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Value of Public Administration Management to International Relations: Scaffolding an Inter-Disciplinary Research Agenda



Author(s)

Phua Chao Rong, Charles

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2015.12.005

Both Public Administration and Management (PAM) and International Relations (IR) was founded as a discipline in the inter-war period (between First and Second World Wars). Incidentally, Woodrow Wilson was a key figure in the theory and praxis for both disciplines. However, since then, the study of PAM and IR were separated in substance in what was called the “great divide” in IR, the presumption that domestic and international politics are distinct spheres that are defined by distinct organizing principles. Today, this “great divide” is being challenged with globalization. However, the attempt of looking at the domestic aspects of IR and international aspects of PAM stopped short of a deep inter-disciplinary discourse. Apart from labeling its international/global version of PAM and vice versa, the scope and objectives of this inter-discipline has been under-theorized. IR can be conceptually defined as how international affairs work while PAM as how [domestic] public affairs work. As such, both can be seen as applied social and policy sciences aimed at tackling public problems at different levels (international, regional and national/domestic). There are at least two complementary ways to build this inter-disciplinary discourse: (1) what can IR offer PAM; (2) what can PAM offer IR, before a research synthesis (Harris, 2010) effort to consolidate the similarities, differences and interesting aspects in order to lay a coherent foundation of PAM-IR inter-discipline. For reasons of scope and space, this essay attempts to explore the latter research question. PAM will be broadly defined as a discipline that includes sub-fields of PAM theory, Public Policy (PP) Process, Economics, and Political-Economy of Public Policy, amongst others. In each PAM sub-field, similarities, differences, possible overlaps with and potential intellectual borrowing for IR will be discussed.

complexity thinking, international relations, public administration, public policy, international public policy, conceptual frameworks

Phua, C. R. C. (2015). Value of public administration management to international relations: Scaffolding an inter-disciplinary research agenda. International Relations and Diplomacy, 3(12), 843-862.