An Overview of Public Administration Research: Insights From Publications in Leading Journals (2000–2024)

This study examines paradigmatic changes, thematic developments and authorship patterns in public administration research by analyzing 4,317 articles published in Public Administration Review, Public Management Review, and Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory between 2000 and 2024. Using natural language processing (NLP) techniques through Python software to analyze content of titles, abstracts, and metadata, the article identifies key thematic clusters and paradigmatic shifts across the period, shaped by global events, contextual challenges, and technological advancements. The findings reveal a transition from bureaucratic efficiency to participatory governance, from reform to resilience, and from administrative theory to data-driven governance. Additionally, analysis of authorship patterns reveals increasing collaboration and concentration of scholarly output among top prolific contributors. This study contributes to a growing body of literature on bibliometric and content analytical studies in public administration, offering a comprehensive, data-driven perspective on the field’s intellectual evolution over the past quarter-century.