公共行政研究中的主观性探索:Q方法的方法论价值

Examining Subjectivity in Public Administration:The Methodological Value of Q Methodology

目前,我国公共行政研究呈现多样化的发展趋向,来自不同学科的研究方法被学习、接纳与使用。本文主要介绍源自心理学的一项重要研究方法:Q方法。该方法的核心优势在于允许研究者探索行为个体的主观性,通过量化的因子分析方法确立概念化类型,以此推动公共行政理论的发展。Q方法在国际公共行政领域已经得到一些应用,但我国学界仍少有关注。本文对该方法的核心特征与基本操作进行介绍,并对其在我国公共行政研究中的潜在价值与应用场景进行论述,以期为我国公共行政学者探索行为个体主观性、促进社会治理与公共政策理论发展提供一项新的方法选择。

At present,public administration research in China is diversifying,and research approaches from different disciplines are being studies,accepted and applied.This paper focuses on an important research method that originated in psychology:the Q methodology.The key advantage of Q methodology is that it allows researchers to investigate humans’subjectivity,building conceptualized typology through quantitative factor analysis,finally promoting theoretical development in public administration.Q methodology has been applied internationally by some authors.However,public administration scholars in China still pay little attention on it.This article introduces the key features and basic operations of this method,and discusses its potential value and application scenarios in public administration research in China,with the aim of providing a new methodological option for public administration scholars in China to explore the subjectivity of individual behavior and promote the development of social governance and public policy theory.