Public Administration Complexity and Its Implications on Theory, Research and Practice

Public administration is in itself a very complex human endeavour and deals with a complex environment, as manifested in the various actors included and wicked issues that have to be dealt with. Starting from the concept of complexity, the paper applies this concept to public administration and analyse the implications of public administration complexity on research and practice. The concept of complexity constitutes an important element of classical public administration theories such as systems theory and organisation theory, as well as a vital part of modern theoretical (e.g. network theory) and practical/doctrinal approaches to public administration such as the various concepts connected with the overarching and sometimes elusive concept of “governance” (e.g. good governance, multi-level governance, etc.). The article is structured around the main dimensions of public administration complexity, which are built on the basis of different complexity sources that have implications on public administration theory and research.