Research Methods in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management

Research Methods in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
by David E. McNabb

Nonprofit managers should use statistics to stay attuned to new developments in their fields and improve the performance of their organizations, writes David E. McNabb, a professor of business administration at Pacific Lutheran University, in Tacoma, Wash. For example, charities might study demographic trends to assess the needs of the surrounding region and decide which programs would best meet those needs.

Mr. McNabb provides an overview of the types of questions asked and the range of methods used in public-administration and philanthropy research. To show charity managers how to design, conduct, interpret, and report on research projects, he provides descriptions of studies that have been done by nonprofit groups. For example, Mr. McNabb describes the development of a study to test which of three approaches to educating people about HIV most successfully prevents the spread of the disease.

The book provides instruction in using statistical software packages to analyze data. Mr. McNabb concludes with tips on style, format, and references for reports on research findings.

Publisher: M.E. Sharpe, 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, N.Y. 10504; http://www.mesharpe.com; 502 pages; $69.95.