Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
Editor: Ole Helby Petersen | Co-editor: Kim Sass Mikkelsen
Journal of the Public Management Research Association, publishing highest quality theoretical and empirical work in public administration.
Website: academic.oup.com/jpart
- We are pleased to share some great news from the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. As of January 1, 2026, Kim Sass Mikkelsen has been promoted to Full Editor and now serves as co Editor in Chief of JPART, on equal footing with Ole.
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- Have you ever wondered how the visibility of your tax payments shapes how you feel about your local government? 🧵 This study shows that when people are less aware of their property tax payments,
- Have you ever thought about how the right kind of leadership can make government work better? Between 2002 and 2022, 28 U.S. states upgraded their unemployment insurance IT systems, boosting on-time benefit delivery by 5.26 percent and reducing delays by 2.90 percent, a net improvement of 8.16 🧵
- Have you ever wondered whether citizens hold public organizations less responsible for discrimination caused by AI than by humans? The study finds they do not. However, citizens assign more responsibility when the algorithm is developed in-house rather than outsourced.
- Have you ever wondered why some bureaucracies respond more effectively to political demands than others? Research shows that agencies with slack resources, rather than just overall capacity, are significantly more responsive, commit to clearer timelines, and complete legislative requests faster.
- Have you ever wondered what happens when governments introduce new policies without adding the administrative capacity to support them? Recent research shows that instead of improving problem-solving, such expansions can overwhelm public agencies, forcing them to engage in “policy triage”,
- Have you ever wondered why some government agencies manage to stay on track even when key employees leave? This study shows that when task knowledge is embedded in organizational structures, through centralized authority and standardized processes, agencies are better equipped to
- Have you ever wondered how street-level bureaucrats manage the pressures of working directly with clients? This study systematically reviews 165 studies using the PRISMA model to uncover both old and new coping mechanisms, including a newly identified approach called “moving with clients,”
- 🌞 Editor's Choice Article! The study introduces the concept of administrative limbo to describe citizens’ experiences of being trapped in prolonged bureaucratic processes that shape critical life outcomes.
- 📢 Now Available: JPART Vol. 35, No. 4 We’re pleased to announce that the latest issue of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory is out. In the coming days, we’ll be highlighting individual articles, introducing authors, and pulling out key insights. Stay tuned!
