Public management research

The central research themes in public management include:

• Transformation of public governance: We study public governance, administrative reforms, the digital transformation, and the intersections of these themes. This includes examining the emergence and use of governance paradigms and the management of digital technologies and digital transformation processes.
• Governance of complex systems: We explore human behavior and decision-making particularly in public services and service systems. Understanding and managing complex systems enables more effective responses to contemporary societal challenges.
• Managing and governing sustainability: We study the sustainability transformation of public organizations as a multidimensional issue of governance and management, focusing particularly on strategic, financial, human and data-driven approaches to sustainability, as well as sustainable management practices.
• Paradoxes in public management: We examine how organizational paradoxes, tensions and conflicts are managed and leveraged in the governance of public organizations. Managing paradoxes requires interpretive and action-oriented practices that make seemingly contradictory goals achievable simultaneously.
   

We primarily apply qualitative research methods, such as case studies, discourse analysis, document analyses, surveys and interviews, to develop and refine existing theories and theoretical frameworks. Our expertise also includes comparative methodologies. We employ phenomenon-driven, multidisciplinary, and participatory and narrative research methods. We possess strong expertise in conducting literature reviews, including systematic and problematization reviews.

We collaborate closely with public sector organizations at the local, regional, national, and international levels, as well as with national and international universities and research institutes. 

We participate in research, development, and evaluation projects together with ministries, municipalities, and government agencies in Finland and abroad. In addition, we work with international research groups and practitioner networks, particularly on themes related to public governance, sustainability transformation, and evidence-informed decision-making. We maintain strong engagement with international and national scholarly communities in public administration and public management, including the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM), Nordic Academy of Management (NFF), European Network for Public Administration (ENPA), European Group for Public Administration (EGPA), Innovation in Public Management and Public Policy Community (PUBSIC), the International Forum of Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD) and Hallinnon ja kuntatutkimuksen tiedepäivät. We also serve in editorial roles in international academic journals, such as European Management Journal, Information Polity, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Public Management Review, Public Money & Management, Public Performance & Management Review, Public Policy & Administration and Review of Public Personnel Administration.