ABSTRACT
Ethnographic methods are not employed as often in public administration research as are survey methods, but, when they are, they can provide great quantities of important information. These study designs typically require more time to conduct than public administrators can devote to their research projects. In the parent disciplines of anthropology and sociology, for example, ethnographic studies may take six months to one year or more to complete. However, when they are used in public administration research, they have the capacity to produce powerful narratives that provide deep insight to the needs of society (LeCompte and Schensul 1999).
