Research by Faculty

The faculty in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Western Michigan University are engaged in research dealing with a variety of topics including leadership, ethics, intergovernmental relations, student learning preferences, evaluation, public policy, and comparative public administration. Below is the list of ongoing research and recent publications of the public administration faculty members. Click on the individual faculty members name to view more information on their directory pages.

Dr. Vickie Edwards' research interests include nonprofit management, strategic planning and action, civic engagement, democratic governance, volunteerism, and organizational behavior. Her current research focuses on informal volunteerism and pro-social civic behaviors in socioeconomically depressed and minority communities. She has evaluated programs in the fields of education and health care and served as a consultant to various public and nonprofit organizations. Her recent publications include:

  • Kleinschmit, S. W. & Edwards, V. L. (2017). Examining the Ethics of Governmental-Organized Nongovernmental Organizations (CONCOGs). Public Integrity, 19(5), 529-46.

Dr. Matthew S. Mingus' research focuses on comparative public administration and particularly multilevel systems of governance, the changing nature of borders and national sovereignty, and democratic reform. He has extensive international experience in China, Iraq and Canada. He was the Fulbright Research Chair at the University of Ottawa’s Centre on Governance, where he studied Canadian democratic and electoral reform efforts at the national and provincial levels. This systemic reform continues to be an area of research interest in multiple countries. His recent publications include:

  • Mingus, M. S. and Zhu, J. (2018). Increasing Citizen Access and Local Government Responsiveness in Yichang, China. International Public Management Journal, 21(3), 369-391.
  • Mingus M. S. & Jing, Z. (2017). The Big questions of Chinese Public Management Research. Administration & Society, 49(6), 775-97

Dr. Vincent Reitano's research interests include public budgeting and finance, public policy, and statistical methodology. His research also draws from his consultation and applied research experience focusing on budgetary and financial challenges facing a variety of cities and school districts across the United States. His recent publications include:

  • Jones, P., & Reitano, V. (2023). “Copy Once or Twice? Isomorphic Pressures and Special District Fiscal Reserves.” Public Administration Quarterly, 47(2), 154-179. 
  • Reitano, V., & Jones, P. (2023). “Local Government Forecast Practices: Time-Horizon and Budgetary Influence.” Public Administration Quarterly, 47(1), 26-50.

  • Buerger, C., Reitano, V., & Sorrentino, C. R. (2022). “State Fiscal Reserves: Supplementation and Substitution    over Economic Boom and Bust Years.” Public Budgeting & Finance, 42(1), 98-118.

Dr. Daniela Schröter's research interests include evaluation theory, methodology, practice, and capacity building with a special emphasis on social and organizational change in nonprofit contexts. She is currently working on three grants: The Value of 360-Degree Assessment in Higher Education (sponsored by WMU, 2024), Center for Excellence and Research in Public Service Incubator Grant (sponsored by WMU, 2024), and the Evaluation of the ISU S.M.A.R.T. Space SIP Grant (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, 2018 – 24). Her research agenda centers on practitioner-oriented classification of old and novel evaluation models, models for systemwide sustainability evaluation, and research on evaluation models for organizational training and development. Her recent publications include:

  • Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Schröter, D., & Becho, L. W. (forthcoming). The development of the flower garden of evaluation approaches. Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation.
  • Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Schröter, D., & Becho, L. W. (in print, 2024). The Garden of Evaluation Approaches. American Journal of Evaluation, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140231216667
  • Schröter, D. (2020). Evaluation of Sustainability for Sustainability: The Sustainability Evaluation Checklist Revisited. Zeitschrift Für Evaluation, 19(2), 291-320.