Suchergebnisse

National governments follow country-specific reform trajectories, which imply uniform preferences for specific types of quasi-autonomous organisations (quangos). However, at micro level there is little uniformity; similar tasks are charged to different types of quangos. This contradiction could be explained by the existence of styles of quango creation at the level of policy sectors. Do such styles exist? Using the literature on policy styles and administrative culture, four styles of quango creation are deduced: traditional, bureaucratic, professional and managerial. The analysis shows that the majority of Dutch policy sectors indeed have a dominant style of quango-creation. The bureaucratic style is found in ten out of eighteen sectors. Replication of this study may help to improve the explanation of quango creation in western countries.

National governments follow country-specific reform trajectories, which imply uniform preferences for specific types of quasi-autonomous organisations (quangos). However, at micro level there is little uniformity; similar tasks are charged to different types of quangos. This contradiction could be explained by the existence of styles of quango creation at the level of policy sectors. Do such styles exist? Using the literature on policy styles and administrative culture, four styles of quango creation are deduced: traditional, bureaucratic, professional and managerial. The analysis shows that the majority of Dutch policy sectors indeed have a dominant style of quango-creation. The bureaucratic style is found in ten out of eighteen sectors. Replication of this study may help to improve the explanation of quango creation in western countries.

Since the 1980s the number of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations has increased in most western countries. This article offers a theoretical explanation for politicians' apparent preference for quangos. The model is based on rational choice sociology, neo-institutional economics and public choice. Hypotheses are formulated on the conditions that are expected to influence politicians' choice. The statistical analysis, using a database of 124 decisions to establish 392 quangos in The Netherlands between 1950 and 1993, shows that quango proliferation is more a trend than a well-informed choice. This raises new questions for research.

Since the 1980s the number of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations has increased in most western countries. This article offers a theoretical explanation for politicians' apparent preference for quangos. The model is based on rational choice sociology, neo-institutional economics & public choice. Hypotheses are formulated on the conditions that are expected to influence politicians' choice. The statistical analysis, using a database of 124 decisions to establish 392 quangos in The Netherlands between 1950 & 1993, shows that quango proliferation is more a trend than a well-informed choice. This raises new questions for research. 4 Tables, 1 Figure, 72 References. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright 2004.]

Intro -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Editors and Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Part I Public Administration and Management in Europe -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- Abstract -- 1.1 Scope and Content -- 1.2 Structure of the Handbook -- References -- Chapter 2 Public Administration and Public Management Research in Europe: Traditions and Trends -- Abstract -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 European Scholarship in PA and PM from the 1980s on -- 2.2.1 Germanic Countries -- 2.2.2 Anglophone European Countries -- 2.2.2.1 United Kingdom -- 2.2.2.2 Republic of Ireland -- 2.2.3 Southern Europe -- 2.2.4 The Nordic Countries -- 2.2.5 CEE Countries -- 2.3 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3 Education and Training in Public Administration and Management in Europe -- Abstract -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Analytical Dimensions: Conceptual Background and Empirical Findings -- 3.2.1 Institutional Characteristics of Education and Training Programs -- 3.2.2 Program Content and Curricular Developments -- 3.2.3 Teaching Philosophies and Learning Concepts -- 3.3 Whence and Whither? Interpreting and Explaining Trends in European Education and Training Systems -- 3.4 Shaping Factors at Work: Making Sense of Observed Reform Trajectories -- 3.5 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4 Languages and Public Administration in Europe -- Abstract -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Significance of Language and Language Diversity -- 4.3 Method and Contents -- 4.4 Some General Observations -- References -- Part II Public Management Themes -- Chapter 5 Strategic Management in Public Services Organizations: Developing a European Perspective -- Abstract -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Schools of Strategic Management and Their Relevance to Current Public Services Organizations -- 5.2.1 The Classic Models.

Purpose: The paper proposes that public sector organizations facing institutionalized reform pressure may not only integrate the reform into their operation when it fits but also pace the integration while undergoing organizational cultural transformations to fit with the reform. The newly cultivated cultural characteristics, nonetheless, need to be compatible externally with the ideational basis of the reform and internally with existing values and beliefs embodied by the organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Building on a neo-institutionalist perspective, the paper develops a model which considers the possibilities and conditions that local cultural change in the reforming organizations may facilitate reform integration. To test the model's analytical potential, the paper analyzed reform responses of semi-autonomous agencies from Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden under the New Public Management (NPM) reform. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression models were performed on the survey data collected from agency heads (or representative) during the peak of the reform trend. Analyzing this sample of later adopters whose government generally enjoyed high degrees of capacity and autonomy provided a preliminary test to the model's potential. Findings: Significant statistical relations were found between the adoption of operation-level NPM practices and the extent that an agency's cultural characteristics fit with both the ideational basis of NPM and the exiting value-belief mix the agency embodied. Agency characteristics of "proactive responsiveness" and "goal-oriented cooperation" were found significantly related to adoption of NPM practices, showing the possibility of cultivating local cultural changes in reforming organizations. Originality/value: While compatible with neo-institutionalist emphasis on local continuity, the paper describes an alternative scenario of reform integration for public managers.

After the large-scale creation of arm's length agencies by governments around the globe, these governments now face the dilemma of how to manage, steer or control these arm's length agencies. Different instruments have been developed, based on either of two theoretical models: principal-agent theory or stewardship theory. Both are based on economic models of man with a principal charging an agent or a steward with a task. Principal-agent theory is based on the principal distrusting the agent to perform as agreed, leading to a need for extra monitoring and control. Stewardship theory is based on trust, and requires very different instruments to manage at arm's length. Using the perspective of arm's length bodies at federal level in Australia, we will describe how they perceive the instruments that have been implemented by their portfolio departments to manage and control them. Using survey data (N = 89), we will test which of the two models is used most often in this country, one of the frontrunners in agencification. Results show that arm's length agencies are more inclined to take a stewardship position, while a mixture of instruments from the principal-agent and stewardship model is applied. This could lead to problematic relationships.