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Showing papers in "Public Administration Review in 2014"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new public administration movement is emerging to move beyond traditional public administration and New Public Management as discussed by the authors, which is a response to the challenges of a networked, multisector, no-one-wholly-in-charge world and to the shortcomings of previous public administration approaches.
Abstract: A new public administration movement is emerging to move beyond traditional public administration and New Public Management. The new movement is a response to the challenges of a networked, multisector, no-one-wholly-in-charge world and to the shortcomings of previous public administration approaches. In the new approach, values beyond efficiency and effectiveness—and especially democratic values—are prominent. Government has a special role to play as a guarantor of public values, but citizens as well as businesses and nonprofit organizations are also important as active public problem solvers. The article highlights value-related issues in the new approach and presents an agenda for research and action to be pursued if the new approach is to fulfill its promise.

782 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the consequences of ethical leadership in public sector organizations were assessed and the results indicated that ethical leadership reduced absenteeism and had a positive influence on organizational commitment and willingness to report ethical problems.
Abstract: Recent ethical scandals involving managers in government organizations have highlighted the need for more research on ethical leadership in public sector organizations. To assess the consequences of ethical leadership, 161 managers in a large state government agency and 415 of their direct reports were surveyed, and personnel records were obtained to measure absenteeism. Results indicate that after controlling for the effects of employee characteristics, perceptions of procedural fairness, and supportive leader behavior, ethical leadership reduced absenteeism and had a positive influence on organizational commitment and willingness to report ethical problems. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are presented.

200 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, three common strategies or tactics that organizations use to obtain critical resources from the environment: merging, forming alliances, and co-opting are described, along with a set of practical lessons for busy public and nonprofit managers.
Abstract: The fiscal landscape continues to challenge public and nonprofit managers. Against this backdrop, public and nonprofit managers look for new strategies to address the challenges associated with limited resources. Resource dependence theory provides valuable guidance for managers who want to understand the considerations and consequences relevant to different types of interorganizational partnering. In this article, the theory's core ideas are described, along with three common strategies or tactics that organizations use to obtain critical resources from the environment: merging, forming alliances, and co-opting. For each strategy, the authors derive a set of practical lessons for busy public and nonprofit managers.

175 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Mark H. Moore1
TL;DR: The authors developed three philosophical claims central to the practice of public value accounting: when the collectively owned assets of government are being deployed, the appropriate arbiter of public values is the collectively defined values of a "public" called into existence and made articulate through the quite imperfect processes of democratic governance.
Abstract: Questions of how best to define the ends, justify the means, and measure the performance of governments have preoccupied political economists for centuries. Recently, the concept of public value—defined in terms of the many dimensions of value that a democratic public might want to see produced by and reflected in the performance of government—has been proposed as an alternative approach. This article develops three philosophical claims central to the practice of public value accounting: (1) when the collectively owned assets of government are being deployed, the appropriate arbiter of public value is the collectively defined values of a “public” called into existence and made articulate through the quite imperfect processes of democratic governance; (2) the collectively owned assets include not only government money but also the authority of the state; (3) the normative framework for assessing the value of government production relies on both utilitarian and deontological philosophical frameworks.

158 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article surveys the policy feedback framework developed in political science and clarifies its implications for public administration, emphasizing that policies are political forces in their own right that can alter key components of administration, including organizational capacity, structures, routines, authorities, motivations and cultures.
Abstract: This article surveys the policy feedback framework developed in political science and clarifies its implications for public administration. A feedback perspective encourages us to ask how policy implementation transforms the webs of political relations that constitute governance. Administrators play a key role in shaping the political conditions of bureaucratic performance and the organization of power in the broader polity. At the same time, this perspective underscores that policies are more than just objects of administrative action. Policies are political forces in their own right that can alter key components of administration, including phenomena such as organizational capacity, structures, routines, authorities, motivations and cultures. These sorts of administrative themes have received little attention in policy feedback research, just as the political effects of policies have been overlooked in public administration studies. Bridging these perspectives offers a basis for exciting new agendas and advances in public administration research.

142 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Jaekwon Ko1, SeungUk Hur1
TL;DR: In this paper, the impacts of human resource management (HRM) policies, including traditional benefits, family-friendly benefits, procedural justice, and managerial trustworthiness, on work attitudes are examined.
Abstract: Recent public management literature has emphasized the influence of human resource management (HRM) policies, including traditional benefits, family-friendly benefits, procedural justice, and managerial trustworthiness, on work attitudes. However, little research in public administration has explored more detailed impacts of each HRM policy. This article provides an integrated understanding of the impacts of HRM policies using social exchange theory. In addition, the moderating impacts of procedural justice and managerial trustworthiness on the relationship between employee benefits and work attitudes are examined. Using the Federal Human Capital Survey 2008 data set, the authors find that two types of employee benefits, procedural justice, and managerial trustworthiness are positively related to job satisfaction, whereas family-friendly benefits, managerial trustworthiness, and procedural justice are negatively associated with turnover intention. The implications of these findings are thoroughly discussed.

137 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper raised a set of cautions regarding public value governance along two dimensions: the first is that public value is often presented as a democratizing agenda, leading works sidestep foundational questions of power and conflict and advance prescriptions that are at odds with important democratic values, which risks producing a new variant of neoliberal rationality, extending and strengthening the de-democratizing, market-oriented project that its proponents seek to overturn.
Abstract: This article raises a set of cautions regarding public value governance along two dimensions. First, it questions the common claim that public value governance poses a direct challenge to the economistic logic of neoliberalism. Second, although public value is often presented as a democratizing agenda, leading works sidestep foundational questions of power and conflict and advance prescriptions that are at odds with important democratic values. Without attending to these problems, the public value concept risks producing a new variant of neoliberal rationality, extending and strengthening the de--democratizing, market-oriented project that its proponents seek to overturn.

136 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine social media use among nonprofit organizations and county departments involved in the delivery of human services in a six-county area in south-central New York State.
Abstract: This article uses interviews and Internet data to examine social media use among nonprofit organizations and county departments involved in the delivery of human services in a six-county area in south-central New York State. Social media use was modest, with nonprofit organizations much more likely to use it than county departments. Organizations used social media primarily to market organizational activities, remain relevant to key constituencies, and raise community awareness. Most organizations either had a narrow view of social media's potential value or lacked a long-term vision. Barriers to use included institutional policies, concerns about the inappropriateness of social media for target audiences, and client confidentiality. Findings build on recent research regarding the extent to which nonprofit organizations and local governments use social media to engage stakeholders. Future research should investigate not only the different ways organizations use social media but also whether organizations use it strategically to advance organizational goals.

135 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate the impact of public officials' corruption on the size and allocation of U.S. state spending and argue that corruption is likely to distort states' public resource allocations in favor of higher-potential "bribe-generating" spending and items directly beneficial to public officials.
Abstract: This article demonstrates the impact of public officials’ corruption on the size and allocation of U.S. state spending. Extending two theories of “excessive” government expansion, the authors argue that public officials’ corruption should cause state spending to be artificially elevated. Corruption increased state spending over the period 1997–2008. During that time, the 10 most corrupt states could have reduced their total annual expenditure by an average of $1,308 per capita—5.2 percent of the mean per capita state expenditure—if corruption had been at the average level of the states. Moreover, at the expense of social sectors, corruption is likely to distort states’ public resource allocations in favor of higher-potential “bribe-generating” spending and items directly beneficial to public officials, such as capital, construction, highways, borrowing, and total salaries and wages. The authors use an objective, concrete, and consistent measurement of corruption, the number of convictions.

130 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors showed that transparency is less effective in policy decisions that involve trade-offs related to questions of human life and death or well-being, and that a limited type of transparency in which decision makers provide justifications for their decisions can result in benefits.
Abstract: Building on the counterintuitive findings of recent empirical studies that transparency in political decision making may have a negative effect on public legitimacy beliefs, this article suggests that transparency has different effects depending on the policy area. Specifically, it argues that transparency is less effective in policy decisions that involve trade-offs related to questions of human life and death or well-being. Using an experiment that involved 1,032 participants, the effect of transparency is tested in two policy areas that represent routine priority setting (culture and leisure) and policy decisions implicitly related to human life and well-being (traffic security). Results indicate that transparency can increase public acceptance of political decisions, but this effect is moderated by the type of policy area. Furthermore, a limited type of transparency in which decision makers provide justifications for their decisions can result in benefits while avoiding potential costs.

119 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide valuable insight into the relationship between public values and the circumstances affecting the degree to which public values are upheld in DBFMO (design-build-finance-maintain-operate) projects.
Abstract: Although public-private partnerships (PPPs) are frequently analyzed and lauded in terms of efficiency, their impact on public values is often neglected. As a result, there is little empirical evidence supporting or rejecting the claim that PPPs have a negative effect on public values. This case study provides valuable insight into the relationship between public values in PPPs and the circumstances affecting the degree to which public values are upheld. Research findings demonstrate that whether public values are at stake in PPPs cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Rather, public values can be threatened, safeguarded, or even strengthened depending on the project phase and the specific facet of the public value under scrutiny. Insight into which circumstances influence the safeguarding of public values in DBFMO (design-build-finance-maintain-operate) projects unravels the strengths and weaknesses of PPPs in terms of public values, providing public managers with a starting point for optimization. © 2013 by The American Society for Public Administration.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the effectiveness of interorganizational coordination and collaboration in response to the Boston Marathon bombings by applying a social network analysis to compare the disaster response networks embodied in formal disaster preparedness plans with the actual response networks.
Abstract: In light of recent disasters, it is evident that more research is needed to understand how organizations can effectively coordinate disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. This research assesses the effectiveness of interorganizational coordination and collaboration in response to the Boston Marathon bombings. After reviewing the major changes in federal emergency management policies and frameworks since September 11, 2001, this article applies a social network analysis to compare the disaster response networks embodied in formal disaster preparedness plans with the actual response networks. Data come from content analyses of the Boston Emergency Operations Plan, national and local newspaper articles, after-action reports, and situation reports. The timely response to the bombings is attributable to long-term institutionalized planning efforts; multiple platforms established for frequent interorganizational interactions through formal plans, training, and exercises prior to disasters; and an integrated communication system.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the regulation-innovation linkage in the context of voluntary regulations and find that country-level ISO 14001 participation is a significant predictor of a country's environmental patent applications.
Abstract: Governments enact environmental regulations to compel firms to internalize pollution externalities. Critics contend that regulations encourage technological lock-ins and stifle innovation. Challenging this view, the Porter-Linde hypothesis suggests that appropriately designed regulations can spur innovation because (1) pollution reflects resource waste; (2) regulations focus firms' attention on waste; and (3) with regulation-induced focus, firms are incentivized to innovate to reduce waste. This article explores the regulation-innovation linkage in the context of voluntary regulations. The authors focus on ISO 14001, the most widely adopted voluntary environmental program in the world. Examining a panel of 79 countries for the period 1996-2009, they find that country-level ISO 14001 participation is a significant predictor of a country's environmental patent applications, a standard proxy for innovation activity. The policy implication is that public managers should consider voluntary regulation's second-order effects on innovation, beyond their first-order effects on pollution and regulatory compliance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the relationship between public service motivation and public/private sector of employment, while the character of the work being performed has been neglected, using panel surveys with pre- and postentry measures of PSM among certified Danish social workers.
Abstract: The literature on public service motivation (PSM) has typically focused on the relationship between motivation and public/private sector of employment, while the character of the work being performed has been neglected. Using panel surveys with pre- and postentry measures of PSM among certified Danish social workers, this article provides a unique design for investigating PSM-based attraction‒selection and socialization effects with respect to the choice between work related to service production or service regulation (controlled for public/private sector of employment). The article shows that the PSM profiles of social work students predict their preference for one of the two types of work tasks but do not predict first employment in the preferred job. Conversely, postentry shifts in social workers’ PSM profiles result from a complex interplay between influences from both work task and sector.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative study of daily practices of Dutch health care managers (executives and middle managers) is presented, where the authors show how compromises are constructed and how managers are able to solidify compromises, creating temporary stability in times of public sector change.
Abstract: ____ In the public administration literature, a variety of responses to value confl icts have been described, such as trade-off s, decoupling values, and incrementalism. Yet little attention has been paid to the possibility of constructive compromises that enable public managers to deal with confl icting values simultaneously rather than separately. Th e authors use Luc Boltanski and Laurent Th evenot’s theory of justifi cation to extend current conceptualizations of management of confl icting values. On the basis of a qualitative study of daily practices of Dutch health care managers (executives and middle managers), they show how compromises are constructed and justifi ed to signifi cant others. Because compromises are fragile and open to criticism, managers have to perform continuous “justifi cation work” that entails not only the use of rhetoric but also the adaption of behavior and material objects. By inscribing compromises into objects and behavior, managers are able to solidify compromises, thereby creating temporary stability in times of public sector change.

Journal ArticleDOI
Kevin D. Ward1
TL;DR: The authors found that participation in AmeriCorps programs had positive effects on participants' levels of commitment to the public interest and civic awareness immediately after the program; many of these program effects were sustained seven years later.
Abstract: The public service motivation literature has helped scholars and practitioners better understand who is attracted to public service and why. However, little is understood about how public service motivation in individuals may be cultivated or how it changes over time. This article uses panel data collected by the Corporation for National and Community Service to track the longitudinal effects of participation in the AmeriCorps national service program on participants’ public service motivation. Findings reveal that participation in AmeriCorps programs had positive effects on participants’ levels of commitment to the public interest and civic awareness immediately after the program; many of these program effects were sustained seven years later. However, when observed in isolation, the comparison group showed significant declines in levels of commitment to public interest and civic awareness over an eight-year period, suggesting that public service motivation may initially decline upon entry into a public service career.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the Web sites of the environment departments of European local governments that signed the Aalborg Commitments to determine the extent to which they are using the Internet to promote e-participation in environmental topics and to identify the drivers of these developments.
Abstract: There is widespread acceptance that current institutions are inadequate to address the challenges of sustainable development. At the same time, there is an urgent need to build awareness and increase capacity for promoting action with respect to environmental protection at the local level. This article analyzes the Web sites of the environment departments of European local governments that signed the Aalborg Commitments to determine the extent to which they are using the Internet to promote e-participation in environmental topics and to identify the drivers of these developments. Potential drivers are public administration style, urban vulnerability, external pressures, and local government environmental culture. Findings confirm that e-participation is a multifaceted concept. External pressures influence the transparency of environmental Web sites, while public administration style and local government environmental culture influence their interactivity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a better theoretical understanding of the linkage between the processes and outcomes associated with government-organized public participation, including its potential to empower citizens in guiding administrative decisions.
Abstract: This article develops a better theoretical understanding of the linkage between the processes and outcomes associated with government-organized public participation, including its potential to empower citizens in guiding administrative decisions. Special focus is given to those factors that shape the development and maintenance of the citizen–administrator relationship. To this end, the research examines the work of federally mandated citizen review panels and their interactions with state child protection agency administrators. Based on 52 in-depth interviews conducted with citizens and administrators in three U.S. states, a grounded theory approach is employed to derive a series of testable theoretical propositions. The insights gained are of importance not only to public administration scholars but also to citizens and administrators who engage one another through formally organized channels of participation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare the budgetary choices in poor and affluent municipalities, and show that in highly fragmented regions, some municipal services are provided the least in communities where they are needed the most.
Abstract: The fundamental value underlying the design of a fragmented system of local governance is consumer sovereignty. This system functions as a market-like arrangement providing citizen-consumers a choice of jurisdictions that offer different bundles of public services and taxes. However, the same choice also can facilitate class-based population sorting, creating regions where fiscally wealthy jurisdictions coexist with impoverished ones. Some argue that the public market enhances the power of all consumers, whether poor or rich. Even if the poor are concentrated in some jurisdictions, they can exercise their voice to ensure that their government responds to their service needs. But does the voice of the poor matter as much as the voice of the rich in determining service levels in the local public market? Comparing the budgetary choices in poor and affluent municipalities, this article shows that in highly fragmented regions, some municipal services are provided the least in communities where they are needed the most.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) adopted a code of ethics in 1984, with revisions in 1994 and 2013, but neither code had a process for enforcement.
Abstract: Establishing a code of ethics has been a challenge in public administration Ethics is central to the practice of administration, but the broad field of public administration has had difficulty articulating clear and meaningful standards of behavior and developing a means of upholding a code of ethics Although a number of specialized professional associations in public service adopted codes, starting with the International City/County Management Association in 1924 and others after 1960, the full range of public administrators did not have an association to represent them until the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) was founded in 1939 Despite early calls for a code of ethics in ASPA, the first code was adopted in 1984, with revisions in 1994, but neither code had a process for enforcement A new code approved in 2013 builds on the earlier codes and increases the prospects for ASPA to work with other professional associations to broaden awareness of the ethical responsibilities to society of all public administrators

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Localism Act 2011 abolished the English local integrity framework, which relied on the participation of local citizens in the policy making and implementation of local government standards of conduct as mentioned in this paper, and used Henrik Bang's concepts of expert citizen and everyday maker to explore citizen participation in local standards committees.
Abstract: This article examines how, against a background of localism endorsed by the 2010 coalition government in the United Kingdom, a key component of local integrity and governance was fundamentally altered. The Localism Act 2011 abolished the English local integrity framework, which relied on the participation of local citizens in the policy making and implementation of local government standards of conduct. The article utilizes Henrik Bang's concepts of “expert citizen” and “everyday maker” to explore citizen participation in local standards committees. Using a case study approach, the article demonstrates how standards committees shaped processes and practices in the local governance of integrity. The authors argue that standards committees were crucial in promoting local participation and enhancing good governance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article found strong evidence of a mutually reinforcing role of altruism and mission alignment in sorting into the public sector, particularly among highly educated workers and among workers in less-developed countries.
Abstract: A rich literature in public administration has shown that public sector employees have stronger altruistic motivations than private sector employees. Recent economic theories stress the importance of mission preferences and predict that altruistic people sort into the public sector when they subscribe to its mission. This article uses data from a representative survey of more than 30,000 employees from 50 countries to test this prediction. The authors find strong evidence of a mutually reinforcing role of altruism and mission alignment in sorting into the public sector, particularly among highly educated workers and among workers in less-developed countries.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The emerging field of public values helpfully focuses on the norms and government policies that serve the public interest, but its analysis neglects the barriers to actually creating public value in contemporary America as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The emerging field of public values helpfully focuses on the norms and government policies that serve the public interest, but its analysis neglects the barriers to actually creating public value in contemporary America. Chief among these barriers are contending strains of public beliefs and opinions, the disproportionate influence of affluent individuals and business and professional associations, as well as governing structures predisposed toward inaction and drift. This article contrasts the expectations of the public values field with research on American politics to identify barriers to advancing the public interest under current conditions. Although public values scholars offer an analysis of American public life that is inadequate, they do raise challenging questions about how a public-regarding agenda can be “designed in” to politics and policy. The article concludes by suggesting feasible reforms to improve the conditions for pursuing the public interest.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effect of third-party ties on knowledge sharing in service implementation networks governed by a network administrative organization (NAO) and found that strong ties enhance knowledge sharing.
Abstract: The rapid growth of knowledge in disease diagnosis and treatment requires health service provider organizations to continuously learn and update their practices However, little is known about knowledge sharing in service implementation networks governed by a network administrative organization (NAO) The author suggests that strong ties enhance knowledge sharing and that there is a contingent effect of third-party ties Two provider agencies’ common ties with the NAO may undermine knowledge sharing because of resource competition In contrast, a dyad's common ties with a peer agency may boost knowledge sharing as a result of social cohesion Finally, the author posits that third-party ties moderate the relationship between strong ties and knowledge sharing These hypotheses are examined in a mental health network Quantitative network analysis confirms the strong tie and third-party tie hypotheses and provides partial support for the moderating effect of third-party ties The implications for public management, including the implementation of HealthCaregov, are discussed

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare temporal and atemporal analyses of the business case for diversity management and show that the cross-sectional analysis, by failing to account for organizational inertia, portrays diversity management as more potent than the analyses taking time into account.
Abstract: Public management strategies have an inherent temporal component: managers take action at one time, and employees or organizations respond at a later time. However, it is common to study such strategies using atemporal research. Concerns about the inadequacy of this approach have led scholars to advocate for public management research that incorporates time. Because following this advice is difficult, it is important to evaluate how the omission of time affects the understanding of public management strategies. This article compares temporal and atemporal analyses of the business case for diversity management—the expectation that organizations that manage diversity well will also improve their performance. Using survey and personnel data drawn from U.S. federal government subagencies, the article shows that both analyses support this general expectation. However, the cross-sectional analysis, by failing to account for organizational inertia, portrays diversity management as more potent than the analyses taking time into account.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors extend the theory of goal ambiguity by providing the first analysis of large-sample federal programs, and show that goal ambiguity has negative relationship with different program performance scores.
Abstract: One of the main assumptions of empirical studies conducted on the influence of goal ambiguity in public management is that goal ambiguity relates negatively to performance. However, this relationship has rarely been tested at the program level because common goal ambiguity and performance measures for disparate government programs have been scant. The availability of Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) results for a number of federal programs provides the opportunity for an analysis testing the foregoing assumption. Measures of program goal ambiguity—target, timeline, and program evaluation—are shown to have negative relationships with different program performance scores, taking into account alternative influences or biases on performance. This analysis extends the theory of goal ambiguity by providing the first analysis of large-sample federal programs. The theoretical and practical implications are presented in the discussion and conclusion.

Journal ArticleDOI

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In a survey of presidents at public universities, this article found that public universities often use performance data to help manage, but many of the causal factors that lead to data use vary across management functions.
Abstract: As performance-oriented reforms have become more commonplace in recent years, questions about the factors that drive organizational adoption and use of performance systems for internal management are of central importance. This article uses data taken from a survey of presidents at public universities to advance our understanding about the use of data and performance management strategies within public organizations. The central research question is, why do public administrators choose to employ performance management strategies? In addition, the author also explores variation in the extent to which public universities use performance management strategies for three tasks that are central to public management: (1) strategic planning, (2) evaluating employees, and (3) interacting with external stakeholders. Findings indicate that public universities often use performance data to help manage, but many of the causal factors that lead to data use vary across management functions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper examined whether managers in agencies with greater budget autonomy are more likely to include the public when allocating resources and found that agencies with a higher degree of autonomy tend to be more open to public comment than agencies with more centralized budget processes.
Abstract: Allocation of public resources is an area in which considerations of both economic efficiency and democratic legitimacy are likely to be present. Public administrators are often blamed for being too devoted to the norms of bureaucratic ethos, such as efficiency, effectiveness, and top-down control, and less so to the norms of democratic ethos, such as inclusiveness and bottom-up decision making. This article examines whether managers in agencies with greater budget autonomy are more likely to include the public when allocating resources. Because participation offers an opportunity for agencies to enhance the legitimacy of their decisions, it is expected that the value of citizen input will increase with the degree of agency autonomy. Using data on the practices of citizen participation in budgeting in two state departments—transportation and environment—this study finds that agencies with a higher degree of autonomy tend to be more open to public comment than agencies with more centralized budget processes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Etzioni as mentioned in this paper examined the theoretical assumptions underlying the thesis that transparency plays a major role in holding democratic governments accountable and found that transparency played a much smaller role than is often assumed.
Abstract: Transparency is viewed as a self-evident good in Western society. Etzioni reexamines the theoretical assumptions underlying the thesis that transparency plays a major role in holding democratic governments accountable. His analysis reveals that transparency plays a much smaller role than is often assumed. In addition, Etzioni finds that transparency cannot be relied upon to replace regulation, both because it is, itself, a form of regulation and because of the way in which democracies actually function. In assessing transparency, one must take into account a continuum composed of the order of disutility and the level of information costs. The higher the score on both variables, the less useful transparency is. Moreover, these scores need not be particularly high to greatly limit the extent to which the public can rely on transparency for most purposes.