The Termination of Public Organizations: Theoretical Perspectives to Revitalize a Promising Research Area

While many studies deal with comparative public sector reform, the fundamental question of whether and to what extent states are actually able to abolish parts of their administrative structure remains untackled. Despite some efforts to solve this puzzle, the topic remains underestimated. This article identifies the main conceptual and theoretical problems associated with existent research on the termination of public organizations. Furthermore, the article systemizes various causal factors of termination into two broad dimensions: “organizational stickiness” and “political incentives.” Taken together, these constitute a typology, which is able to guide future empirical investigation of the termination of public organizations.

Autonomy and Regulation of State Agencies: Reinforcement,Indifference or Compensation?

This paper analyses the relationships between the autonomy and regulation of state agencies in Norway, Ireland and Flanders (Belgium). The empirical basis is provided by broad surveys of public sector organizations carried out in 2002–2004. Three hypotheses on these relationships are formulated and examined, indicating different patterns. The reinforcement hypothesis, stating a negative relationship does not get any support. On the other hand, the compensation hypothesis, stating a positive relationship gets some support. In general, however, the indifference hypothesis, stating low or no correlations seems to be the most adequate. The hypotheses are also linked to prevalent administrative doctrines, and the empirical findings indicate how relevant they are.

Public Organizational Birth and Death: Understanding the Exigencies of an African Political Environment

This research examines the application of theories of organizational birth and death in transitional and undemocratic political settings. Through the case study of the birth and death of the Ministry of Supplies and Marketing in Kenya, the author determines that theoretical explanations of organizational formation and demise do not necessarily fit a uniform profile. Under unstable and undemocratic environments, public organizations that are brought to life through decrees may also be unexpectedly vanished without following a logical and predictable cyclical sequence.

Implications of Success and Persistence for Public Sector Performance

Public sector organizations collect vast amounts of information that often goes unused. Information may serve a symbolic role to imply that decision makers are using rational decision processes, or it may be collected to rationalize a preconceived decision and develop or maintain public support. Over-collection of irrelevant information or under-analysis of existing information for decision implications leads to excessive public information costs with limited public benefit. The study discusses the role systematic information misalignment plays in the public sector and considers its implications for public agency performance. The concept is evaluated using examples from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Emergent Management Strategies in a Public Agency: A Case Study of Alternative Fuel Vehicles

The ability of public organizations to invest in emerging technologies is dependent upon the degree to which they can effectively manage the risks of being a lead-user in a political environment. However, little is known about the dimensions and implications of the different forms of risk faced by innovative public organizations as well as the strategies employed to manage them. This paper addresses these issues by studying how one public agency implements a program of replacing its transportation fleet with alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).

Central State Steering of Local Collaboration: Assessing the Impact of Tools of Meta-governance in Homelessness Services in England

Much of the discussion of state steering of service delivery networks to encourage collaboration at the local level has been theoretical. This study builds on this analysis systematically to assess the relationship between meta-governance tools of central government steering and the extent of local collaboration, using the case of homelessness services in England. Contrary to the pessimist expectations of some contemporary theory, central government funding tools and facilitating the transfer of best practice encourages collaboration. However, simple information provision and authority based tools are only partially effective, risking tokenistic compliance. Authority tools are more effective when combined with other tools.

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.

Policy Implementation in Urban Bangladesh: Role of Intra-organizational Coordination

The present study intended to explore role of intra-organizational coordination in policy implementation in urban Bangladesh. In doing so, an attempt was also made to investigate why and how problems of intra-organizational coordination take place in policy implementation. The study was basically based on empirical data gathered during 2003–2004. The available data substantiated that intra-organizational coordination is an important factor for policy implementation. Problems of coordination within organization in urban Bangladesh take place owing to lack of institutionalized rules and regulation and problematic financial management. Once coordination within organization is problematic, policy implementation is hampered which resulted in delay in project completion, increase of cost and unsatisfactory public service delivery.

Administration, Globalization, and the Arab States

Globalization involves risks and opportunities for the Arab world. Realistic knowledge of these possibilities is essential for adaptation of governance and reform of public administration to deal more effectively with the unfolding processes of globalization. To be participants rather than mere subjects, the Arab states have to recognize opportunities and limit potential negative consequences. Success requires good governance and professional public management. Public administration in the Arab world has to transform traditional methods of command and control and nepotism into a more collaborative management that relies on institutional capabilities and practicing managerial values of accountability, performance evaluation, transparency, and ethics.

Politics−Bureaucracy Relationship in Bangladesh: Consequences for the Public Service Commission

The paper attempts to analyze the consequences of political pressure placed on the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Bangladesh. Through extensive literature review and empirical research, the authors conclude that the independence, efficiency and effectiveness of the PSC largely depend on the politics–administration relationship. Furthermore, this relationship is affected by regime types and it regulates the optimum functioning or malfunctioning of the institution.

Citizen Support for Hospital Privatization: A Hierarchical Cross-National Analysis

The movement for a new public management (NPM) holds that citizens will put aside partisan and ideological differences to support more efficient service delivery. Focusing on hospital privatization, a multi-national sample is utilized to investigate this assertion. Generalized hierarchical linear modeling (GHLM) is employed as the method of statistical analysis. The findings with regard to privatizing hospitals reveal that citizens develop their policy position by reference to a combination of symbolic political variables, service demand, self-interest, information levels, and political efficacy. The results cast doubt on the assertion that partisan differences will be set aside as citizens consider privatization reforms.

A Cross-national Analysis of Global E-government

To explore the determinants of global e-government performance, this paper examines the aggregate data of 163 different countries by conducting multivariate statistical analysis. The results of multivariate regression analysis indicate that the performance of digital government is likely to be determined by economic wealth, education, urbanization, civil liberties, government effectiveness, and the interaction between Internet usage and economic wealth, while the extent of internet penetration alone does not determine e-government performance. More importantly, this study indicates that government effectiveness is much more important than any other factors in determining global e-government performance. The countries with high e-government performance are likely to be the wealthy, developed, and Western countries or the rapidly developing Asian countries.

How Security Agencies Control Change: Executive Power and the Quest for Autonomy in the FBI and CIA

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency gain autonomy when they exercise executive power, performing tasks that are so urgent, secretive, or forceful that they cannot be anticipated by law. The FBI exhibited a clear instance of autonomy when, with a view to its long term responsibilities, it resisted remaking itself as a counterterrorism agency to the degree that politicians requested. The second case, involving the CIA, produced more mixed results. The agency appeared to exhibit autonomy by exercising its powerful security tasks, including control over information and covert operations, and by resisting a consensus for major organizational change. Nevertheless, its large number of administrative and analytical rather than executive tasks prevented the agency from developing the coherent, independent perspective necessary for a high degree of true autonomy.

Crises and Natural Disasters: a Review of Two Schools of Study Drawing on Australian Wildfire Experience

The connection between “schools” of study focusing on crises and on natural disasters is explored. After considering the rise of separate schools, the article notes significant attempts to integrate them and suggests that, while natural disasters and other big crises have much in common, there are still some important differences that need to be taken into account in designing relevant management systems. Drawing particularly on Australian wildfire experience, the article then looks more briefly at the question of political leadership in disaster situations, and at serious problems that often occur in the reporting of those situations.

Perceptions of Nonprofit Funding Decisions: A Survey of Local Public Administrators and Executive Directors of Community-Based Housing Organizations (CBHOs)

This article compares how local public administrators and executive directors of community-based housing organizations (CBHO) perceive nonprofit funding decisions. The article’s findings suggest that both groups shared perceptions about the scope of affordable housing and factors influencing its funding. Yet, important differences existed. Public administrators were ambivalent about nonprofit capacity and affordable housing outcomes. They also underestimated the importance of networks, partnerships, and minority leadership. Professionals in the nonprofit sector underestimated fair housing concerns and overestimated the importance of promoting homeownership. These insights improve our understanding of the connection between funding patterns, public-nonprofit sector relations, local governance, and administrative structures.

Is the German system of corporate governance converging towards the Anglo-American model?

This paper analyses whether the German corporate governance is converging towards Anglo-American practices. We summarise the extant empirical evidence on the various governance mechanisms that economic theory suggests ensure efficiency and describe recent legal developments. We find no clear signs of convergence in form, i.e. the main distinctive features of the German system have remained largely unaltered. However, changes occurred over the last decade (specially in the legal framework) suggest a certain convergence in function, i.e. some governance mechanisms have effectively incorporated aims and/or goals generally associated with the Anglo-American model.

War as Rent-Seeking: A Public Choice Perspective on the Pacific War

Historical literature on the causes of the Pacific War generally focuses on either international relationships between the great powers in the interwar period or on the role of domestic interest groups in Japan, especially the Imperial Army and Navy. An alternative to these predominantly narrative approaches is to consider Japanese imperialism as explained by the public choice concept of rent seeking. Seeing both imperial expansions through armed conquest and domestic interest group rivalry as forms of rent-seeking behavior can provide a unifying perspective for understanding the Pacific War.

Radio Frequency Identification: A Panacea for Governments?

Radio frequency identification (RFID) has been used to improve business supply chain management for over 35 years. As often happens, private sector technology migrates to the public sector where it is adapted for use. RFID use in governments is spreading far and wide at the federal and state levels with virtually no debate or performance analyses to inform adoption decisions. Implementation of RFID technology impacts government efficiency and effectiveness in many areas. Data show that most RFID applications promise enhanced effectiveness but also pose increased costs. A model is constructed to assist state and local managers in choosing to adopt RFID and to discern the status and impacts of this bold new innovation.