INFLUENCING BUREAUCRACY? A RESEARCH NOTE ON IMPLICATIONS OF MEASURING PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC UTILITY RATE CASES

In: Journal of public administration research and theory, Band 5, Heft 3, S. 319-329

Abstract

CONTROLLING BUREAUCRACY IS A LONG-STANDING CONCERN IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FIELD. ONE THEORY IS THAT APPROPRIATE INFLUENCE OF BUREAUCRACY CAN OCCUR VIA PARTICIPATIVE ADMINISTRATION-THAT IS, THROUGH CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN BUREAUCRATIC DECISION MAKING. ANOTHER IDEA IS THAT EXPERTS FROM ONE AGENCY SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN ANOTHER'S PROCEEDINGS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A BALANCE OF EXPERTISE. STATE PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY COMMISSIONS RELY ON BOTH THESE TYPES OF PARTICIPATION DURING RATE CASES, THEIR KEY DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE SUGGESTS THAT PARTICIPATION IS NOT INFLUENCING PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSIONS AS EXPECTED. HOWEVER, SINCE GORMLEY (1983), ANALYSTS HAVE USED VERSIONS OF GORMLEY'S PROXY AND GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY ACTIVITY LEVELS INDEXES. HERE, DATA ON ACTUAL PARTICIPATION IN FIFTY-FOUR TELEPHONE RATE CASES ARE USED TO ASSESS THE CONTINUED USEFULNESS OF THIS INDEX. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE INDEX IS NOT AS INFORMATIVE AS HOPED AND THAT CASE-SPECIFIC MEASURES SHOULD BE USED TO EXAMINE FURTHER THE EFFECT OF CITIZEN AND OUTSIDE-EXPERT PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC UTILITY SETTING.