PA 7330 (501) Spring 2011 (3 hrs) Professor Simon Fass

T: 7:00-9:45 p.m. WSTC: 1.216 Office: WSTC 1.220

Office hours: T 5:30-6:45; W 5:30-6:30; R 5:30-6:30 and by appointment tel: 972 883 2938
e-mail: e-learning for course purposes or,
when e-learning is down: fass@utdallas.edu

RESEARCH DESIGN IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS

preliminary

This course, oriented toward first-year doctoral students in Public Affairs, introduces the
foundations of social science research methods and design. Covered topics include the: logic of
scientific inquiry; structure of research language and thought; key components of the research
enterprise; measurement methods; sampling techniques; experimental, quasi-experimental and
non-experimental designs; survey methods, arts of the interview, development of scales,
evaluation research, and mixed-method approaches to investigation. Along the away of
discussing these themes students will learn how to define and refine research questions, assess
the relative strengths and weaknesses of alternative research methods designed to answer the
questions, identify appropriate tools to carry out credible studies that can yield information
worthy of analysis and interpretation, and prepare a research proposal. The course is of value to
students who intend to conduct research, actual and prospective administrators who may find
themselves required to assess research projects done by others and, in general, to anyone
interested in discovering ways to better understand why people behave and organizations
function as they do.

A. Learning Outcomes: Students, through class readings and assignments, will become:
™ familiar with a broad range of methods used in Public Affairs research;
™ more able to distinguish problems that are and are not amenable to empirical research;
™ adept at recognizing strengths and weaknesses of alternative research designs;
™ proficient at critically assessing the validity of claims based on empirical research, and
™ skilled at forming good research questions and designing effective means to answer them

B. Pre-requisite: None, but completion of a course in statistical methods can be helpful.

C. Required Texts:
Approaches to Social Research, 5th ed 2009 Singleton, R., Jr., and Straits, B. London: Oxford
University Press [Singleton and Straits]

Research Methods in Anthropology: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, 4th ed 2006

Bernard, H.R. AltaMira Press [Bernard]

The Research Methods Knowledge Base, 3e. 2007. Trochim, W. and Donnelly, J.P. Atomic
Dog Publishing [Trochim and Donnelly]
 Recommended Texts:
Craft of Research, 3rd ed 2008. Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., and Williams, J.M., University
of Chicago Press
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference 2001
Shadish, W.R., Cook, T. D. and Campbell, D. T.,    Houghton Mifflin
Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration, 2nd ed. 2007
Miller, G.J. and Yang, K. (eds.) CRC Press
D. Grades: Structure is: A(4.0), A-(3.67), B+(3.33), B(3.00), B-(2.67), C+(2.33), C(2.00), F(0)
Grading is based on performance on two class project assignments, a research project
proposal, a mid-term examination, and a final examination, as follows:
Two class assignments (at 15% each): 30 %
Research project proposal: 30%
Mid-term and Final examinations (at 20% each); 40 %
Total: 100 %
E. Class Schedule and Readings:
1. January 11: Course Overview
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 1. Introduction
2. January 18: Scientific Inquiry
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 2. The Nature of Science
Bernard: Chapter 1. Anthropology and the Social Sciences
Durkheim, E. 1982. “What is a Social Fact?” in The Rules of Sociological Method and
Selected Texts on Sociology and its Method. New York: The Free Press. pp. 50-59
Bozeman, B. 1993. “A Theory of Government “Red Tape”,” The Journal of Public
Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 3, No. 3 (1993), pp. 273-304.
3. January 25: Research Language and Thought
Bernard: Chapter 2 The Foundations of Social Research
Chapter 3. Preparing for Research
Chapter 4. The Literature Search
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 1. Foundations
4. February 1: Design Components
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 4. Elements of Research Design
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 7. Design
Gottlieb, B. September 1, 1999. “Cooking the School Books: How U.S. News cheats in
picking its ‘best American colleges.’" http://slate.msn.com/id/34027
Gaventa, J. 1993. The Powerful, the Powerless, and the Experts: Knowledge Struggles in an
Information Age, in Park, P., Brydon-Miller, M., Hall, B. and Jackson, T (eds.), Voices of
Change: Participatory Research in the US and Canada. Bergin and Garvey, pp. 21-40.
5. February 8: Measurement
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 5. Measurement
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 3. The Theory of Measurement
Duffy, B. and Cary, P. September 7, 1999. “Dissension in the Rankings: US News responds
to Slate’s ‘best colleges’ story.” http://slate.msn.com/id/34278
Bohrnstedt, G.W. 2010. “Measurement,” in Wright, J.D. and Anderson, A.B. eds., Handbook
of Survey Research, 2nd edition, Emerald Publishing pp 347-404
Wagle, U. 2008. Multidimensional Poverty: An Alternative Measurement Approach for the
United States? Social Science Research. 37(2), 559-80
6. February 15: Sampling
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 6. Sampling
Bernard: Chapter 6. Sampling
Chapter 7. Sampling Theory
Chapter 8. Nonprobability Sampling and Choosing Informants
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 2 - Sampling
Michael, R.T., Gagnon, J.H., Laumann, E.O. and Kolata, G. 1994. “Chapter 2: The Sex
Survey,” in Sex in America: A Definitive Survey. Warner Books, pp. 5-41
7. February 22: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs I
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 7. Experimentation
Chapter 8. Experimental Designs
Bernard: Chapter 5. Research Design: Experiments and Experimental Thinking
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 7. Design
Chapter 9. Experimental Design

Lovaglia, M. 2003. “From Summer Camps to Glass Ceilings: The Power of Experiments.”
Contexts, Fall. pp. 42-49.
de Anda, D. 2006. Baby Think It Over: evaluation of an infant simulation intervention for
adolescent pregnancy prevention, Health and Social Work, 31 (1) pp 26-35
8. March 1: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs II
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 10. Quasi-Experimental Design
Greenberg, D.H., and Robins, P.K. 1986. The Changing Role of Social Experiments in
Policy Analysis” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 5:340-62
Adamson, G., O'Kane, D., and Shevlin, M. 2005. Students' ratings of teaching effectiveness:
a laughing matter? Psychological Reports, 96 (1) pp 225-6
 Bretschneider, S., Straussman, J., and Mullin, D. 1988. Do Revenue Forecasts Influence
Budget Setting? A Small Group Experiment. Policy Sciences 21:305-25
Rohrbaugh, J. 1981. Improving the Quality of Group Judgment: Social Judgment Analysis
and the Nominal Group Technique, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance
28:272-288
Burke, R.J. and Mikkelsen, A. 2004. Benefits to police officers of having a spouse or partner
in the profession of police officer, Psychological Reports, 95 (2) pp 514-6
Recommended
Landsbergen, D., Bozeman, B., and Bretschneider, S. 1992. ‘Internal Rationality’ and the
Effects of Perceived Decision Difficulty: Results of a Public Management Decision making
Experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2:3:247-64.
Shangraw, R.F., Jr. 1986. How Public Managers Use Information: An Experiment
Examining Choices of Computer and Printed Information. Public Administration Review,
Special Issue: “Public Management Information Systems.” Barry B. and Bretschneider, S.
eds. pp. 506-515
Wittmer, D. 1992. Ethical Sensitivity and Managerial Decision making: An Experiment,
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2:443-462.
9. March 8: Survey Research
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 9. Survey Research
Chapter 10. Survey Instrumentation
Bernard: Chapter 10. Structured Interviewing I: Questionnaires
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 4. Survey Research
Schuman, H. 2002. “Sense and Nonsense about Surveys.” Contexts. Summer, pp 40-47.
Patchin, J.W. 2006. Bullies Move Beyond the Schoolyard: A Preliminary Look at
Cyberbullying, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, April, vol. 4 no. 2 pp. 148-169
Recommended
Bobrowski, P. and Bretschneider, S.I. 1994. Internal and external interorganizational
relationships and their impact on the adoption of new technology: An exploratory study,
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 46, pp. 197-211

Bozeman, B. and Bretschneider, S.I. 1994. The Publicness Puzzle in Organization Theory: A
Test of Alternative Explanations of Differences between Public and Private Organizations,"
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Volume 4, Number 2, pp. 197-224

Welch, E. and Bretschneider, S. 1999. “Contracting In: Can Government Be a Business?,”

in Frederickson, H.G. and Johnston, J.M. (eds.) Public management reform and innovation:
research, theory, and application, University of Alabama Press 259-279

Tuesday, March 15: Spring Break

10. March 22: Interviewing
Bernard: Chapter 9. Interviewing: Unstructured and Semistructured
Chapter11. Structured Interviewing II: Cultural Domain Analysis
Smith, G.F. 1995. Classifying Managerial Problems: An Empirical Study of Definitional
Content, Journal of Management Studies, 32:5. September.
11. March 29: Scaling
Bernard: Chapter 12. Scales and Scaling
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 5. Scales and Indexes
12. April 5: Non-Experimental Designs I
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 11. Field Research
Bernard: Chapter 13. Participant Observation
Chapter 14. Field Notes: How to Take Them, Code Them, Manage Them
Chapter 15. Direct and Indirect Observation
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 6. Qualitative and Unobtrusive Measures
Chapter 13. Qualitative and Mixed Methods Analysis
Barzelay, M. 1993. The Single Case Study as Intellectually Ambitious Inquiry, The Journal
of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 305-318
Feldman, M.S. 2000. Organizational Routines as a Source of Continuous Change,
Organization Science 11(6): 611-629.
Edin, K. and Lein. L. 1997. Making Ends Meet: How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and
Low-Wage Work. New York: Russell Sage. Chapters 1 and 2
Trinkaus. J. 2002. Shopping center fire zone parking violators: an informal look, Perceptual
and Motor Skills, 95 (3 pt 2), pp 1215-6
Recommended
Adler, P.A. and Adler, P. 2003. The Promise and Pitfalls of Going into the Field, Contexts.
pp.41-47.
Campbell, D. 1975. Degrees of Freedom and the Case Study, Comparative Political Studies,
September 1975, pp. 178-93.
Overman, E.S. and Boyd, K.J. 1994 Best Practice Research and Postbureaucratic Reform,
The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1994) pp. 67-83.
Wolf, P.J. 1993. A Case Survey of Bureaucratic Effectiveness in U.S. Cabinet Agencies:
Preliminary Results, The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 3, No.
2 , pp. 161-181.
13. April 12: Non-Experimental Designs II
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 12. Research Using Available Data
Bernard: Chapter 16. Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
Chapter 17. Qualitative Data Analysis I: Text Analysis
Chapter 18. Qualitative Data Analysis II: Models and Matrices
Stewart, D. and Kamins, M. 1993. Secondary Research: Information Sources & Methods, 2e.
Newbury Park: Sage. Ch. 1 & 2, “Introduction” & “Evaluating Secondary Sources,” 1-32.
Useem, B. and Goldstone, J.A. 2002. Forging Social Order and Its Breakdown: Riot and
Reform in U.S. Prisons, American Sociological Review. 67(4): 499-525.
Ospina, S. M. and J. Dodge. 2005. It’s About Time: Catching Method Up to Meaning; The
Usefulness of Narrative Inquiry in Public Administration Research, Public Administration
Review, March/April, Vol. 65, No. 2 pp 143-157
Malcolm Gladwell, 2007. Dangerous Minds, The New Yorker. November 12,
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/11/12/071112fa_fact_gladwell 

Few, A.L. 2005. The Voices of Black and White Rural Battered Women in Domestic
Violence Shelters, Family Relations, Volume 54, Number 4, pp. 488-500
Recommended
Weir, M. 1995. The Politics of Racial Isolation in Europe and America, in Peterson, P.E.
(ed.) Classifying by Race. Princeton University Press pp. 217-242.
Callahan, K. Dubnick, M.J. and Olshfski, D. 2006. War Narratives: Framing Our
Understanding of the War on Terror, Pub. Admin. Review, July|August. Vol. 66, I 4, 554–68
Dodge, J., Ospina, S.M. and Foldy, E.G. 2005. Integrating Rigor and Relevance in Public
Administration Scholarship: The Contribution of Narrative Inquiry. Public Administration
Review, May/June, Vol. 65, No. 3 pp 286-300.
Rock, M. 2005. Diabetes Portrayals in North American Print Media: A Qualitative and
Quantitative Analysis, American Journal of Pub Hlth, Oct., Vol. 95, No. 10 pp. 1832-1838
14. April 19: Evaluation Research
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 14. Evaluation Research
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 16. Evaluation, Research Synthesis, Meta-analysis, and
Evidence-Based Practice
SDRC. 1996. When Work Pays Better Than Welfare: A Summary of the Self- Sufficiency
Project’s Implementation… 18- Month Impact Reports. Ottawa: Social Research and
Demonstration Corporation. http://www.srdc.org/en_publication_details.asp?id=60
Smith, T.E., Sells, S.P., Rodman, J. and Reynolds, L.R. 2006. Reducing Adolescent
Substance Abuse and Delinquency: Pilot Research of a Family-Oriented Psychoeducation
Curriculum, Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 15 (4) pp 105-115
15. April 26: Mixed-Method Designs
Singleton and Straits: Chapter 13. Multiple Methods
Trochim and Donnelly: Chapter 8. Qualitative and Mixed Methods Designs

Goughler, D.H. and Trunzo, A.C. 2005. Unretired and Better Than Ever: Older Adults as
Foster Parents for Children, Families in Society, Vol. 86; No 3, pp 393-400

E. Internet Data Sources Worthy of Exploration

Centre for Applied Social Surveys (UK): http://www.socstats.soton.ac.uk/CASS 

FBI Uniform Crime Reports: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
FedStats, compiled by sundry US gov’t agencies: http://www.fedstats.gov
Freedom House Rankings of Political/Economic Freedom: http://www.freedomhouse.org
General Social Survey: http://www.norc.org/projects/General+Social+Survey.htm
Int’l Institute for Democracy & Electoral Assistance, Voter turnout data for 140 countries:
http://www.idea.int/vt/index.cfm
Inter-University Consortium of Political and Social Research (ICPSR), extensive datasets
from different sources: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu
International City/County Management Association: http://icma.org
State Politics and Policy Data Resources: http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/SPPQ/research.shtml
Statistical Abstract of the U.S.: http://www.census.gov/statab/www
UN Development Program, Human Development Indicators: http://hdr.undp.org/statistics
World Bank, World Development Indicators: http://econ.worldbank.org
World Resources Institute, Natural resource and climate data: http://www.wri.org

To be continued…..