Citizen voice as democratic data: public administration’s role in knowing the public in representative government

Public administration (PA) has long experimented with ‘bringing the public in,’ yet democratic theory cautions that such approaches may displace rather than resolve democratic deficits, and turbulence complicates reliable knowledge. Taking these critiques seriously, this article undertakes a problematizing review to clarify how PA can legitimately and effectively contribute knowledge about the public in representative government. It contributes an evaluative framework for comparing epistemic bases of representation, and a learning perspective positioning PA as dynamically interpreting citizen voice to address information gaps. Stewardship and interpretive responsibility are examined as conditions for legitimate administrative learning, and a research agenda is proposed.