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Showing papers in "Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory in 2007"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conduct a meta-analytical study of the existing literature on collaborative governance with the goal of elaborating a contingency model of collaborative governance and identify critical variables that will influence whether or not collaborative governance will produce successful collaboration.
Abstract: Over the past few decades, a new form of governance has emerged to replace adversarial and managerial modes of policy making and implementation. Collaborative governance, as it has come to be known, brings public and private stakeholders together in collective forums with public agencies to engage in consensus-oriented decision making. In this article, we conduct a meta-analytical study of the existing literature on collaborative governance with the goal of elaborating a contingency model of collaborative governance. After reviewing 137 cases of collaborative governance across a range of policy sectors, we identify critical variables that will influence whether or not this mode of governance will produce successful collaboration. These variables include the prior history of conflict or cooperation, the incentives for stakeholders to participate, power and resources imbalances, leadership, and institutional design. We also identify a series of factors that are crucial within the collaborative process itself. These factors include face-to-face dialogue, trust building, and the development of commitment and shared understanding. We found that a virtuous cycle of collaboration tends to develop when collaborative forums focus on ‘‘small wins’’ that deepen trust, commitment, and shared understanding. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of our contingency model for practitioners and for future research on collaborative governance. Over the last two decades, a new strategy of governing called ‘‘collaborative governance’’ has developed. This mode of governance brings multiple stakeholders together in common forums with public agencies to engage in consensus-oriented decision making. In this article, we conduct a meta-analytical study of the existing literature on collaborative governance with the goal of elaborating a general model of collaborative governance. The ultimate goal is to develop a contingency approach to collaboration that can highlight conditions under which collaborative governance will be more or less effective as an

4,401 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, three basic models or forms of network governance are developed focusing on their distinct structural properties and the tensions inherent in each form are discussed, followed by the role that management may play in addressing these tensions.
Abstract: This article examines the governance of organizational networks and the impact of governance on network effectiveness. Three basic models, or forms, of network governance are developed focusing on their distinct structural properties. Propositions are formulated examining conditions for the effectiveness of each form. The tensions inherent in each form are then discussed, followed by the role that management may play in addressing these tensions. Finally, the evolution of governance is explored.

2,891 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present findings from a study that develops and tests the construct validity of a multidimensional model of collaboration using a mail questionnaire sent to 1382 directors of organizations that participate in a large national service program.
Abstract: This article conceptualizes and measures collaboration. An empirically validated theory of collaboration, one that can inform both theory and practice, demands a systematic approach to understanding the meaning and measurement of collaboration. We present findings from a study that develops and tests the construct validity of a multidimensional model of collaboration. Data collected using a mail questionnaire sent to 1382 directors of organizations that participate in a large national service program provides the basis for a higher order confirmatory factor analysis. The model that emerges from this analysis demonstrates an overall close fit with the empirical data and the high, standardized gamma coefficients estimated in the model confirm that five key dimensions contribute to an overall construct of collaboration. The primary purpose of this research was to stimulate interest in measurement of collaboration and refinement of the model. As such, we present a detailed description of the analytical process, identify areas that affect interpretation of the data (such as possible selection bias), and propose areas for future research. We believe this effort to conceptualize and measure collaboration offers a foundation for further research. A growing body of multidisciplinary research suggests that we live in an increasingly ‘‘networked’’ world that demands forms of organizing quite different from bureaucracies or firms (O’Toole 1997; Powell 1990). Devolution, increasingly rapid changes in technology, scarce resources, and rising organizational interdependence are factors that explain the emergence of these new forms. Interorganizational collaboration is a term used by scholars and practitioners to describe a process that can emerge as organizations interact with one another to create new organizational and social structures. Collaboration is emerging as a distinct focus of scholarly research. Although the literature is vast, multidisciplinary, and rich with case research, it also lacks coherence across disciplines. A wide range of theoretical perspectives results in an equally wide variety of definitions and understandings of the meaning of collaboration. Although multiple conceptualizations of collaboration add richness to the research, they often impede its rigor and cumulativeness. To put it simply, lack of consensus among scholars on the

540 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors extend previous research on institutional theory by distinguishing between two definitions of conformity (compliance and convergence) and by taking a comprehensive view of the organizational characteristics that might be subject to isomorphic pressures.
Abstract: Institutional theory suggests that organizations pursue legitimacy by conforming to isomorphic pressures in their environment. We extend previous research on institutional theory by distinguishing between two definitions of conformity (compliance and convergence) and by taking a comprehensive view of the organizational characteristics that might be subject to isomorphic pressures. This framework is applied to change between 2001 and 2004 in the internal characteristics of 101 public organizations in England. We find substantial evidence of compliance but more limited support for convergence. Furthermore, the impact of isomorphic pressures was stronger on organizational strategies and culture than on structures and processes. Thus, the relevance of institutional theory to change in the public sector depends on the definition of conformity that is used and the organizational characteristics that are examined.

398 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors identify the antecedents of service, organizational process (organization and marketization), and ancillary innovation types and show that complementary relationships between innovation types might not be as widespread as is theorized.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to identify the antecedents of service, organizational process (organization and marketization), and ancillary innovation types. The drivers of the study are twofold: prior research has not adequately addressed how organizational and environmental antecedents may vary by innovation type, and the impact of complementary relationships between innovation types has not been systematically estimated in public organizations. Data are drawn from a 2-yr multiple informant study of English local authorities. The results of the multivariate analysis show that the antecedents of different innovation types are complex and that complementary relationships between innovation types might not be as widespread as is theorized. Configuration theory is proposed as a framework to move away from examining the myriad of individual variables and toward a consideration of the relationships between antecedents and innovation types. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

368 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the influence of social networks and value congruence on turnover intention among public and nonprofit employees and found that employees exist in social networks inside and outside their organization, and these networks shape employee attitudes and behavior.
Abstract: This article examines the influence of social networks and value congruence on turnover intention among public and nonprofit employees. We argue that employees exist in social networks inside and outside their organization, and these networks shape employee attitudes and behavior. To illustrate this theory, we use turnover intention. A strong and positive intraorganizational social network characterized by good relations with and a sense of obligation toward other staff is hypothesized to make it more likely that employees will stay. A strong social network external to the organization is hypothesized to increase the opportunities that employees have to leave. Our findings offer strong support for the role of intraorganizational networks, but relatively weak support for the effect of external networks. We also propose that person-organization (P-O) fit shape turnover intention. Our results suggest that employees who experience a strong P-O fit in terms of value congruence are more likely to offer a long-term commitment.

359 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between individual citizens and users' expectations of local public service quality, the performance of services, and satisfaction and dissatisfaction with services is analyzed. But the relationship is not symmetric between satisfaction and satisfaction, the predicted probability of dissatisfaction falls more rapidly than the predicted expectation of satisfaction rises as performance increasingly meets expectations, with a general expectations relationship evident for overall services but only evident in the case of very high expectations for waste services.
Abstract: Expectations disconfirmation and expectations anchoring are two increasingly influential approaches to understanding individuals’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction with public services. This article assesses hypotheses from these approaches for two local public services in England provided by local authorities: overall public services from the authority and household refuse collection services. Consistent with the expectations disconfirmation hypothesis, performance minus expectations is positively related to the predicted probability of satisfaction and negatively related to predicted probability of dissatisfaction for both types of service. However, the relationship is not symmetric between satisfaction and dissatisfaction, the predicted probability of dissatisfaction falls more rapidly than the predicted probability of satisfaction rises as performance increasingly meets expectations. The expectations anchoring hypotheses receive support for dissatisfaction and partial support for satisfaction, with a general expectations relationship evident for overall services but only evident in the case of very high expectations for waste services. The findings suggest that expectations need to be taken into account alongside more conventionally understood factors in using satisfaction surveys as a performance measure, especially if performance is not potentially to be overestimated in areas with low expectations or underestimated in areas with high expectations. Managing expectations, as well as perceived performance, may be an effective strategy for local authorities to raise satisfaction, although this may not be seen as desirable. This article analyzes the relationship between individual citizens and users’ expectations of local public service quality, the performance of services, and satisfaction and dissatisfaction with services. Research on satisfaction, its measurement, and implications is longstanding but has increased in recent decades (T. I. Miller and M. A. Miller 1991; Parks 1983; Stipak 1980; Van Ryzin 2004, 2006). Expectations are extensively researched as an influence on satisfaction with goods and services in the private sector but have been much less analyzed for public services until very recently (Roch and Poister 2006; Van Ryzin

291 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined a provocative but little supported hypothesis that turnover may provide positive benefits to the organization, at least up to a point, using data from several hundred public organizations over a nine-year period, and found that moderate levels of turnover may positively affect organizational performance.
Abstract: Empirical studies of public employee turnover, particularly using turnover as an independent variable, are rare; and most of the literature assumes turnover to have a negative impact on organizations. This study examines a provocative but little supported hypothesis that has recently emerged in the private sector literature that turnover may provide positive benefits to the organization, at least up to a point. Using data from several hundred public organizations over a nine-year period, we test the proposition that moderate levels of turnover may positively affect organizational performance. We find that while turnover is indeed negatively related to performance for the organization's primary goal, it does have the hypothesized nonlinear relationship for a secondary output that is characterized by greater task difficulty.

260 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a resource dependence framework for network management that can encompass the existing models and their new data on the environment in which network management occurs, as well as a series of propositions that flow from their reconsideration of network management.
Abstract: Although policy and collaborative networks have been studied since the 1970s and 1980s, only recently has the management of these entities come under greater scrutiny. Studies of “network management” are designed to better understand the unique challenges of operating in a context where bureaucracy no longer provides the primary tool for “social steering.” These studies typically make three assumptions about networks, public managers, and the tasks of network management that empirical evidence from our casework in “Newstatia” suggests are suspect at best. If so, then network management theory needs to be reconsidered. The second half of this article begins this process. We have organized this article into six sections. The first defines policy and collaborative networks and discusses why analyzing them and their management independently is probably flawed. The second presents our data and justifications for believing the assumptions outlined above are oversimplifications. The third section reviews three perspectives and two partial models of network management and points out how the perspectives and models need integration. The fourth section develops a resource dependence framework for network management that can encompass the existing models and our new data on the environment in which network management occurs. The final section outlines a series of propositions that flow from our reconsideration of network management.

219 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors test the effect of centralization and organizational strategy on the performance of 53 UK public service organizations and find that centralization has no independent effect on service performance, even when controlling for prior performance, service expenditure, and external constraints.
Abstract: We test the separate and joint effects of centralization and organizational strategy on the performance of 53 UK public service organizations. Centralization is measured as both the hierarchy of authority and the degree of participation in decision making, whereas strategy is measured as the extent to which service providers are prospectors, defenders, and reactors. We find that centralization has no independent effect on service performance, even when controlling for prior performance, service expenditure, and external constraints. However, the impact of centralization is contingent on the strategic orientation of organizations. Centralized decision making works best in conjunction with defending, and decentralized decision making works best in organizations that emphasize prospecting.

186 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the attitudes of citizens and administrators on a series of survey items focused on the responsibilities of local government administrators to advocate for the interests of the African-American community.
Abstract: The theory of representative bureaucracy suggests that a demographically diverse public sector workforce (passive representation) will lead to policy outcomes that reflect the interests of all groups represented, including historically disadvantaged communities (active representation). Implicit in the passive-active link is the expectation that minority public administrators, in particular, will have similar attitudes to minority citizens on issues of critical import and relevance to those citizens, and those attitudes, in turn, will influence policy decisions. This research examines the attitudes of citizens and administrators on a series of survey items focused on the responsibilities of local government administrators to advocate for the interests of the African-American community. The survey results confirm the hypothesis that African-American citizens and administrators are more likely than white citizens and administrators to support governmental behaviors that specifically target the interests of the African-American community and that African-American citizens and administrators hold markedly different attitudes from white administrators. Most significantly, attitude congruence with the views of African-American citizens by administrators is shown to be a significant predictor of the adoption of an African-American representative administrative role, overwhelming the influence of other variables including race.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors assess Hirschman's theory of exit, voice and loyalty in the context of voluntary exit from organizations in the public workforce, and test the effects of loyalty and voice on the likelihood a person states their intention to leave.
Abstract: We assess Hirschman’s theory of exit, voice and loyalty in the context of voluntary exit from organizations in the public workforce. Specifically, we test the effects of loyalty and voice on the likelihood a person states their intention to leave. We assess these relationships using data from the Federal Human Capital Survey. Our statistical analysis provides evidence that perceptions about voice and loyalty limit exit at all levels of the organizational hierarchy. Yet, dissatisfaction with pay is also a substantial cause of intention to leave – and this effect is greatest for executive-level employees. We also show evidence for “motivation crowding” when pay-based motivation is emphasized.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the role of local policy networks for the implementation of agricultural watershed management and the adoption of environmental best management practices in California's Sacramento River watershed and found that exposure to policy networks substantially increases the probability of adopting environmental practices.
Abstract: This article emphasizes the critical role of local policy networks for the implementation of agricultural watershed management and the adoption of environmental best management practices. Local networks facilitate diffusion of innovations, the development of social capital, and cultural change. All of these elements are essential for the ability of watershed management programs to successfully solve the water quality collective action problems caused by agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Analyses of survey data from 408 orchard growers in California’s Sacramento River watershed demonstrate that exposure to policy networks substantially increases the probability of adopting environmental practices. These findings have important implications for public administration and policies where implementation depends on widespread cooperation and the development of networks with public agencies. The main goal of this article is to analyze the role of local policy networks for the implementation of agricultural watershed management. Policy networks consist of interconnected actors in a policy subsystem who communicate information about policy through some social connection (Mintrom and Vergari 1998; Rogers 2003). Agricultural watershed management is designed to reduce water quality problems associated with agricultural production, and successful implementation requires widespread cooperation. We are specifically interested in testing the hypothesis that policy networks between agricultural producers and local agencies/organizations increase the rate at which producers adopt environmental ‘‘best management practices’’ (BMP) for improving water quality. Within the literature on agro-environmental policy, BMP commonly refers to agricultural practices designed to alleviate problems associated with nonpoint source pollution from agricultural runoff. For example, this article analyzes orchard growers’ use of vegetative filter strips to control irrigation and stormwater runoff into waterways. BMP adoption, which is usually one of the main implementation goals of watershed management, entails a challenging problem in cooperation. Because individual producers cannot make a large difference in overall water quality and nonpoint source pollution is

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a framework for analyzing organizational learning outcomes from municipal benchmarking, which incorporates explanatory factors at different levels (network and municipality), and with different time perspectives (past and present).
Abstract: Benchmarking rests on the assumption that it supports organizational learning and innovation, but the empirical knowledge that underpins this perceived means-end relationship is limited. This article draws on existing research to develop a framework for analyzing organizational learning outcomes from municipal benchmarking. The framework incorporates explanatory factors at different levels (network and municipality), and with different time perspectives (past and present). Empirical results from a nationwide Norwegian benchmarking project indicate that municipalities do obtain organizational learning from benchmarking but that care must be taken when organizational learning is conceptualized and assessed. Learning should incorporate aiding agenda setting and decision making, as well as changes. Factors such as network and administrative characteristics and management and political participation are found to influence learning outcomes. There are also indications that learning from benchmarking is subject to politics. Notably, nonsocialist political regimes are less receptive to organizational learning than other regimes and political competition enhances organizational learning from benchmarking.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between federal employee perceptions of procedural justice and work satisfaction rates, turnover intentions, and the degree to which employees trust their managers, and found that managers exhibit lower levels of satisfaction and trust and higher turnover intentions.
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between federal employee perceptions of procedural justice and work satisfaction rates, turnover intentions, and the degree to which employees trust their managers. As the federal government considers reforming the civil service system, including changes to the procedures used to discipline employees and resolve grievances, understanding these relationships becomes particularly important. Analysis of Department of Defense data from the 2002 Federal Human Capital Survey indicates a significant, positive relationship between procedural justice perceptions, satisfaction rates, and trust in management. Likewise, a significant and negative relationship exists between procedural justice perceptions and turnover intentions. Interestingly, given similar levels of procedural justice perceptions, managers exhibit lower levels of satisfaction and trust and higher turnover intentions. This study provides an important benchmark for Defense and other agencies that are redesigning personnel systems and serves as a caution against implementing systems that employees may not view as either legitimate or just.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined the functional form of the relationship between management and performance in 1000+ public organizations and found that networking with other organizations might not always result in gains for the organization, and also showed how managerial quality and differences in organizational staff can affect this relationship.
Abstract: Scholars of public management have consistently found that management matters, but little research has considered how much management matters or whether the link between management and performance may be contingent on various factors. This article further investigates the link between management and performance by examining the functional form of the relationship. Analyses using data from 1000+ public organizations point to some diminishing returns. Results suggest that networking with other organizations might not always result in gains for the organization. Findings also show how managerial quality and differences in organizational staff can affect this relationship.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a multi-actor principal-agent model was used to examine how bureaucratic politics (external and internal) and organizational practice (participation and culture) affect an organization's performance reporting.
Abstract: The credibility of performance information provided by government agencies to their stakeholders is critical to performance-based accountability and policy learning. However, the public administration literature has rarely paid attention to the determinants of honest performance reporting. This study draws on the multi-actor principal-agent model and examines how bureaucratic politics (external and internal) and organizational practice (participation and culture) affect an organization's performance reporting. Based on survey data from Taiwan, the results show that supportive external environments and harmonious internal environments are likely to enhance stakeholder participation and innovation culture, which, in turn, encourage honest performance reporting.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors trace federal agency attention to the threat of terrorism as it gained prominence on the national policy agenda over the 1980s to 1990s and became a prominent issue after the terrorist attacks of 2001.
Abstract: Federal agencies are routinely confronted with requests from policymakers that they must address in some manner. These range from routine directives to cut through red tape to exceptional demands to alter policy priorities. We theorize that how attention is organized by public bureaucracies affects their responses. We draw on a variety of scholarship about public bureaucracies to develop a theory about the bureaucratic organization of attention and its consequences. In illustrating these notions, we trace federal agency attention to the threat of terrorism as it gained prominence on the national policy agenda over the 1980s to 1990s and became a prominent issue after the terrorist attacks of 2001. The consequences of the Department of Homeland Security's centralized attention to the terrorism threat suggest a paradox of issue attention. Though concentration of authority at the top of the organization holds the prospect of control over the substance and speed of policymaking, this control is highly circumscribed by the limits of attention faced by all organizations.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a theoretical framework to understand the challenge of legitimacy for global governance organizations (GGOs) and argue that GGOs tend to face trade-offs between legitimacy and authority, but that widespread usages of these important terms conflate or confuse them and thus obscure critical issues in GGO politics.
Abstract: Global governance organizations (GGOs) are frequently maligned as both illegitimate and ineffective With the growing prominence of entities that promulgate global rules governing trade, communications, finance, and transport, these shortcomings take on greater importance This essay presents a theoretical framework to understand the challenge of legitimacy for GGOs It argues that GGOs tend to face trade-offs between legitimacy and authority, but that widespread usages of these important terms conflate or confuse them and thus obscure critical issues in GGO politics Once these terms are more clearly defined, we see more easily that GGOs must sometimes violate democratic norms, sacrificing equality and bureaucratic neutrality, to satisfy key constituencies and thus retain power The argument lays the foundation for an empirical study that demonstrates how the structure and processes adopted by GGOs are intended to satisfy the conflicting demands of legitimacy and authority

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed an alternative approach to examine the representation of women and minorities in state government bureaucracies over the period from 1987 to 2002, based on estimates constructed using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey.
Abstract: In the past, researchers in the field of public administration have been hindered in their ability to study trends in the representation of women and minorities in state government due to limitations in data availability. This article develops an alternative approach to examining the representation of women and minorities in state government bureaucracies over the period from 1987 to 2002. Based on estimates constructed using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey, our analysis shows that women are generally overrepresented in state government employment relative to their civilian labor force representation within a state, and African-Americans are overrepresented in many states. Latinos are typically underrepresented. We also examine the potential determinants of representation for women and minorities, and find, among other factors, private sector race and sex-based wage differentials, relative to those in the public sector, are positively associated with the representation of women, African-Americans, and Latinos in state government workforces.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the consequences of the so-called "insulation game" on group access to the bureaucracy and develop an information exchange theory that portrays the impact of agency design choices on group-reported access as a function of the level of design-induced political insulation and the quality of the information offered by a given group.
Abstract: Under political uncertainty, legislative coalitions have incentives to insulate policy from future coalitions. While there is evidence of legislators' use of agency design to insulate the bureaucracy from elected officials, little is known about the ultimate consequences of such design choices on the policy participation of interest groups. How such design choices affect group access is important because of the centrality of groups in providing both bureaucratic accountability and information for policy development. Accordingly, we examine the consequences of the so-called “insulation game” on group access to the bureaucracy. We develop an information exchange theory that portrays the impact of agency design choices on group-reported access as a function of the level of design-induced political insulation and the quality of the information offered by a given group. We test our theory with two original datasets that include design parameters of US state environmental agencies and survey data measuring reported agency access by state-level interest groups. Our results suggest that insulating agencies via design does lead to lower reported access to regulators by interest groups, but only among those groups who supply less valuable information.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Feeney et al. as discussed by the authors presented a study on sector perceptions among state-level public managers, which was published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory following peer review.
Abstract: This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Feeney, M. K. (2008). Sector perceptions among state-level public managers. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(3), 465-494 is available online at: doi:10.1093/jopart/mum025.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors find empirical support for the proposition that county form of government, along with rules governing debt accumulation and administrative commitment, increases the breadth of county collaboration in open-space protection and suggest that stable institutions and local government structure facilitate collaboration by allowing public managers to more credibly commit in a policy arena.
Abstract: Collaboration is an increasingly important topic in the public administration and management literatures. A preponderance of studies focuses on how managers can build trust between the government and collaborative partners by means of behavioral attributes and managerial skill. In this article, the author suggests that stable institutions and local government structure facilitate collaboration by allowing public managers to more credibly commit in a policy arena. Using county data on open-space policy, the author finds empirical support for the proposition that county form of government, along with rules governing debt accumulation and administrative commitment, increases the breadth of county collaboration in open-space protection.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine a broader range of factors through which government assistance impacts NPOs and conclude that government assistance can diminish their autonomy, flexibility, and responsiveness, the very qualities that make them attractive to policymakers.
Abstract: Across a range of issue areas, governments are increasingly collaborating with nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to achieve policy goals. In the environmental arena, growing concerns over nonpoint source pollution have led governments to work through NPOs rather than rely on traditional regulatory approaches. But past studies suggest that government assistance to NPOs can diminish their autonomy, flexibility, and responsiveness-the very qualities that make them attractive to policymakers. Prior research on government-NPO interactions has emphasized government funding, and it has focused largely on NPO managers and boards of directors. In this article, we examine a broader range of factors through which government assistance impacts NPOs. A comparative, longitudinal case study of collaborative watershed partnerships participating in Ohio's state grant program indicates the varied pathways through which government institutions and actors can affect NPOs. Results suggest how government involvement impacts resources, issue definition, and organizational structure and decision processes for environmental management.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine whether state regulators express beliefs consistent with what we would expect to observe if a race-to-the-bottom dynamic operates within state regulatory decision making and find that state regulators are sensitive to the effects that their regulatory decisions have on industry investment decisions.
Abstract: Concerns that interstate economic competition will lead states to relax their environmental regulation, potentially resulting in a race to the bottom, remain commonplace in both academic and public policy debates about state environmental policy. Most of the existing empirical work examining the race to the bottom argument tests the behavioral predictions of the argument. In this article, I focus on the attitudinal predictions. Specifically, I examine whether state regulators express beliefs consistent with what we would expect to observe if a race to the bottom dynamic operates within state regulatory decision making. Studying data from the State Environmental Managers Survey, I find that state regulators are sensitive to the effects that their regulatory decisions have on industry investment decisions and that their agencies are influenced by the regulatory decision making of economic competitor states.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors compared the effects of politically buffered decision making relative to politically influenced decision making by drawing on case studies of county efforts to site and develop landfills and incinerators in New York State.
Abstract: Public administrators have long wrestled with the problem of bringing professional policy knowledge or technical expertise to bear on decision making in a contentious policy arena A common solution addresses political conflict by developing institutions that buffer decision making from the regular influence of elected official This article compares the effects of politically buffered decision making relative to politically influenced decision making by drawing on case studies of county efforts to site and develop landfills and incinerators in New York State Some of these counties created a special district government known as a “public authority” in an effort to remove the “politics from decision making” Others used their regular line agencies The cases show that the public authority siting processes were less likely to accommodate political concerns and more likely to focus on research-based policy or technical criteria However, this professional focus then made them vulnerable to political conflict and likely contributed to the high failure rate of the public authority projects In contrast, the more successful line agency processes, influenced by elected officials' political concerns, tended to arbitrage away political conflict at the expense of professional or technical considerations-but these processes were more likely to succeed One case provides a possible middle ground Rather than arbitraging away points of conflict, the administrators aggressively pushed decision making back into the political process, making elected officials choose the policy options This process required elected official leadership, education, and commitment and resulted in decisions that were professionally and technically informed as well as resilient to political conflict

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the determinants of the duration of political appointee service using an agency theory framework and found that appointee tenure depends on financial incentives, executive-legislative conflict, solidary and material benefits offered by the president, as well as implicit incentives that differ across presidential administrations.
Abstract: The president's role as chief executive depends on the quality and tenure of political appointees who assist with the constitutional charge to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” This study explores the determinants of the duration of political appointee service. Using an agency theory framework, we propose that appointee tenure depends on financial incentives, executive-legislative conflict, solidary, and material benefits offered by the president, as well as implicit incentives that differ across presidential administrations. Using Office of Personnel Management records from January 1982 through August 2003, we employ multivariate survival analysis to confirm most aspects of the theory. The results imply that the most important determinants of political appointee tenure are financial and the difficulty of public administrative service. However, the president can affect exit propensities at the margins by manipulating rewards and implicit incentives that promote loyalty to public service and the administration.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper developed a framework for matching particular AR methods to specific policy implementation contexts by drawing on Matland's conflict-ambiguity matrix, which is used in the work of This paper.
Abstract: Public administration scholars often associate increased public participation in policy implementation with the advancement of democratic values. Likewise, scholars engaged in the various forms of action research (AR) promote their efforts as a means to democratizing the research process or contributing to improved social outcomes. Despite these common interests in participation and democracy, there have been few attempts to apply AR methods to policy implementation problems. Drawing on Matland’s conflict-ambiguity matrix, we develop a framework for matching particular AR methods to specific policy implementation contexts.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of contracting out on the cost efficiency and resource allocation of motor bus and demand response services were examined using National Transit Data from 1993 through 2004, and the results showed that the most cost-efficient agencies either fully contract or they provide full in-house service.
Abstract: National Transit Data from 1993 through 2004 is analyzed to examine the effects of contracting out on the cost efficiency and resource allocation of motor bus and demand response services. For motor bus service, results indicate no difference in cost between in-house and fully contracted operations. Contracting has a weak curvilinear association to total cost, suggesting that the most cost-efficient agencies either fully contract or they provide full in-house service. In contrast, demand response contracting is associated with about 20% lower total costs. Competitive conditions or the choice by agencies to offer specialized services may explain this result. Transit agencies that contract with multiple motor bus providers pay a cost premium, whereas multiple providers have no effect on demand response cost. Contracting does not affect the growth of cost for either service. An examination of expense subcategories reveals no reduction in administrative expenses when agencies contract services and only a partial reduction in nonoperational maintenance expenses. Overall, the results call into question the efficacy of competitive contracting models of transit service delivery and the use of fully allocated costing methods in make-versus-buy decisions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine how information or policy analysis can be credibly communicated between the bureaucracy and Congress and develop a signaling model which shows that under certain circumstances-specifically when professionalized bureaucrats can impose observable costs on themselves that their politically inclined counterparts are unwilling to incur-credible communication between the government and Congress is possible.
Abstract: This article examines how information or policy analysis can be credibly communicated between the bureaucracy and Congress. To investigate this issue, I develop a signaling model which shows that under certain circumstances-specifically when professionalized bureaucrats can impose observable costs on themselves that their politically inclined counterparts are unwilling to incur-credible communication between the bureaucracy and Congress is possible. A contribution of this article is that it provides a theoretical underpinning for the importance of professionalism and neutral competence in the bureaucracy as a means of promoting good governance.