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Alois Stutzer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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happiness and Public choice
Public Choice, 2010Co-Authors: Bruno S Frey, Alois StutzerAbstract:Measuring individual welfare using data on reported subjective well-being has made great progress. It offers a new way of confronting Public choice hypotheses with field data, e.g., with respect to partisan preferences or rents in the Public Bureaucracy. Insights from Public choice also help to assess the role of happiness measures in Public policy. We emphasize that maximizing aggregate happiness as a social welfare function neglects incentive problems and political institutions while citizens are reduced to metric stations. The goal of happiness research should be to improve the nature of the processes through which individuals can express their preferences.
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Happiness and Public choice
Public Choice, 2010Co-Authors: Bruno S Frey, Alois StutzerAbstract:Measuring individual welfare using data on reported subjective well-being has made great progress. It offers a new way of confronting Public choice hypotheses with field\ud data, e.g. with respect to partisan preferences on unemployment and inflation or rents in the Public Bureaucracy. Insights from Public choice also help to assess the role of happiness measures in Public policy. We emphasize that maximizing aggregate happiness as a social\ud welfare function neglects incentive problems and political institutions while citizens are reduced to metric stations. The goal of happiness research should be to improve the nature of the processes through which individuals can express their preferences
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Bureaucratic Rents and Life Satisfaction
Journal of Law Economics and Organization, 2007Co-Authors: Simon Luechinger, Stephan Meier, Alois StutzerAbstract:The monopoly position of the Public Bureaucracy in providing Public services allows government employees to acquire rents. Those rents can involve higher wages, monetary and non-monetary fringe benefits (e.g. pensions and staffing), and/or bribes. We propose a direct measure to capture the total of these rents: the difference in reported subjective well-being between bureaucrats and people working in the private sector. In a sample of 38 countries, we find large variations in the extent of rents in the Public Bureaucracy. The extent of rents is determined by differences in institutional constraints and correlates with perceptions of corruption. We find judicial independence to be of major relevance for a tamed Bureaucracy.
Sergio Fernandez - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A RESPONSE TO "PROMPTING THE TRANSFORMATION OF Public ORGANIZATIONS"
Public Performance & Management Review, 2014Co-Authors: Hal G. Rainey, Sergio FernandezAbstract:The value of "Prompting the Transformation of Public Organizations" derives from its attention to differences in the scope of change in Public organizations, and not only its attention to conditions and contingencies that impede change in Public organizations but also to conditions and contingencies that support or drive change. In particular, the article advances propositions, supported by anecdotal and case examples, about ways in which organizational responsiveness and organizational capacity, and imbalances between these two dimensions, influence organizational change processes. Concentrating on certain parts of the argument, one can summarize by saying that the propositions contend that an imbalance increases resistance to change. "Professionalized organizations," high in capacity but low in responsiveness, and "protected organizations," low in capacity but high in responsiveness, will display resistance to change. When professionalized organizations experience loss of capacity, and when protected organizations lose supportive patrons, each type of organization faces increasing pressure to change. Professor Nutt provides numerous examples and instances to illustrate these dynamics, many of which have high face validity for us, since they resemble cases of large-scale change in Public organizations with which we are familiar. The general importance of these propositions and the perspective they represent derive from the emphasis on external influences that interact with internal organizational conditions and responses in ways that create pressures for change, but in different ways in different types of Public organizations. In the past, analyses of change in government agencies tended to concentrate on why those agencies resist change, and to overgeneralize about their virtually universal tendency to do so. Downs (1967), for example, in probably the most widely cited analysis of Public Bureaucracy ever published, claimed (with absolutely no evidence) that some agencies attract "climbers" and "zealots" and tend to change more rapidly
Jon S. T. Quah - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Why Singapore works: five secrets of Singapore’s success
Public Administration and Policy: An Asia-Pacific Journal, 2018Co-Authors: Jon S. T. QuahAbstract:Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain why Singapore is a success story today despite the fact that its prospects for survival were dim when it became independent in August 1965. Design/methodology/approach This paper describes the changes in Singapore’s policy context from 1959 to 2016, analyses the five factors responsible for its success and concludes with advice for policy makers interested in implementing Singapore-style reforms to solve similar problems in their countries. Findings Singapore’s success can be attributed to these five factors: the pragmatic leadership of the late Lee Kuan Yew and his successors; an effective Public Bureaucracy; effective control of corruption; reliance on the “best and brightest” citizens through investment in education and competitive compensation; and learning from other countries. Originality/value This paper will be useful to those scholars and policy makers interested in learning from Singapore’s success in solving its problems.
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The Role of the Public Bureaucracy in Policy Implementation in Five Asean Countries
2016Co-Authors: Jon S. T. QuahAbstract:General editors' preface Preface 1. The role of the Public Bureaucracy in policy implementation in five ASEAN countries: a comparative overview Jon S. T. Quah 2. Weak central authority and fragmented Bureaucracy: a study of policy implementation in Indonesia Agus Pramusinto 3. The Public Bureaucracy's role in policy implementation in Malaysia Nik Rosnah Wan Abdullah 4. Dysfunctional Bureaucracy, corruption and weak rule of law: a case study of policy implementation in the Philippines Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr 5. Governance and meritocracy: a study of policy implementation in Singapore David Seth Jones 6. Vietnam's Public Bureaucracy and implementation of two ASEAN policies Jairo Acuna-Alfaro and Anh Tran 7. Policy implementation in ASEAN and EU: the problem of asymmetric compliance Giulio Napolitano Executive summary Jon S. T. Quah Index.
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Public Administration in Singapore: Managing Success in a Multi-Racial City-State
Public Administration in the NICs, 1996Co-Authors: Jon S. T. QuahAbstract:As one of the ‘four little dragons’, Singapore’s rapid economic growth and success during the past two decades is well known (Woronoff, 1986; Kelly and London, 1989; Vogel, 1991). One of the major factors contributing to Singapore’s political stability and economic prosperity is the quality of its Public administration (Quah, 1982a, pp. 42–75; 1984a, pp. 206–16). Indeed, its Public Bureaucracy and bureaucrats are perceived to be honest, efficient and effective in the performance of their functions and duties. How accurate is this perception? What are the major features of Public administration in Singapore? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Public Bureaucracy in Singapore? What challenges does it face and what are the prospects for the future? In addressing these questions, this chapter attempts to provide both a description of and explanation for the nature of Public administration in Singapore.
Christopher B Keys - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the person environment dynamics of employee empowerment an organizational culture analysis
American Journal of Community Psychology, 1997Co-Authors: Pennie G Fosterfishman, Christopher B KeysAbstract:Using an organizational culture framework, this case study examines the critical preconditions necessary for employee empowerment and highlights how the multiple cultures within one Public Bureaucracy differently impacted their implementation. SERVE, a large human service organization, initiated an employee empowerment program that contradicted and thus collided with many elements of its overall organizational culture. Despite the best intentions of the organizational leaders, upper management support, and opportunities for participatory decision making, the organization could not foster the critical preconditions needed for employee empowerment. Leaders had difficulty expanding the employees' power and promoting member inclusion. Concurrently, most employees rejected these new opportunities for control and distrusted the leader's intentions. Yet, despite the widespread rejection of these empowerment initiatives, most employees described their work lives as empowering. The role the local site subculture played in promoting employee empowerment is examined. We discuss how a localized (vs. system-wide) empowerment endeavor may be a more appropriate and feasible focus for Public bureaucracies seeking to initiate greater staff empowerment. Particular attention is paid to the interaction between individuals and their environments, and how this interaction affects the empowerment process.
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the inserted pyramid how a well meaning attempt to initiate employee empowerment ran afoul of the culture of a Public Bureaucracy
Academy of Management Proceedings, 1995Co-Authors: Pennie G Fosterfishman, Christopher B KeysAbstract:We examine the critical preconditions necessary for employee empowerment and explore how the culture of one Public Bureaucracy significantly impeded their emergence. We discuss how a localized (ver...
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THE INSERTED PYRAMID : HOW A WELL MEANING ATTEMPT TO INITIATE EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT RAN AFOUL OF THE CULTURE OF A Public Bureaucracy.
Academy of Management Proceedings, 1995Co-Authors: Pennie G. Foster-fishman, Christopher B KeysAbstract:We examine the critical preconditions necessary for employee empowerment and explore how the culture of one Public Bureaucracy significantly impeded their emergence. We discuss how a localized (versus state wide) empowerment endeavor may be a more appropriate and feasible venture for Public bureaucracies seeking to initiate greater staff empowerment.
Stuart Bretschneider - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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information technology and restructuring in Public organizations does adoption of information technology affect organizational structures communications and decision making
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2000Co-Authors: Theresa Heintze, Stuart BretschneiderAbstract:It has been argued that the adoption and use of information technology (IT) in organizations affects its structure. Few studies extend this analysis to examine whether such restructuring, if it in fact occurs, improves the performance of the organization. It is even more rare for these assertions to be examined in the context of Public organizations. We use data from a survey of program managers who work in county-level Public agencies to explore whether restructuring occurs after information technology implementation; whether such restructuring affects the performance of these agencies; and what the nature is of the relationship between structure, performance, and managers' attitudes toward IT. We find that IT adoption has little impact on an agency's structure, and restructuring has only very minimal effects on performance. IT adoption, however, has a direct effect on performance. Managers' support for IT has some direct influence on organizational performance after IT implementation, but both restructuring and changes that occur in performance as a result of IT implementation have an effect on managers' support for IT. J-PART 10(2000):4:801-830 The relationship between organizational structure and information technology (IT) has long been of interest to researchers. Opinions vary as to how IT affects organizational structure. It is often supposed that IT creates a flatter organizational profile by reducing the number of managers in an organization and that it may also affect decision making by increasing the number of decision makers through improved communication channels. It has also been suggested that flatter organizational structures are not actually caused by the use of IT; rather, IT facilitates such 801/Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory This content downloaded from 157.55.39.55 on Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:31:19 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Information Technology in Public Organizations changes (Pinsonneault and Kraemer 1993). These questions about structure become of great importance when we assess to what extent changes caused or facilitated by IT affect the performance of the organization. The consequences of restructuring on performance have been explored to a lesser degree than have the effects of IT on structure. Most of the existing research that does explore IT structure and performance generally examines these relationships in private organizations. IT implementation is, however, ongoing in the Public sector at all levels of government (Caudle, Gorr, and Newcomer 1991). Indeed, it has been suggested that Public agencies are more information intense than are private organizations, in part resulting in a deeper penetration of computer technology for each advance in IT (Bretschneider and Wittmer 1993). These differences in IT implementation between Public and private organizations suggest that IT affects Public agencies and private firms in different ways. The difference in the depth of IT penetration is not the only distinction between private firms and government organizations but may be viewed as part of a broader research stream focused on understanding the differences in Public and private organizations. These organizations differ on environmental, organizational, and individual levels. Public agencies tend to be more strongly influenced by the political rather than the economic environment. This environment imposes short time frames on work, strong accountability measures, and tasks that are undertaken in the light of Public scrutiny (Bozeman and Bretschneider 1986). Public organizations tend to have more rigid hierarchies and structures, and more red tape exists, particularly in the area of personnel systems (Bretschneider 1993; Rainey, Pandey, and Bozeman 1995; Rainey, Facer, and Bozeman 1995). Public managers are less likely to react to performance incentives such as job security, pay, and promotion. Private managers report stronger identification with their organizations and higher satisfaction with their coworkers than do their government counterparts. Overall, Public employees are more likely to be motivated by service than by financial considerations (Buchanan 1974 and 1975; Rainey 1979 and 1983; J.Q. Wilson 1989). When we study the important questions regarding IT implementation, restructuring, and organizational performance, we must distinguish research about Public organizations from that about private organizations. The differences between the sectors and their organizations, and the deeper penetration of IT in the Public sector, imply that restructuring due to IT implementation 802/J-PART, October 2000 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.55 on Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:31:19 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Information Technology in Public Organizations and the resultant impacts on performance will be different in the two sectors. Results found in private organizations may not be found in Public agencies.1 When we discuss Public organizations we cannot assume that any restructuring that may occur as a result of IT implementation is beneficial to performance. Changes in structures may be retained even if they do not improve performance, for they may have been implemented for purposes other than organizational outcomes or output. These purposes may, for example, include a political need to trim a Public Bureaucracy that is perceived to be bloated. It is therefore particularly important in Public organizations to examine the relationship between IT implementation, organizational restructuring, and performance.