Public administration research in and about the MENA region—Taking stock, looking ahead

The article maps the relevant public administration (PA) researchrelated to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by systematicallyanalyzing international studies about PA in MENA between 1945 and2019, complemented with findings from a newly-developed surveythat sheds light on the activities of academics working in the region.We found PA researchinMENA to be fragmented and isolated frominternational debates, and researchaboutMENA being scattered.Finally, a modest proposal for a conceptual framework based on“functional equivalents”for traditional concepts and paradigms of PAresearch that may nudge cross-fertilization in both directionsis discussed.