Dr Abena Frimpoma Dadze-Arthur

Department of Public Administration and Policy
Assistant Professor
Co-Director of the Public Management & Leadership Programme
Departmental Lead on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 4999
Email: a.f.dadze-arthur@bham.ac.uk

View my research portal

Address: School of Government
Muirhead Tower
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Abena is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Combining the experience of an international policy practitioner with the robust theoretical approach of an academic, Abena’s research and teaching focus on decolonizing and transforming approaches to public management and governance, and contributing to the development of indigenous solutions and sustainable change.

Abena is the Co-Director of the Public Management & Leadership Programme in the Department of Public Administration and Policy and the departmental lead on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. Abena is also the Vice Chair for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion of the UK Association for Public Administration (UKAPA), an external examiner for Manchester Metropolitan University, and Associate Editor of the Wiley journal Public Administration & Development.

Qualifications

PhD in Culturally Rooted Public Management, University of Birmingham, UK, 2016
MSc in Contemporary Political Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, 2002
BSc (Hons) in International Studies, Drexel University, USA, 2000
PRINCE2 Certified Project Manager
IPDET/World Bank Certified Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Kaplan & Norton’s Certified Balanced Scorecard Practitioner

Biography

Abena Dadze-Arthur: Homo Subjectivus - The Human Factor in Public Management Reform

Dr Abena Dadze-Arthur spent 10 years working as an international public policy specialist on a variety of research, advocacy, policy and consultancy projects, focussed on addressing socio-economic disadvantage and delivering social justice outcomes, in a range of governance contexts across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with her last appointment being a three-year post as adviser at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court (diwan). In 2011, Abena redirected her career to researching and teaching International Public Management and Governance at the University of Birmingham, which enabled her to combine her practitioner experience with the robust theoretical approach of an academic in understanding the design, delivery, evaluation and management of effective public policies, quality public services, and good governance processes in diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

A passion for globally inclusive education, which collapses geographic, methodological and disciplinary boundaries and integrates decolonial, indigenous, feminist, queer and other subjugated epistemologies, drives Abena’s ambition to research and advocate for an increasingly pluralistic approach to conceptualising and brokering knowledge in the field of public management and governance that recognizes the ‘situationality’ of all. Abena is fluent in English and German, proficient in French, and has basic language skills in Arabic & Twi (Ghana’s Akan language).

Teaching

Public Management & Governance in a Changing World
Public Sector Economics
Comparative Public Management
Democracy, Governance and Participation

Research

Research interests

Transfer and brokering of knowledge across cultural and institutional boundaries
Decolonizing, transforming, and indigenising approaches to public management and governance
The scientific study of subjectivity (Q Methodology)

Publications

Academic Publications

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2022) ‘Democracy, governance and participation: Epistemic colonialism in public administration and governance courses’. In Dunning, P., Diamond, J., Elliot, I. and Bottom, K. (eds.) International Handbook on the Teaching of Public Administration and Management, Oxford: Routledge. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/handbook-of-teaching-public-administration-9781800375680.html

Dadze-Arthur, Abena and Mörth, Anita (2021) ‘Testing ZELPH ['sɛlf] – a self-assessment instrument to surface intended and unintended outcomes of work-integrating pedagogies’, Journal of Work-Applied Management, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 36-50 https://doi.org/10.1108/JWAM-11-2020-0047.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena & Mörth, Anita (2020) ‘The contribution of case studies to conceptualising the implementation of work-integrating higher education’, eucen Studies. eJournal of University Lifelong Learning. Vol. 4 No. 2 https://eucenstudies.eucen.eu/ejournal/vol4-no02-2020_ulllopenfora2020/.

Dadze-Arthur, A. and Mörth, A. (2020) ‚Zur zielgerichteten Einbindung des Lernorts Praxis in das Hochschulstudium‘. In Cendon, E., Wilkesmann, U., Maschwitz, A., Nickel, S., Speck, K., & Elsholz, U. (eds.) Wandel an Hochschulen? Entwicklungen der wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung im Bund-Länder-Wettbewerb ‘Aufstieg durch Bildung: offene Hochschulen’, Waxmann, Münster, pp.148-165 https://www.waxmann.com/waxmann-buecher/?tx_p2waxmann_pi2%5bbuchnr%5d=4106&tx_p2waxmann_pi2%5baction%5d=show.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2017) An analysis of Clifford Geertz's: The interpretation of cultures. Selected essays,

Book Series: The Macat Library, Oxford: Routledge https://www.routledge.com/An-Analysis-of-Clifford

Geertzs-The-Interpretation-of-Cultures-Selected/Dadze-Arthur/p/book/9781912127283.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena and Raine, John (2016) ‘Experiential learning and teaching at a distance: How different an experience?’ In Majgaard, K., Nielsen, J., Quinn, B., Raine, J. (eds) Developing Public Managers for a Changing World, Book Series: Critical Perspectives in International Public Sector Management, Vol.5, Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Developing-Public-Managers-for-a-Changing-World/?K=9781786350800.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena and Skelcher, Chris (2016) ‘Democratic governance: the role of politics and politicians’. In Bovaird, T. and Loeffler, E. (eds) Public Management and Governance, 3rd edition, London: Routledge https://www.routledge.com/Public-Management-and-Governance/Bovaird-Loeffler/p/book/9780415501866.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2012) ‘Book Review: Reflective teaching in further and adult education’, Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, Vol. 18 No. 8, pp. 803-804 https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2012.718504.

Professional Publications

Dadze-Arthur, Abena, Mörth, Anita and Cendon, Eva (2020), International Trailblazers: Work-integrating Higher Education in Selected Higher Education Institutions in the US, England and Denmark, Results of an International Case Study Research Project, available at: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0111-pedocs-188708.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2008), Putting People into Public Services - Better Regulation and Inspection, London, National Consumer Council.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2008), Engaging People in Healthcare Regulation - A Route Map for Action, London, National Consumer Council.

Cullum, Phillip and Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2007), ‘Doesn't the Consumer Know Best’, David Walker (ed) Regulating Right, Solace Foundation Imprint, The Guardian.

Craig, Gary, Dadze-Arthur, Abena et. al. (2007), National Evaluation Report - Sure Start and Black and Minority Ethnic Populations, Nottingham: Department of Education and Skills.

Craig, Gary, Abena Dadze-Arthur et.al. (2007) Building Capacity in Black and Minority Ethnic Organisations, London: Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO).

Craig, Gary, Abena Dadze-Arthur et al, (2005), Examining the Inclusion of People with Sensory Disabilities from Black and Minority Groups in the Labour Market, London: Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2004), Endeavour Mainstreaming Report, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion, EQUAL 1A, European Union.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2004) ‘New Deal for Disabled People’ and ‘Other Welfare to Work Initiatives’. In Somerville, Will and Bateman, Neil (eds) The Disability & Carers Handbook, pp.159-169, pp.205-222.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena (2004), ‘Three Menus – Yet No Single Recipe! Active Labour Market Policies in the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark’, Working Brief, 157, pp.19-21.

Dadze-Arthur, Abena and Branosky, Natalie (2004), ‘Improving Job Outcomes for Ethnic Minorities’, Working Brief, 154, pp.10-13.

View all publications in research portal