Policing and Public Administration: A Systematic Review and a Research Agenda

Abstract

Following the Spring of 2020, there has been a notable surge in attention toward issues related to policing and instances of police misconduct. This review takes stock of the policing literature in Public Administration field between 2017 and 2023. A total of 202 empirical articles on policing were identified in Public Administration. Findings indicate that in Public Administration, policing studies are in majority focused on the management of police organizations, rather than on the police-citizen nexus or police behavior. There has not been an important shift in themes and subthemes covered by articles since 2020. Policing articles in Public Administration are mostly cross-sectional, theoretically scattered, methodologically balanced, and often include practical recommendations, albeit vague ones. We offer a research agenda for policing and public administration scholars.