Public services as complex adaptive systems : a framework for theory development

Abstract

This thesis is aimed at developing public administration theory to improve the governance of public services - i.e., understand more about the actions that actors in public service can take to achieve desired outcomes under the circumstances in which they find themselves. In the course of exploring a particular example of public service (housing in Ireland) to find out how it worked, it became apparent that a ‘complex adaptive systems’ approach to developing theory would provide a coherent framework within which to weave together the various strands of current public administration theory under a ‘governance’ umbrella, as well as a firm basis upon which to formulate testable hypotheses. A particular systems model, the ‘performance landscape’ (Siggeikow & Levinthal 2003), based on Stuart Kauffman’s (1993) ‘NK’ framework, was selected as having strong potential for integrating existing theory, addressing the various elements of actual public service delivery and facilitating the development of simulations for theory development and testing. This model was mapped against existing theory, as well as to the actual decision making processes of actors in the Irish housing system to flesh out the details and to detemine what, if any, aspects of actual public administration behaviour could not be addressed by theory based on this model. In addition, implications for public administration theory and practice were highlighted and areas for further research identified.