Administration & Society 1–28 © The Author(s) 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0095399713519095 aas.sagepub.com Article Community-Based Research in Generating Usable Knowledge for Public Policy and Administration Naim Kapucu 1 Abstract Community-based research (CBR) is an approach used by researchers in partnership with practitioners and community members to tackle complex social problems for the betterment of society. Its application to the field of public policy and management is fairly new, and as a result, frameworks for its application are underdeveloped. This article discusses the rationale for applying this tool to the public policy and management field, and outlines major challenges that exist in its application. This article also highlights key principles of CBR and applies them to a study funded by a federal agency in the United States. Keywords community-based research, action research, participatory research, engaged scholarship, usable knowledge, relevant research Collaborative and participatory approaches for conducting research are gain- ing importance and popularity in many disciplines. Community-based research (CBR) is an approach in addressing the needs of the community and 1 University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA Corresponding Author: Naim Kapucu, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, HPA II Suite 238M, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA. Email: kapucu@ucf.edu 519095AAS XX X 10.1177/0095399713519095Administration & SocietyKapucu research-article 2014 doi:10.1177/0095399713519095 Administration & Society OnlineFirst, published on January 30, 2014 as at University of Central Florida Libraries on February 3, 2014 aas.sagepub.com Downloaded from