Public Administration

Aims & Scope

Public Administration, founded in 1922, is a major refereed journal with global circulation and global coverage.

The journal publishes articles on all facets of public administration, public policy and public management.

The editors are especially interested in papers that deal with major administrative challenges that generate theoretical advances and provide substantive insights.

The journal has three core objectives: • To stimulate international scholarly and practitioner dialogue in public administration, public management, public organization theory and policy analysis. • To encourage critical and comparative analysis of challenges facing contemporary systems of governing. • To publish theoretically and empirically rigorous research on topics of broad and vivid current interest.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	5.1
2024	4.30

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	2.255

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

h-index

Year	Value
2024	118

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	1149

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	1587

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• A PUBLIC MANAGEMENT FOR ALL SEASONS?

  Citation: 5418

  Authors: CHRISTOPHER

• WHAT’S MEASURED IS WHAT MATTERS: TARGETS AND GAMING IN THE ENGLISH PUBLIC HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

  Citation: 952

  Authors: GWYN, CHRISTOPHER

• THE JOINT‐DECISION TRAP: LESSONS FROM GERMAN FEDERALISM AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

  Citation: 846

  Authors: FRITZ W.

• ‘Accountability’: An Ever‐Expanding Concept?

  Citation: 814

  Authors: Richard

• The Competent Boundary Spanner

  Citation: 793

  Authors: Paul

• INNOVATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND FUTURE RESEARCH AGENDA

  Citation: 723

  Authors: HANNA, VICTOR, LARS

• Evaluation, Policy Learning and Evidence‐Based Policy Making

  Citation: 625

  Authors: Ian

• MAKING GOVERNANCE NETWORKS EFFECTIVE AND DEMOCRATIC THROUGH METAGOVERNANCE

  Citation: 590

  Authors: EVA, JACOB

• STREET‐LEVEL BUREAUCRACY AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY

  Citation: 568

  Authors: PETER, MICHAEL

• NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS: THE DARK SIDES OF MANAGERIALISTIC ‘ENLIGHTENMENT’

  Citation: 548

  Authors: THOMAS

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