This paper demonstrates how John Dewey’s (1938) theory of inquiry can lead to a pragmatic integration of knowledge, data and know-how, which transcends disciplinary boundaries and crosses the theory practice divide. We do this by drawing on the experience and on-going collaboration between a French Consultant that applied Dewey’s conceptions to participatory public management (Capes, 2004) and an American academic who has successfully applied Deweyan inquiry to research methods in public administration (Shields, 1998, Shields, 2003, Shields & Tajalli, 2005, Shields & Rangarajan, 2013, Shields & Whetsell, forthcoming).
Dewey’s (1927) experimental approach to inquiry begins with a problematic situation. The inquiry process involves inputs, combines disciplines and experiences, and the management of situation change through adequate knowledge. Understanding a "public" problematic situation cannot be claimed by one discipline. It is well suited for a process of inquiry that is practical, participatory, pluralistic and provisional (Brendel, 2006). The experience in France illustrates ways to overcome historical and sociopolitical obstacles to collaboration and participatory problems solving. Participatory processes can be thought as threatening the legitimacy of officials. We explain how the ideas, tools and skills associated with pragmatic inquiry overcome these obstacles and result in meaningful change as problems and disciplinary perspectives multiply.
Public Management needs an applied approach to research (a form of inquiry) that transgresses boundaries and crosses disciplinary cultures. Research methods often restrictively focus on techniques like statistics, survey design, defining variables or interviewing. The connections that flow from the problem across theory, data and findings are often ignored. Theory can contribute to this insularity when viewed as a kind of truth and found in disciplinary niches. By focusing on the problematic situation, involving the stakeholders, and viewing theories as tools for inquiry, barriers across disciplines and methodological enclaves can be transcended. The versatility of Deweyan inquiry across collaborative practice in France and academic research in Usa is emphasized.
References :
Brendel, David. 2006. Healing Psychiatry, Cambridge MA:MIT_Press.
Capes, David. 2004 Que peuvent apprendre de la dynamique contradictoire des positions de W.Lippmann et J.Dewey ceux qui participent à des planifications collaboratives ? in La situation délibérative dans le débat public, Dir. Bernard CASTAGNA Tours, France : Presses Universitaires François Rabelais.
Dewey, John. 1938. Logic: The Theory of Inquiry. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston.
Dewey, John. 1929. The Public and Its Problems. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston.
Shields, Patricia. 1998. Pragmatism as Philosophy of Science: a Tool for Public Administration. Research in Public Administration 4: 195-226.
Shields, Patricia. 2003. The Community of Inquiry: Classical Pragmatism and Public Administration. Administration & Society, 35(5), 510-538.
Shields, Patricia and Nandhini Rangarajan. 2013. A Playbook for Research Methods: Integration Conceptual Frameworks and Project Management. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.
Shields, Patricia and Hassan Tajalli . 2006. "Intermediate Theory: The Missing Link in Successful Student Scholarship," Journal of Public Affairs Education 12(3):313-334.
Shields, Patricia and Whetsell, Travis. forthcoming. Public Administration Methodology: A Pragmatic Perspective in Raadschelders, Jos and Stillman, Richard (Eds.). Foundations of Public Administration. Irvine, CA: Melvin and Leigh.
