BRINGING THE HORIZON BACK IN: THE MID-RANGE APPROACH TO ORGANIZATIONAL STUDIES

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing discussion of the lack of impact of organizational studies and, amongst other comments, on a drift away from the public sector agenda. Taking as a starting point two recent key addresses by James March and Jean-Claude Thoenig, both directed to organizational studies scholars, this paper seeks to contribute to this debate both in terms of focus and in terms of methodological approach. It argues in favor of a mid-range territorial focus on organizational affairs and to a place based action-investigation approach to methodology. In doing so it draws on the experience of the Center for Public Administration and Government of the Getulio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo with local level innovation during 1995 – 2008 and on a current project on urban vulnerabilities which has been largely shaped by these conclusions.