Research Design and Methodology in Social Science

1. Research Design and Methodology in Social Science Harald Koht, Ph.D. EEA Project Promoting the utilisation of the research potential of regional universities for regional development Latvijas Universitāte 28 April 2010

2. Public administration as a reference point: • Administration and politics • Budgeting and planning • The role of the professional and the use of discretion • Public policy and diversity issues • Efficiency, performance, accountability • Public management and governance systems

3. Three Central Concerns of PA • Micromanagement • Motivation • Measurement Robert D. Behn (1995)

4. Three Big Questions • How can public managers break the micromanagement circle? • How can public management motivate people? • How can public manages measure the achievements of their agencies ― in ways that help increase these achievements?

5. Micromanagement • Issues of trust • Reduction of distrust between public agencies • Reduction of distrust by the public • Decentralization and delegation of authority • Governance • Sharing of responsibilities between politicians, civil servants, and civil society

6. Legality, Professionalism and Practical Ethics in Care for Older PeopleValues and Norms in Care for Older People in Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and NorwayA NOBA research project

7. The NOBA project concerns • The role of the professional and the use of discretion • How public managers can break the micromanagement circle • Efficiency, performance, accountability • Public management and governance systems

8. Preparations for writing a thesis: the proposal • Introducing the study • Stating the purpose • Providing a rationale • Formulating the questions or hyptotheses • Providing definitions • Discussing the background of the problem • Explaining your methods or procedures

9. The purpose of NOBA project • Examine values and norms in decision making in the care of older people • Explore and explain any similarities and differences regarding implementation of services

10. The rationale • Linking to the big issues • Relevant theory and previous findings • Aka. the literature review • Public ethos theory concerning the values expressed by public servants • Ethical dilemmas faced by professional care workers • The use of administrative discretion

11. The research design – the core of your proposal • Your research questions, propositions and hypotheses • Information about your data set • Description of your methodology

12. Two NOBA research questions How do legal, professional and personal norms as well as organizational vision and mission come into view in the practice of the street level bureacrats? On what basis do the civil servants make their discretionary decisions?

13. Data set and methodology A multidimensional design: • Documentary data about legal and institutional norms in each country. • Contextual data about each country and municipality • Structured and semi-structured interviews

14. Propositions and hypotheses Underlying, rather than explicit: The NOBA team expects to find significant differences between countries and local communities regarding services to older people.