Applied Causal Inference in Public Sector Networks

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Whetsell, Travis A.; Siciliano, Michael D.
• 署名单位: University System of Georgia; Georgia Institute of Technology; University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Chicago; University of Illinois Chicago Hospital
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3352
• DOI: 10.1111/puar.70009
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: collaborative governance; technology-transfer; INFORMANT ACCURACY; policy networks; models; interventions; performance; COOPERATION; management; INNOVATION

摘要

Public administration research has increasingly turned to network analysis to understand complex inter-organizational and interpersonal dynamics. While the discipline has made significant progress in analyzing networks, it has yet to adequately address causality. This gap limits our ability to provide evidence-based insights to practitioners who must make strategic decisions within networks. This article calls for the systematic integration of causal design into network research. We identify challenges that complicate causal analysis and discuss a set of practical research designs to address threats to validity. Borrowing insights from adjacent disciplines, we demonstrate how the logic of causal inference can be applied to public sector networks. We aim to equip scholars and practitioners with the tools to evaluate causal relationships in networks.