Praise for Applied Research Methods in Public and Nonprofit Organizations
“Brown and Hale present a comprehensive guide for students and practitioners interested in how to understand and measure processes and outcomes commonplace in public administration, nonprofit management, and community governance. Utilizing case studies relevant to the disciplines, they articulate the complex and nuanced environment in which applied research takes place and clearly identify the points at which decisions need to be made to ensure the best possible research results.” —Cameron Thies, Professor and Director of the School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University; Editor of Political Science Research and Methods
“This is an excellent book that offers a fresh look at conducting research about public sector problems, highlighting relationships between stages of the research process, the iterative nature of research, and engaging with communities in problem-solving. I highly recommend the book to instructors working with upper division undergraduate or graduate students of nonprofit management, public administration, public policy, urban affairs, or other fields where applied research is used.” —Lisa Dicke, Professor of Public Administration, University of North Texas
“This book offers a very accessible approach for engaging students in field research and the study of public problems using real-world examples and practical exercises in data collection, research problem-solving, analysis, and writing about results for multiple audiences.” —Heather Carpenter, Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Management, School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration, Grand Valley State University
“Brown and Hale’s case-orientated approach to research methods is ideal for students of public and nonprofit administration at the undergraduate or graduate level. By avoiding overly technical explanations, the authors provide a practical approach that will not be intimidating to even the most novice of researchers. The authors employ their depths of experience in conducting ‘pracademic’ research to clearly demonstrate the utility of the methods as they are being taught. The additional resources provided, in particular the linked assignments that connect the material from every chapter, are well-thought and ready to integrate into the classroom.” —Shane Nordyke, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of South Dakota
