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The article reviews the relevant theory and research linking information and bargaining efficiency and presents results of an analysis of negotiation times associated with 290 franchise renewal agreements. Data reveal three main findings: (1) information revealing a history of poor performance by the supplier resulted in a 74% increase in negotiation time, (2) a 1% increase in the value of a contract increased negotiation time by 18%, and (3) the participation of an expert resulted in a 24% decrease in negotiation time. We also consider and test various moderator and mediator effects and conclude that the length of the previous relationship between the parties neither directly nor indirectly affects the negotiation time in a substantively meaningful way nor does it mitigate the negative effect of conflict history. Adapted from the source document.

PurposeThis article provides a snapshot of several innovative and underused methodological approaches employed by scholars from across public management.Design/methodology/approachA comparative review of methodological approaches to public management research is used.FindingsThe authors find evidence of scholars applying numerous novel methodological approaches to study social science phenomena, including agent-based modeling, nonparametic approaches, social network analysis, Granger equations and techniques for correcting selection bias.Research limitations/implicationsThe review does not cover all of the innovative methodological approaches used in social science. However, the methodological techniques showcased offer promise for advancing public management research, whether used as primary applications or as one of multiple methods (triangulation) to test the validity of research findings and/or to more comprehensively understand the phenomena being studied.Originality/valueThe techniques reviewed include example applications to aid researchers who may wish to apply them in their own research. The novel tools and methods already in use by public management researchers contradict the perception that public management methods have lagged behind other social science disciplines.

PurposePublic management researchers have successfully leveraged theory to advance the understanding of contracts and the different governance structures that underpin contract relationships. Yet there is still much to learn about the implications for different governance structures. Applying insights from property rights, the purpose of this paper is to examine the substance of initial government contracts and their subsequent amendments in order to determine whether allocation of decision rights leads to better or worse contract amendments.Design/methodology/approachThe authors evaluate the text of initial contracts and their subsequent amendments in 258 government–business relationships and focus on the implications of assigning key decision rights to the party with most relevant knowledge expertise.FindingsTwo primary findings are presented. First, initial contracts where knowledge expertise and the associated decision rights are co-located (i.e. integrated) are likely to be associated withex postadjustments that benefit both parties to the contract. Second, the authors find that this initial finding is likely a result of government integration as opposed to supplier integration.Originality/valueGiven that we know most professional service contracts require some form of contract amendment over time, this research helps us understand why some amendments will reinforce the collaborative (Pareto enhancing) nature of the relationship, while others may be more one sided (rent seeking). Unlike other theoretical approaches (e.g. transaction cost theory), property rights theory provides guidance for such decision making.

In this article, we employ transaction cost economics and the contingency stream of organization theory to answer two related questions. First, when contracting for complex services, do governments design contracts for flexibility? Second, is the contingency perspective relevant to understanding contract design? Examining 130 professional service contracts awarded by state government agencies in the USA, we find that task complexity and task unpredictability, two dimensions of task uncertainty, increase the probability of flexible governance. This research highlights for managers the important fact that the potential for opportunism and task complexity are different sources of uncertainty that pose different challenges and call for different governance solutions. The study enriches our understanding of transaction costs by probing the conditions under which task uncertainty matters most (and least), and further shows the utility of integrating transaction cost economics with contingency theory to better understand contract governance.

Public administration scholars continue to grapple with how and why public organizations differ from private organizations. The judiciary deals with similar questions in ruling on constitutional claims that apply exclusively to state actors. The authors consider similarities and differences between scholarly and judicial approaches, adding to the body of research attempting to capture the complexities of the public–private distinction. The application in this article includes the coding of seminal court decisions and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to find combinations of causal conditions that lead to state action rulings. The specifics revealed throughQCAprovide valuable lessons for extending public norms and preserving constitutional protections when outsourcing public services.

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.