Public Management and Governance Review

Public sector challenges in different administrative regimes: Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand

Lisa Hohensinn — 2024-05-24

When public sector challenges are manifold, the citizens act as an important source of performance feedback on government practices. In this article, we explore current public sector challenges as perceived by citizens of five countries (n = 4,182)—Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. We analyze to what extent citizens rate a list of public sector topics as major challenges for the public sector as a whole, and for cities and municipalities. The findings indicate that citizens from all five countries are concerned about high-quality public infrastructure and an efficient and effective public service provision. However, some differences regarding the rating of public sector challenges were identified among the countries. For example, Danish citizens score transparency about public performance substantially less challenging than citizens of other countries. Based on a detailed discussion of our findings, we provide directions for (comparative) public administration research and policy development.

Practitioners and researchers as alienated lovers in management and governance: A new journal to the rescue!

Jurgen Willems — 2024-05-24

In the field of management and governance, researchers and practitioners go hand in hand in terms of topical interests and they can benefit from regular thought exchanges and various concrete collaborations. However, an increased alienation between the interests of researchers and practitioners can be observed in terms of different career incentives, organizational targets, and institutional cultures. The goal of this editorial article is (i) to pinpoint symptoms of this alienation between researchers and practitioners, and (ii) to highlight the need for a forum where high-quality research can be made accessible to practitioner audiences. As an editorial article, this article marks the launch of a new journal—Public Management and Governance Review—which aims to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to interact, reflect, and elaborate in a robust and scientific but also broadly accessible way on various challenges in the field of public management and governance.

The case against co-production as a silver bullet: Why and when citizens should not be involved in public service delivery

Caitlin McMullin — 2024-05-26

Co-production refers to the collaboration of public service professionals and citizens / service users in the design and delivery of public services, which is said to make services more effective, democratic, and efficient. Despite normative agreement of the benefits of co-production, some practitioners argue that there are instances in which co-production is not the silver bullet that it is promised to be. These arguments are that co-production should not be undertaken: when it is under resourced, when the involvement of citizens substitutes paid work, or when co-production is asking too much of citizens. Instead, I argue that practitioners should consider whether citizen involvement in public service delivery can be done meaningfully, in a way that builds upon the expertise of both professionals and citizens instead of assuming that co-production is always the answer.

All aboard? How Line-of-Sight impacts the strategic commitment of nonprofit employees

Kenn Meyfroodt — 2024-05-24

Line-of-Sight refers to an employee’s (a) awareness and perceived importance of the organization’s strategic priorities, (b) accurate understanding of how job tasks and roles contribute to the realization of these strategic priorities, and (c) perceived fit between these strategic priorities and his or her job. Line-of-Sight is assumed crucial for enhancing employee strategic commitment as a more accurate understanding of the strategic priorities can enhance employees’ satisfaction with the strategic priorities, leading them to rate the overall quality of these priorities highly and commit to ensuring proper implementation. However, empirical evidence is scarce, making it hard to provide evidence-based recommendations. Therefore, we explore primary survey data from 128 frontline employees and the general director of a human service nonprofit organization to arrive at a set of crucial recommendations for nonprofit managers. Moreover, by shedding light on the motivational mechanism, drivers, and benefits of Line-of-Sight we hope to have paved the way and call for more research on Line-of-Sight. Our findings suggest that (a) Line-of-Sight’s components matter for employees’ strategic commitment, (b) information, training, and team leaders’ visionary leadership are key to enhancing Line-of-Sight, but (c) not all employees may have similar levels of Line-of-Sight, necessitating targeted alignment efforts across the organization.

The (next) savior has arrived? New technologies in the public sector and related citizens’ expectations

Caroline Fischer — 2024-05-27

Advancements in technology prompt debates on their transformative potential in public service delivery. We explore citizens' perceptions through analyzing their empirical and normative expectations towards the implementation of new technology (such as AI, big data, and robotization). Findings from Germany (n=1,577) and Austria (n=413) reveal modest expectations both related to public and private sector services, tempered by contextual factors such as digitalization levels in both countries. Expectations have been analyzed related to different public values, suggesting that the highest hopes related to the impact of new technologies are related to gains in efficiency and affordability of services. Despite aspirational hopes for improved public service delivery, citizens remain skeptical about governments' capacity to fulfill them. We advocate for a citizen-centered approach, emphasizing societal dialogue and participatory decision-making to ensure technological interventions align with citizens' needs and values. Ultimately, realizing meaningful transformation in public services requires bridging the gap between citizens' expectations and pragmatic assessments.

Vertrauenswürdige öffentliche Informationen aus Sicht der Bürger:innen

Lisa Hohensinn — 2024-05-27

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, welchen Einfluss die Veröffentlichung von Rohdaten sowie die Angabe der Informationsquelle auf das Vertrauen in öffentliche Informationen haben. Anhand von Befragungsdaten aus Deutschland und Österreich kann gezeigt werden, dass sich die Möglichkeit, auf die Rohdaten zuzugreifen, positiv auf das Vertrauen in die öffentliche Information auswirkt. Darüber hinaus hat die Angabe der Datenquelle einen positiven Einfluss auf das Vertrauen in öffentliche Informationen. Während öffentlichen Organisationen tendenziell mehr Vertrauen bei der Bereitstellung von Information entgegengebracht wird, ist die Reputation der Datenquelle entscheidend für die Vertrauensbildung. Abschließend diskutiert dieser Beitrag die Bedeutung von Open Data für Bürger:innen und deren Erwartungen hinsichtlich der öffentlichen Informationsbereitstellung.

The tapestry of citizen perspectives: Utilizing Cultural Theory for effective crisis response

Monika Knassmüller — 2024-05-27

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it abundantly clear that in times of crisis, governments need to reach out to all their citizens and engage them in a strategy for action. While the effect of "rallying under the flag" wears off quickly, effective crisis management over longer periods of time requires customized communication and measures that are tailored to the various social groups. Under time pressure, the complexity of the social world must be reduced to remain capable of action. The Cultural Theory approach offers a parsimonious model, known as grid-group-typology, for analyzing and developing citizen-centered solutions that sufficiently account for the social differentiation of society without getting lost in the complexity of real life. By applying the grid-group typology, this study examines the personal and societal disadvantages perceived during the pandemic to (a) evaluate the explanatory power of the CT approach and (b) demonstrate how the typology can serve as a heuristic for designing more citizen-focused crisis responses.