The Literature Review Project
About the project
The Literature Review Project (TLRP) is looking for 2-4 master’s students to write a master’s thesis as a literature review. If you do not yet know the objective of your thesis, you can go for one of the options presented here. One topic could be on interprofessional cooperation. If you want to focus on policy, it can be to summarize research on “What’s the problem represented to be?” (Bacchi, 2016; Bacchi & Goodwin, 2016), “Wicked problems” (Rittel & Webber, 1973), “The Advocacy Coalition framework” (Sabatier, 2007), “The Multiple Streams Approach” (Kingdon, 1984), “The policy cycle” (Jann & Kai, 2007), or “Incrementalism/ The science of muddling through” (Lindblom, 1979). But also “Punctuated Equilibrium” (Baumgartner et al., 2018), are relevant theoretical policy perspectives.
The student is advised to follow a 10-point elective course called “Research Training” (SIW4500) via the project “The Literature Review Project” in autumn 2024, but this is not an absolute requirement. The advantage of participating in the elective TLRP course, is that you will be part of a group where you will learn to reflect on each other’s literature search, critical assessment of the literature, interpretations, and summary of the research. This helps you answer the questions “What do we know about this topic?” and “What does the review add to existing knowledge?”. The project also gives you additional knowledge about choosing your type of literature review, most often a variant of “aggregative review” or “interpretive review”, or possibly a combination. Literature on different types of literature reviews will be presented in the elective course (SIW4500).
Data and methods
Data is available via the University Library and digital databases at OsloMet, as well as literature available on the internet. Literature on different types of summaries.
Why write a literature review thesis?
Interpretations of literature reviews of research are knowledge that working life increasingly needs as knowledge-based policy spreads. This will particularly apply to students who wish to apply for jobs in knowledge organizations, such as universities, directorates, United Nations or NGOs. They also learn the benefits of working systematically, get an overview of the field, and answer what a study can add to existing knowledge in the field. They will understand much more about what it takes to be able to publish in international journals.
Contact person
Send applications to Simon Innvær – simoinn@oslomet.no
References
Bacchi, C. (2016). Problematizations in Health Policy: Questioning How “Problems” Are Constituted in Policies. SAGE Open, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016653986
Bacchi, C., & Goodwin, S. (2016). Poststructural Policy Analysis : A Guide to Practice (1st ed. 2016. ed.). Palgrave Macmillan US : Imprint: Palgrave Pivot.
Baumgartner, F. R., Jones, B. D., & Mortensen, P. B. (2018). Punctuated Equilibrium Theory: Explaining Stability and Change in Public Policymaking. In P. A. Sabatier & C. M. Weible (Eds.), Theories of the policy process (Fourth edition. ed.). Routledge.
Jann, W., & Kai, W. (2007). Theories of the policy cycle. In F. Fisher, G. J. Miller, & M. S. Sidney (Eds.), Handbook of Public Policy Analysis (Vol. 125, pp. 20). CRC Press, Taylor and Francis.
Kingdon, J. W. (1984). Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. Little Brown and Company.
Lindblom, C. E. (1979). Still Muddling, Not Yet Through. Public Administration Review, 39(6), 517-526. https://doi.org/10.2307/976178