Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-nwzlb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T11:59:40.870Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Governance and organisational effectiveness: towards a theory of government performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2013

Laurence E. Lynn Jr.
Affiliation:
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, USA E-mail: llynnjr@gmail.com
Robbie Waters Robichau
Affiliation:
Institute of Public and Nonprofit Studies, Georgia Southern University and Institute of Public and Nonprofit Studies, USA E-mail: rrobichau@georgiasouthern.edu

Abstract

Research on the determinants of government performance has identified numerous factors bearing on effective governance and government's role in it. However, understanding of how these factors are causally inter-related is limited. We take as our point of departure a multi-level analytic framework termed a logic of governance (LOG), previously used to reveal patterns of causality in governance based on hundreds of published research publications. Using a revised LOG, we reinterpret the earlier analysis in terms of organisational effectiveness indicators, and identify patterns of causal interaction in 300 more recent research articles. We formulate a multi-level model of governance that postulates how public policy and management interact to affect government outputs and outcomes. We hypothesise that the exercise of hierarchical authority is more fundamental to performance than has been acknowledged by governance scholars. We challenge the argument that advanced democracies are moving towards “governance without government”.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agranoff, R.McGuire, M. (1998) Multi-Network Management: Collaboration and the Hollow State in Local Economic Policy. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 8(1): 6791.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahluwalia, I. B., Hogan, V. K.Grummer-Strawn, L. (1998) The Effect of WIC Participation on Small-for-Gestational-Age Births: Michigan, 1992. American Journal of Public Health 88(9): 13741377.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anheier, H. K. (2005) Nonprofit Organizations: Theory, Management, and Policy. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Ates, H. (2004) Management as an Agent of Cultural Change in the Turkish Public Sector. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 14(1): 3358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, A.Wilson, G. (1997) Whitehall's Disobedient Servants? Senior Officials’ Potential Resistance to Ministers in British Government Departments. British Journal of Political Science 27(2): 223246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barringer, B. R.Harrison, J. S. (2000) Walking a Tightrope: Creating Value Through Interorganizational Relationships. Journal of Management 26(3): 367403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benz, A. (1993) Commentary on O'Toole and Scharpf: ‘The Network Concept as a Theoretical Approach’. In Scharpf F. W. (ed.), Games in Hierarchies and Networks: Analytical and Empirical Approaches to the Study of Governance Institutions. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 167174.Google Scholar
Berry, F. S., Choi, S. O., Goa, W. X., Jang, H., Kwon, M.Word, J. (2004) Three Traditions of Network Research: What the Public Management Research Agenda can Learn from Other Research Communities. Public Administration Review 64(5): 539552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertelli, A. M.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2001) A Precept of Managerial Responsibility: Securing Collective Justice in Institutional Reform Litigation. Fordham Urban Law Journal 29(1): 317386.Google Scholar
Bertelli, A. M.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2006) Madison's Managers: Public Administration and the Constitution. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bigelow, B.Stone, M. M. (1995) Why Don't They Do What We Want? An Exploration of Organizational Responses to Institutional Pressures in Community Health Centers. Public Administration Review 55(2): 183192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyne, G. A. (2003) Sources of Public Service Improvement: A Critical Review and Research Agenda. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 13(3): 367394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brehm, J.Gates, S. (1999) Working, Shirking, and Sabotage: Bureaucratic Response to a Democratic Public. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan.Google Scholar
Brodkin, E. Z. (1987) The False Promise of Administrative Reform: Implementing Quality Control in Welfare. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Brodkin, E. Z. (1990) Implementation as Policy Politics. In Palumbo D. and Calista D. (eds.), Implementation and the Policy Process: Opening Up the Black Box. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 107118.Google Scholar
Calvert, R. L., McCubbins, M. D.Weingast, B. R. (1989) A Theory of Political Control and Agency Discretion. American Journal of Political Science 33(3): 588611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Camilleri, E.Van Der Heijden, B. I. J. M. (2009) Organizational Commitment, Public Service Motivation, and Performance Within the Public Sector. Public Performance and Management Review 31(2): 241274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carnevale, D. G. (2003) Organizational Development in the Public Sector. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Carpenter, D. P. (2001) The Forging of Bureaucratic Autonomy: Reputations, Networks, and Policy Innovation in Executive Agencies, 1862–1928. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Denis, P. (2007) Performance Control and Public Organizations. In Boyne G. A., Meier K. J., O'Toole L. J. and Walker R. M. (eds.), Public Service Performance: Perspectives on Measurement and Management. New York: Cambridge University Press, 113129.Google Scholar
Dixit, A. (2002) Incentives and Organizations in the Public Sector: An Interpretative Review. The Journal of Human Resources 37(4): 696727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donabedian, A. (1966) Evaluating the Quality of Medical Care. Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 44(2): 166206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
du Gay, P. (2000) In Praise of Bureaucracy: Weber – Organization –Ethics. Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunleavy, P. (1992) Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Choice. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.Google Scholar
Egeberg, M. (1998) Causes of Bureaucratic Autonomy: The Impact of Organizational and Cultural Factors. ARENA Working Paper No. 98/15.Google Scholar
Eggertsson, T. (1990) Economic Behavior and Institutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, M.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2005) How Does Public Management Affect Government Performance? Findings from International Research. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 15(4): 559584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, M. K., Hill, C. J.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2006) Public Management and Government Performance: An International Review. In Boyne G. A., Meier K. J., O'Toole L. J. Jr. and Walker R. M. (eds.), Public Service Performance: Perspectives on Measurement and Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 254274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, M. K., Hill, C. J.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2007) The Logic of Governance in Health Care Delivery: An Analysis of the Empirical Literature. Public Management Review 9(4): 453478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franklin, A. L. (2000) An Examination of Bureaucratic Reactions to Institutional Controls. Public Performance and Management Review 24(1): 821.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamoran, A.Dreeben, R. (1996) Coupling and Control in Educational Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly 31(4): 612632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, G. R.Parhizgari, A. M. (2000) Identifying and Measuring Organizational Effectiveness. Miami: Florida International University: manuscript.Google Scholar
Gulick, L. H. (1937) Notes on the Theory of Organization. In Gulick L. and Urwick L. (eds.), Papers on the Science of Administration. New York: Institute of Public Administration, 335.Google Scholar
Hall, R. (1999) Organizations: Structures, Processes, and Outcomes, 7th ed.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Hall, T. E.O'Toole, L. J. Jr. (2000) Structures for Policy Implementation: An Analysis of National Legislation, 1965–66 and 1993–94. Administration and Society 31(6): 667686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hannan, M. T.Freeman, J. (1977) Obstacles to Comparative Studies. In Goodman P. S. and Pennings J. M. (eds.), New Perspectives on Organizational Effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 146184.Google Scholar
Heinrich, C. J. (1999) Do Government Bureaucrats Make Effective Use of Performance Management Information? Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 9(3): 363393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heinrich, C. J.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2000) Governance and Performance: The Influence of Program Structure and Management on Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Program Outcomes. In Heinrich C. J. and Lynn L. E. Jr. (eds.), Governance and Performance: New Perspectives. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 68108.Google Scholar
Hewison, A. (2002) Managerial Values and Rationality in the UK National Health Service. Public Management Review 4(1): 549579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, C. J.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2005) Is Hierarchical Governance in Decline? Evidence from Empirical Research. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 15(2): 173195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, M.Hupe, P. (2009) Implementing Public Policy: An Introduction to the Study of Operational Governance. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Holzer, M.Yang, K. (2004) Performance Measurement and Improvement: An Assessment of the State of the Art. International Review of Administrative Sciences 70(1): 1531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hood, J. (2001) Competition and Safety in UK Local Authorities: An Empirical Study. Public Management Review 4(1): 575592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingraham, P. W., Joyce, P.Donahue, A. K. (2003) Government Performance: Why Management Matters. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennings, E. T. Jr. (1994) Building Bridges in the Intergovernmental Arena: Coordinating Employment and Training Programs in the American States. Public Administration Review 54(1): 5260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, D.Kahn, R. L. (1966) The Social Psychology of Organizations. New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Khademian, A. M. (2002) Working with Culture: The Way the Job Gets Done in Public Programs. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Kiser, L. L.Ostrom, E. (1982) The Three Worlds of Action: A Metatheoretical Synthesis of Institutional Approaches. In Ostrom E. (ed.), Strategies of Political Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 179222.Google Scholar
Klijn, E.-H. (2008) Governance and Governance Networks in Europe: An Assessment of Ten Years of Research on the Theme. Public Management Review 10: 505525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kooiman, J. (ed.) (1993) Modern Governance: New Government-Society Interactions. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Kooiman, J. (2003) Governing as Governance. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2003) Public Management. In Peters B. G. and Pierre J. (eds.), Handbook of Public Administration. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2008) The 2007 John Gaus Lecture: New Frontiers of Public Administration: The Practice of Theory and the Theory of Practice. PS: Political Science and Politics XLI: 39.Google Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2011) The Persistence of Hierarchy. In Bevir M. (ed.), The Sage Handbook of Governance. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 318336.Google Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2012a) The Many Faces of Governance: Adaptation? Transformation? Both? Neither?. In Levi-Faur D. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Governance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4964.Google Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2012b) Public Management. In Peters B. G. and Pierre J. (eds.), The Sage Handbook of Public Administration, 2nd ed.London: Sage, 1731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr., Heinrich, C. J.Hill, C. J. (2000) Studying Governance and Public Management: Challenges and Prospects. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 10(2): 233261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynn, L. E. Jr., Heinrich, C. J.Hill, C. J. (2001) Improving Governance: A New Logic for Empirical Research. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
March, J.Olsen, J. (1984) The New Institutionalism: Organizational Factors in Political Life. American Political Science Review 78: 734749.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meier, K. J.Hill, G. C. (2005) Bureaucracy in the Twenty-First Century. In Ferlie E., Lynn L. E. Jr. and Pollitt C. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Public Management. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 5171.Google Scholar
Meier, K. J.O'Toole, L. J. (2007) Empirical Analysis of the Management-Performance Nexus. Public Management Review 9(4): 503527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moe, R. C.Gilmour, R. S. (1995) Rediscovering Principles of Public Administration: The Neglected Foundation of Public Law. Public Administration Review 55(2): 135146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moynihan, D. P. (2008) The Dynamics of Performance Management: Constructing Information and Reform. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
Moynihan, D. P.Pandey, S. K. (2005) Testing how Management Matters in an Era of Government by Performance Management. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 15(3): 421439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nyhan, R. C.Marlowe, H. A. Jr. (1995) Performance Measurement in the Public Sector: Challenges and Opportunities. Public Productivity & Management Review 18(4): 333348.Google Scholar
Oliver, C. (1990) Determinants of Inter-Organizational Relationships: Integration and Future Directions. Academy of Management Review 15: 241255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parhizgari, A. M.Gilbert, G. R. (2004) Measures of Organizational Effectiveness: Private and Public Sector Performance. Omega 32: 221229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peters, B. G.Pierre, J. (1998) Governance Without Government? Rethinking Public Administration. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 8(2): 223243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollitt, C. (2000) Is the Emperor in his Underwear? An Analysis of the Impacts of Public Management Reform. Public Management 2: 181199.Google Scholar
Quinn, R. E.Rohrbaughl, J. (1983) A Spatial Model of Effectiveness Criteria: Toward a Competing Values Approach to Organizational Analysis. Management Science 29(3): 363377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rainey, H. G.Steinbauer, P. (1999) Galloping Elephants: Developing Elements of a Theory of Effective Government Organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 9(1): 132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhodes, R. A. W. (1996) The New Governance: Governing Without Government. Political Studies 44(4): 652667.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenbloom, D. H.O'Leary, R. (1997) Public Administration and Law, 2nd ed.New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.Google Scholar
Robertson, P. J.Seneviratne, S. J. (1995) Outcomes of Planned Organizational Change in the Public Sector: A Meta-Analytic Comparison to the Private Sector. Public Administration Review 55(6): 547558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robichau, R. W.Lynn, L. E. Jr. (2009) Public Policy Implementation: Still the Missing Link. Policy Studies Journal 37(1): 2136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salamon, L. M. (ed.) (1989) Beyond Privatization: The Tools of Government Action. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press.Google Scholar
Schneider, A. L.Ingram, H. (1997) Policy Design for Democracy. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.Google Scholar
Schneider, A. L.and Sidney, M. (2008) What's Next for Policy Design/Social Construction Theory? presented at the Next Generation of Public Policy Theories: Policy Theory Workshop, Norman, OK.Google Scholar
Scott, R. S. (1977) Effectiveness of Organizational Effectiveness Studies. In Goodman P. S. and Pennings J. M. (eds.), New Perspectives on Organizational Effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 6395.Google Scholar
Scott, W. R. (2003) Organizations: Rational, Natural, and Open Systems, 5th ed.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Segal, J. A. (1997) Separation-of-Powers Games in the Positive Theory of Congress and Courts. The American Political Science Review 91(1): 2844.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Selden, S. C.Sowa, J. E. (2004) Testing a Multi-Dimensional Model of Organizational Performance: Prospects and Problems. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 14(3): 395416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sowa, J. E., Selden, S. C.Sandfort, J. R. (2004) No Longer Unmeasurable? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 33(4): 711728.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steiner, R. (2003) The Causes, Spread and Effect of Intermunicipal Cooperation and Municipal Mergers in Switzerland. Public Management Review 5(4): 551571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strøm, K. (2000) Delegation and Accountability in Parliamentary Democracies. European Journal of Political Research 37(3): 261289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suchman, E. A. (1967) Evaluative Research. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
Svara, J. H. (1990) Official Leadership in the City: Patterns of Conflict and Cooperation. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, F. W. (1911) Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Harper.Google Scholar
Tompkins, J. R. (2005) Organization Theory and Public Management. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Tweedie, J. (1994) Resources Rather Than Needs: A State-Centered Model of Welfare Policymaking. American Journal of Political Science 38(3): 651672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United States Office of Management and Budget (2008) Guide to the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). Washington, DC: Office of Management and Budget.Google Scholar
Wilson, J. Q. (1989) Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. New York: Basic Books Inc.Google Scholar