Pratumtip Thongcharoen.. The construction and development of public administration knowledge : a state of the art review from the Thai doctoral dissertations . Doctoral Degree(Public Policy and Public Management). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2014.
The construction and development of public administration knowledge : a state of the art review from the Thai doctoral dissertations
Abstract:
This research aimed to study Thai doctoral dissertations in Public Administration between 2005 and 2012 using a state of the art holistic approach. The process follows the categorization of five Public Administration subfields, namely; Public Budgeting, Ethics, Human Resource Management, Policy Analysis, and Organizational Theory which include PA curriculums. The three major objectives of this research was; 1) to study the construction and development of Public Administration knowledge obtained from the Thai doctoral dissertations, 2) to study the paradigms, theories, methodologies, and innovations of PA's dissertation works, and 3) to analyze problems that appeared in doctoral dissertations. The research used a mixed methods of both quantitative research and qualitative research which include documentary research using ThaiLIS. Through reviewing data on ThaiLIS, the study found 155 Thai PA doctoral dissertations, the earliest year of publication is 2005. Ramkhamhaeng University has the largest number of PA doctoral dissertations, followed by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). Other Higher Education Institutions have just begun to establish and develop a PA program. Instructional and educational authorities have become popular careers (nearly 50 percent), which various career fields and majors have come to pay attention to and study in this field as a response to resolving the very complex problems surrounding the Multifaceted Approach used in PA. Among the 6 major paradigms that were found, the New Public Management (NPM) paradigm was the most popular paradigm and was inserted into all PA subfields where different theories related to paradigms were found, especially classic theories, and contingency theories which were the most popular. The trend of using mixed methods is more popular than in the past. Regarding educational innovations, the study found several interesting issues including knowledge, process, and approach. Finally, the researcher supports a plan to apply the results of this study to assist in changing environments, connecting through globalization, collaborating academically within regions, increasing research and education development in institutions, in constructing and enhancing the Thai Public Administration knowledge levels.