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dc.contributor.authorRhodes, R.
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T15:36:37Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T15:36:37Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.date.modified2013-08-28T22:44:25Z
dc.identifier.issn09520767
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/0952076709340716
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/52787
dc.description.abstractThis article argues for research grounded in interpretive theory, or the beliefs and practices of actors, and observational fieldwork, or thick descriptions of what the actors think they are doing. However, discussions of theory and method only come to life when they are grounded in fieldwork. So, at the heart of the article is an account of the Private Offices of British central government departments. I argue that the focus on beliefs and practices enables me to tell a new story. The existing literature does not explore how the individuals who comprise the department's core executive coordinate the department's tasks and resolve conflicts. There is a 'departmental court' that dare not speak its name. By describing the court 'at work', I focus not on individual Private Offices but on the tasks of coordination and conflict resolution at the top of the department. I conclude that any approach that provides new evidence and a novel interpretation makes a strong case for inclusion in the armoury of every student of public administration.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherSage
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdom
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom437
dc.relation.ispartofpageto456
dc.relation.ispartofissue4
dc.relation.ispartofjournalPublic Policy and Administration
dc.relation.ispartofvolume24
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchPublic Administration
dc.subject.fieldofresearchPolicy and Administration
dc.subject.fieldofresearchPolitical Science
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode160509
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode1605
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode1606
dc.titleFrank Stacey Memorial Lecture 2008: Scenes from the Departmental Court
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
gro.date.issued2009
gro.hasfulltextNo Full Text
gro.griffith.authorRhodes, Rod A.


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