Valuation tools and politicians’ willingness to sell public real estate: a survey experiment

Abstract

Public managers often employ valuation tools to support policymakers. These tools are expected to rationalize decision-making. Using a vignette-based, randomized survey experiment with Flemish politicians, the authors study the effect of the type of valuation tool, valuation outcome, and asset salience on politicians' willingness to sell public real estate assets. The purpose is to test whether valuation tools indeed spark rational reactions from politicians, thus demonstrating their value as decisionmaking support. Findings suggest that cognitive biases emerge when politicians are confronted with valuation tools. Public managers need to take those biases in account when employing valuation tools.

Public managers’ trust in citizens and their preferences for behavioral policy instruments: evidence from a mixed-methods study

“…We examine local-level public managers' preferences for behavioral policy instruments, and the effects of trust in citizens on these preferences, using an online crosssectional stated-preference survey among general directors and adjunct general directors of Flemish municipal administrations. When it comes to local policymakers in Flanders, a considerable body of literature has been developed addressing the relation between politician's policy preferences and performance information (George et al, 2020;Lerusse & Van de Walle, 2021;Desmidt & Meyfroodt, 2021b;Lerusse & Van de Walle, 2022), strategic planning practices Desmidt & Meyfroodt, 2021a), and valuation tools (Huijbregts et al, 2022). Remarkably, although these gears of the policy process, in terms of information, practices and tools, are meant and expected to rationalize local politicians' decision-making patterns, cognitive biases and motivated reasoning still emerge (Battaglio et al, 2019).…”