What are the apparent research and methodological trends in PAR’s content over the past decade? From the perspective of the journal’s 70-year history, with its aim to “mesh” practitioner and academic knowledge creation, topical coverage since 2000 refl ects striking continuity, emphasizing many of the “bread and butter” administrative issues such as planning, human resources, budgeting, and public management. A marked increase in coverage is apparent in the application of more sophisticated quantitative statistical methodology, as well as in the number of female authors, while the number of practitioner authors declined sharply. Th roughout the fi rst turbulent decade of the twenty-fi rst century, three intellectual themes stood out: evaluations of New Public Management, connections between practitioners and academicians, and responsiveness to immediate social, economic, and political challenges. Given the constant demand for usable knowledge, scholars seem to have marginalized attention to the historical context and epistemological foundations of the study. Th e central challenge in the years ahead will be to eff ectively use research methods in response to the big questions of government and society that defy measurement.
