Research Methods in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management : Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

Designed for both students and practitioners, the new edition of this popular text incorporates the latest thinking in public administration and nonprofit management. The book integrates both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research, and also provides specific instruction in the use of commonly available statistical software programs such as Excel and SPSS[registered]. The coverage includes such important topics as research design, specifying research problems, writing questions and designing questionnaires, designing and carrying out four classes of qualitative research approaches, and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative research data.For this edition, a new chapter has been added on how to prepare a research proposal, and another new chapter as well as improvements throughout the text provide expanded coverage of research in NPOs. The section on qualitative methodologies has been expanded to include action research, critical research, empowerment research, and feminist research models; and quantitative methodologies now include multivariate and nonparametric statistics. In addition, the author has updated his step-by-step instructions on the use of Excel and SPSS[registered] packages to include their latest versions. The book is exceptionally well illustrated, with plentiful exhibits, tables, figures, and exercises.