem without from research environment) in the discipline. Again, the paper also sought to highlight some of the challenges researchers face in conducting inquiry in the field and their implication for research. To achieve the above objectives, relevant literatures such as journal articles and books were consulted. The paper argues that contention over identity of Public Administration, the evolution and presence of multiple paradigms are among major endogenous sources of complexity of discipline while the influence of other disciplines and environment of Public Administration are among key exogenous factors. The paper argues also that researchers contend with a number of dilemmas including the challenge of standardization of research approach. The paper therefore concludes that Public Administration researchers must have a deep understanding of multidisciplinary (especially social science and management science) research traditions and methodology as well as each research environment/context to align with global best practices and the evolving tradition of Public administration research.