Recent studies of the theory of representative bureaucracy have focused on active representation, whereby administrators in public organizations work to advance the interests of particular groups, achieving policy outcomes that directly address the needs of those groups. The concept of administrative discretion is central to these studies, as an administrator must have the discretion to produce results that reflect the values and beliefs of these groups. While the presence of discretion is often implied in these studies, few have examined it explicitly. Using data from the Farmer's Home Administration, we explore whether administrators who perceive themselves as having more discretion enact policy outcomes that are more representative of minority interests. The results strongly support the conclusion that administrators who perceive themselves as possessing significant discretion and who assume the role of minority representative in their agencies are more likely to enact policy outcomes that favor minority interests.
Few topics in nonprofit research and practice have received greater attention in recent years than organizational effectiveness. In spite of this intellectual interest, little consensus has emerged, either theoretically or empirically, as to what constitutes organizational effectiveness and how best to measure it. In this article, we introduce a multidimensional and integrated model of nonprofit organizational effectiveness (MIMNOE). The model captures two prominent dimensions of organizational effectiveness, management effectiveness and program effectiveness. In addition, to illustrate how this framework can be used empirically, the article proposes a method of analysis that exploits the interrelationships between the multiple dimensions in the model. MIMNOE is useful for both scholars and practitioners because it requires attention not only to program outcomes, but also equally to the factors that influence those outcomes.
To understand the impact of collaborative service delivery by nonprofit organizations, scholars must fully understand why those nonprofits enter into service delivery collaborations and what motivates them to collaborate with another organization to deliver their services. Drawing on managers' retrospective accounts concerning the creation of interagency collaborations and applying multiple theoretical perspectives, this article explores what managers directly involved in collaborations perceive to be the rewards or benefits of those collaborations. This research demonstrates the multiple forces driving the formation of interagency collaborations, in particular the desire to secure benefits attached to service delivery and to secure benefits for the organization as a whole. Understanding why nonprofit managers enter into interagency service delivery collaborations will allow for scholars to better determine the full impact of those collaborations on both services and the nonprofit organizations engaged in the collaborations.
Th e use of interorganizational relationships such as collaboration, partnerships, and alliances between public, private, and nonprofi t organizations for the delivery of human services has increased. Th is article contributes to the growing body of knowledge on collaboration by exploring one kind of interorganizational relationshipinteragency collaboration -in the fi eld of early care and education. It examines variations within interagency collaborations and their impact on management and program outcomes. Th e fi ndings show that interagency collaboration has a clear impact on management, program, and client outcomes: Specifi cally, the intensity of the collaborative relationship has a positive and statistically signifi cant impact on staff compensation, staff turnover, and school readiness. Sally Coleman Selden is an associate professor at Lynchburg College. Her current research focuses on strategic human resource management in state governments and the impact of collaboration on nonprofi t organizational effectiveness. University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on public and nonprofi t management, including human resource management, nonprofi t organizational effectiveness, and collaborative service delivery.untested assumptions concerning the impact of collaboration (Milward 1996;O ' Toole 1997 ).Th e article is divided into fi ve sections. First, we review previous research on collaboration, focusing primarily on studies that develop typologies of collaborative forms and impact studies. Second, we describe the policy context in which this project examines interagency collaboration. Th ird, we describe the nature of collaboration in early care and education and develop a set of hypotheses about the impact of interagency collaborations on management processes and program outcomes. Fourth, we introduce the data and methods used in this study. Finally, we examine the hypotheses using the data collected and discuss the implications of the fi ndings. Approaches to the Study of CollaborationA number of scholarly and practitioner communities are engaged in research about collaborative service delivery, each with its own perspective on how best to approach the topic. Research has focused on the factors associated with successful collaboration, the motives underlying the decision to collaborate, the types of collaborative models, and the outcomes of collaborative relationships (Foster-Fishman et al. 2001;Gray 1989;Mattessich and Monsey 1992;Mulroy and Shay 1998;O ' Regan and Oster 2000 ;Stone 2000). Because of the diversity of academic fi elds involved in the study of collaborative service delivery and the multiplicity of relationships, a considerable range and volume of research exists across disciplines. Th erefore, we will limit our review of the research by focusing on two areas that are directly relevant to our study. First, the review explores a few of the myriad of approaches scholars have taken to classify various forms of interorganizational relationships, with a focus on typologies and classifi cat...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.