List of Public Administration Dissertation Topics

List of Public Administration Dissertation Topics

Being a grad student is hard on its own. There is so much pressure and responsibilities that just fall on your shoulders. However, as all of your hard work was not enough to graduate, you also must complete one final paper. Now, a dissertation is no ordinary paper. First, it should demonstrate all the skills and knowledge that a grad student accommodated during their years of studies. Next, it should be informative and valuable for academia. Hence, a student should come up with a unique and original idea.

Choosing between great public administration dissertation topics is not an easy task. Though, it’s possible. All you need is a good approach and determination. Also, if you ever hit the dead end, you can always look for some tips and suggestions online. This guide is one of such online helpers. Let’s see what it has to offer. 

What Is Public Administration?

So, public administration is responsible for all the governing systems of a state. It is the area that helps to organize and coordinate government operations. This discipline is essential for the healthy functioning of states and cities. It brings order and control to the system. However, this area also has numerous responsibilities which are hard to remember at first. This is because it operates on multiple levels and covers so many various structures and fields. Overall, this area of study can give you limitless ideas to write about. 

How to Choose Topics in Public Administration

Choosing ideas for paper writing is never an easy task. It requires a lot of time, effort, and erudition. Hence, first of all, each graduate student should be well aware of current public administration issues. Students should show their deep knowledge of the issues they are describing. So, when choosing, you can first pick the area of study you feel most comfortable at; for example, it can be immigration, healthcare, drug control, or else. 

Next, think of the issues that you are most interested to talk about or that seem to be most relevant at the moment. Can you bring something new to the discussion? Will your work change the perception of those issues? Can it be the ground for further research and exploration? Your goal here is to create a meaningful and useful piece of work that other scholars can further use in their writing. It’s not only about grades anymore but about being of use to your fellow colleagues. 

Yet, your idea can even come from your previous essays. For instance, you can easily look for public administration research paper topics and use them for your graduation work. The only difference between them is that the latter should have a more narrow and nuanced take on things. 

Dissertation Topics in the U.S. Public Administration

As you are approaching this life-changing decision (yes, we mean choosing a dissertation topic), you deserve to have some help along the way. All your hard work and hours of studying have ultimately led to this one final academic paper. It has to be perfect. 

Here are some ideas on public administration thesis topics. Hopefully, they will inspire you to write and create. Good luck!

  1. Case study. Henri Fayol’s 14 principles of public administration in practice (choose a city/state to analyze).
  2. Ethics and political decisions. Is there a connection?
  3. Should the community’s happiness be the final goal of government reforms?
  4. Case study. Successful implementation of public administration reforms in (pick a country of your choice).
  5. The differences in federal and state bureaucracies that make the country’s management difficult.
  6. Safety or freedom. Should we sacrifice one to receive the other?
  7. The role of morality in introducing administrative reforms. 
  8. The issue of overpopulated cities. Where should the cars go? 
  9. Do local businesses affect the urban policies of small cities?
  10. Do public administrators take the importance of environmental protection into account when designing reforms?
  11. The lack of accountability. The pitfalls of bureaucratic approach to governing. 
  12. Explaining the effectiveness of the local (community-based) organization over federal governments. 
  13. The downfalls of the division of work in failing bureaucratic states. 
  14. The fading role of a civil servant in a community's well-being.
  15. How did corporations become the leading actors in federal politics?
  16. Do non-governmental and non-profit organizations become the future of state governing? An explanation why people believe in non-profits more than in public servants. 
  17. How psychology can help public servants to perform their jobs better. 
  18. The deconstruction of racial policies in the judicial system. What can be done differently?
  19. The role of public administration in preventing and decreasing the cases of domestic abuse. 
  20. The comparison of the US as a highly diverse country (religiously, ethnically, racially, etc.) with Norway, a homogeneous nation. An explanation why the US is hard to govern.
  21. The hundred years analysis of the reforms in child policies. What else should we improve in children’s lives?
  22. The system of education is broken. Here is the list of suggested reforms to fix the growing education crisis in the US. 
  23. The progress of LGBTQ rights protection over the past two decades. 
  24. Why states should shift to community-level budgeting programs vs federal budgeting agenda. The case study (pick a region with a predominantly local budgeting system).
  25. Food slavery. How civil servants allow businesses to starve low-income populations by denying them access to healthy food.
  26. How does the US have the largest imprisoned population on the planet? The analysis of the reforms needed to fix the current judicial system.
  27. Ten signs that current gun laws cause more harm than safety advantages to modern societies. 
  28. The role of non-governmental organizations in making the people’s voices heard. 
  29. The failing healthcare system. The need for reforms in medicine that can benefit all members of society.
  30. What should we do to make maternity and paternity pay leave a reality in the US?
  31. The growing 
  32. What can we do to create a safe and rapid inclusion into society for legal immigrants? 
  33. Why does the US still have the death penalty? The analysis of states without the death penalty. What can the US learn from them?
  34. Is there life after bureaucracy? What other systems can retain the government afloat?