Public administration and development in (historical) perspective

Since 1949, the journal Public Administration and Development has gone through changes in name and scope, in author demographics and background, and in readership and the topics covered. The professional‐oriented articles in the first years of the journal have evolved to become more academic theory‐oriented articles in recent years. Drawing on mixed methods, the authors conducted in‐depth analyses using data from the journal to highlight changes in research themes and geographic foci. The study provides insights into the historical development of public administration in developing contexts, the journal's contributions to the field, and maps out potential future research trends.