Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Volunteer use as an alternative service delivery arrangement entails public organizations directly incorporating volunteers in service production through a quasi-employment relationship. However, research evaluating the contributions of volunteer labor to organizational performance are relatively few. This article fills this gap by drawing from two theoretical insights. First, this study tests a linear model based on the traditional human resource management approach of interchangeability in which volunteers constitute a one-on-one substitute for paid employees. Second, this study draws insight from critical mass theory to explore a nonlinear model based on the assumption that the productivity of one volunteer may not be equal to that of one paid employee due to the systematic limitations of volunteer labor. Analyzing a five wave panel dataset of 484 local law enforcement agencies in the United States that utilize sworn volunteers with general arrest powers, the findings indicate that an increase in the number of sworn volunteers has a linear negative effect on clearing violent crimes in sheriffs offices. However, the results also indicate evidence of curvilinear effects on clearing violent crimes in police departments. This article suggests the need to account for the systematic limitations of volunteer labor when measuring performance and to explore multiple indicators. This study contributes to theory building and testing by enabling a two-way understanding of the relationship between volunteer involvement and organizational performance in the public sector.

Few studies have explored the question of why public agencies use volunteers in service provision. Using data from a survey of law enforcement agencies in the United States, this study explores the factors associated with volunteer officer involvement. Key findings suggest that resource deficiency is strongly associated with the degree of using volunteer officers, while the presence of an active collective bargaining agreement is somewhat mixed. Agencies that encourage officers to engage in collaborative problem-solving with the community are more likely to use volunteer officers. The results provide important insight regarding the factors associated with volunteers in public services.

AbstractMany representative bureaucracy studies examine outcomes in the context of passive and active representation, but relatively few have investigated the effects of passive representation on outcomes for the organization as a whole. To address this gap, we analyze data from a national law enforcement survey in the United States on formal citizen complaints regarding allegations of excessive use of physical force. This measure aligns with a three‐dimensional accountability framework consisting of information, discussion, and consequences. The analysis finds that greater representation in lower‐level leadership is positively associated with a higher percentage of sustained citizen allegations of use of force, while representation in upper leadership generates mixed findings. The results contribute to the literature by highlighting the differential effects of representation in multiple leadership positions and by providing implications for overall organizational accountability.

Abstract
Volunteer use in the United States constitutes a service delivery alternative in which public agencies involve citizens to assist in delivering public services. This article provides a resource dependence and transaction costs explanation for why local governments in the United States may involve volunteers in service delivery. Using a survey of local government service delivery arrangements, we analyze a repeated cross‐sectional dataset derived from four separate years to examine the factors associated with volunteer use. Key findings suggest that fiscal constraints are associated with volunteer use in more municipal government services, while county governments with more resources use volunteers in more services. Contracting out to private organizations is associated with more volunteer use in both municipalities and counties. The findings provide evidence that volunteer use constitutes an effort by local governments in the United States to leverage resources from the environment and to reduce the transaction costs of depending on other organizations.
Evidence for Practice

To capitalize on resources available in the environment, local governments may use volunteers in service delivery.
Local governments confronting fiscal constraints may use volunteers to deliver more services.
Local governments that contract out more services to private organizations may use volunteers in more services to lower administrative costs.
Volunteer use may serve as a strategy for local governments to leverage resources from the environment and to reduce the transaction costs of depending on other organizations.