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Research Centers and Institutes in Public Affairs Education: Evidence on Structure, Activities, and Program Integration

Melissa F. McShea et al.

Journal of Public Affairs Education2026https://doi.org/10.1177/15236803261434447article
AJG 1
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

Research centers and institutes (RCIs) are increasingly prominent features of public affairs education, yet systematic evidence about their roles remains limited. This study examines empirical data about how RCIs operate across the domains of applied research, education, and service. Drawing on a national survey of public policy-related RCIs from universities that have leading public affairs programs, the analysis documents substantial variation in RCI structure, governance, funding, student involvement, and programmatic alignment. The findings show that RCIs frequently function as boundary-spanning infrastructure that supports applied research, experiential learning, and civic engagement, but that their integration into academic programs is uneven and often informal. Many RCIs operate at arm’s length from public affairs programs despite overlapping missions. The article introduces a typology of RCIs to clarify these patterns and concludes by identifying implications for public affairs education and accreditation.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/15236803261434447

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{melissa2026,
  title        = {{Research Centers and Institutes in Public Affairs Education: Evidence on Structure, Activities, and Program Integration}},
  author       = {Melissa F. McShea et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Public Affairs Education},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/15236803261434447},
}

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Research Centers and Institutes in Public Affairs Education: Evidence on Structure, Activities, and Program Integration

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.