Publication
Title
On the bureaucracy of bureaucracies : analyzing the size and organization of overhead in public organizations
Author
Abstract
Governments across the globe try to rebalance their budgets by rationalizing overhead operations. When overhead-reducing policies are adopted, it is important to understand why some central government organizations have a higher overhead than others, and why organizational models to produce overhead efficiencies are used to different degrees. This study focuses on the Flemish context to analyse differences between central government organizations in the size and organization of two overhead processes: human resources management (HRM) and finance and control (FIN). Significant effects are found for autonomy, organizational size, spatial dispersion and budgetary stress, yet effects vary according to whether HRM or FIN is considered and whether the focus is on the size or the organization of HRM or FIN. Our findings have practical implications to get a process-sensitive understanding of the size and organization of overhead, and theoretical implications as they cast light on factors that shape decision-making in public organizations.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Public administration / Royal Institute of Public Administration [London] - London, 1926, currens
Publication
London : Royal Institute of Public Administration , 2017
ISSN
0033-3298 [print]
1467-9299 [online]
DOI
10.1111/PADM.12300
Volume/pages
95 :1 (2017) , p. 214-231
ISI
000397475600012
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
In search of economical behaviour in times of global budgetary scarcity - Effects of autonomy, control, task and management on overhead costs in public organizations: Theoretical- empirical research using non-obtrusive data and 3 analysis methods.
Publication type
Subject
Law 
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 16.01.2017
Last edited 09.10.2023
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