The Public Sector’s Use of Agencies: A Dynamic Rather than Static Scene

It is an occupational hazard in the study of organizations that we tend to view them as static arrangements, as though what is observed and reported today tells us all we need to know about them. But organizations are dynamic rather than static phenomena, being constantly affected by adjustments to meet the effects of fading past arrangements or approaching new arrangements. Simple “snapshots” taken at a particular moment in history are never likely to reveal all the relevant nuances. This article comments on this problem as it affects non-departmental public bodies often described loosely as “agencies”, by (a) drawing attention to some relevant theoretical contributions to the political science and organization theory literature, and (b) giving some examples of changes in the style of agency formation and operation over the years, mostly drawn from the Australian public sector.

Chris AulichEmail:

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Roger Wettenhall   is Emeritus Professor of Public Administration and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Business and Government, University of Canberra. He was co-editor and editor of Australian Journal of Public Administration 1989–1995. Chris Aulich   is Adjunct Professor of Public Administration and formerly Director of the Centre for Research in Public Sector Management, Faculty of Business and Government, University of Canberra.