Taking language seriously : the narrative foundations of public administration research / Jay D. White.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

White, Jay D.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public administration--Research--Philosophy.

Public administration.

Public administration--Language.

Public administration--Research.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

xiii, 217 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Georgetown University Press, [1999]

Summary:

The logic of research in public administration, argues Jay D. White, may be more like that of storytelling than of conventional social science research. In "Taking Language Seriously," he examines the linguistic, discursive, and narrative foundations of public administration research and develops a narrative theory of knowledge development and use for the field.

White builds his case for this narrative theory by showing how research on complex problems is grounded in language and discourse. He then explains how a variety of recent developments in philosophy and the humanities -- positivism, postpositivism, hermeneutics, critical and legal theory, postmodernism, and poststructuralism -- can contribute to our understanding of public administration research.

Focusing on the logical structures of three modes of research -- explanatory, interpretive, and critical -- White shows how each is equally legitimate, depending on the nature of the research questions.

This comprehensive yet clear discussion of the philosophical foundations of research in public administration advances an alternative theory of knowledge development that will be valuable for everyone in fields seeking to affect social, political, economic, and organizational change.

Contents:

Chapter 1 A Narrative Theory of Knowledge for Public Administration Research 1

Knowledge as Storytelling

The Nature of the Arguments

A Few Words about Positivism

Chapter 2 Knowledge as Storytelling, Interpretation, and Critique 19

Applied Research as Storytelling

Public Administration's Dissatisfaction with Explanation

What Is Going on in Other Fields?

A Turn to Interpretation?

Chapter 3 Three Modes of Research 43

Explanatory Research

Interpretive Research

Foundations

Chapter 4 Administrative and Legal Reasoning: Understanding Explanatory, Interpretive, and Critical Rationality 63

Instrumental Reasoning

The Structural Limits of the Rational Model

Legal Reasoning

Interpretive and Critical Reasoning

Implications for Knowledge Development and Use

Chapter 5 From Positivism to Postpositivism: The Linguistic Turn in the Philosophy of Science 83

Philosophy and Science

The Cartesian Anxiety

The Myth of the Given

The Correspondence Theory of Truth

The Critique of Explanation

The Critique of Interpretation

The Linguistic Foundation of Knowledge

The Practical Rationality of Theory Choice

Chapter 6 The Action Movement in Administrative Research: Examples of Interpretive and Critical Research 105

Action Theory

Action Research

Action Science

Chapter 7 Social Action, Administrative Research, and Literary Interpretation: The Logic of Interpretation and Critique 127

Literary Interpretation

Positions in Interpretation

The Relevance of the Author or Actor

Meaning and Significance

The Canons of Interpretation

Criteria for Validation

Summary: A Melding of Genres

Chapter 8 Taking Language Seriously: Some Postmodern Themes 153

The Loss of Grand Narratives

Knowledge and the Linguistic Basis of Local Narratives

Poststructuralism

Knowledge as Conversation

The Local Narratives of Public Administration

Implications

Chapter 9 Language, Discourse, and Rationality: The Foundations of a Narrative Theory of Knowledge 181.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-207) and index.

ISBN:

0878407502

OCLC:

40744416