By integrating the theoretical frameworks of goal-setting theory and collaborative governance, this study explores the relationship between goal core properties (goal-clarity and goal-difficulty)...Show moreBy integrating the theoretical frameworks of goal-setting theory and collaborative governance, this study explores the relationship between goal core properties (goal-clarity and goal-difficulty) and work motivation among employees in collaborative public services. It does so by using a case of the Focalized Prevention Program (PPF) within the National Service for Specialized Protection of Children in Chile. A single-case qualitative design was adopted, and data was collected through eight semi-structured in-depth interviews with professionals at all levels in the PPF. The findings reveal that while job-goals are perceived as clear “on paper”, and job-goals are always perceived as very challenging, their direct influence on work motivation is complex. Collaborative structures involving multiple stakeholders introduce ambiguity, making goal clarity less influential, and goal-difficulty detrimental to work motivation, based on a very low sense of self-efficacy. The sector-specific unpredictable and pressing demands of Child Protection Services require high levels of adaptability, challenging the assumption of clear goals as the primary motivator. This research offers a nuanced perspective, adding new insights to goal setting theory and opening new paths for its integration with frameworks such as collaborative governance and Public Service Motivation.Show less
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on Dutch public organizations, and on society as a whole. This study aims to explore the leadership preferences among public servants during times of...Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on Dutch public organizations, and on society as a whole. This study aims to explore the leadership preferences among public servants during times of crisis, and to make concrete recommendations for further research into the underdeveloped knowledge on public leadership preferences in times of crisis. To do so, semistructured interviews were conducted with employees from the municipalities of The Hague and Gouda, during which they were asked to report their needs in terms of three leadership styles: laissez-faire, transactional and transformational. The study found that transformational leadership was preferred during the pandemic and encourages fellow researchers to verify this using quantitative means. Further recommendations include the reexamination of the usefulness of laissez-faire leadership and the usage of different leadership frameworks to touch upon other behaviors.Show less
The politics-administration interface has been subjected to much academic controversy. This observation is particularly true at the national and sub-national level of government, where the...Show moreThe politics-administration interface has been subjected to much academic controversy. This observation is particularly true at the national and sub-national level of government, where the relations between politicians and civil servants received sustained attention from the scholarly community. Yet, the international realm remains largely excluded from this central debate. This Master thesis seeks to correct this research gap. By drawing on the vast literature on the politics-administration interface, the present thesis tests the degree of separation between international civil servants in the high and low tiers of the United Nations (UN) Secretariat. It seeks to enrich the ongoing debate on political-administrative relations by studying this topic from a novel vantage point. Moreover, it contributes to the contemporary literature on international public administrations (IPAs) by offering a qualitative single-case study of the UN Secretariat. While the results of this research are limited in their external validity, they confirm the urgent need to study international administrations as compound and dynamic organizations on their own. The author finds a strong degree of separation between politics and administration in the Secretariat, which transpires through this administration’s hierarchical structure, the emphasis on internal career development, as well as its highly competitive, merit-based selection system. The author encourages the scholarship to test the ideal of separation in other international bureaucracies, and hopes that this project will serve as a catalyst to study the politics-administration interface beyond the boundaries of the nation-state alone.Show less
The process of equal representation between men and women in public decision-making has been an important topic in research for decades. Many variables have been researched to uncover which factors...Show moreThe process of equal representation between men and women in public decision-making has been an important topic in research for decades. Many variables have been researched to uncover which factors play a crucial role in obtaining equal representation. However, most research has focused on the quantitative analysis of these factors. This research aims to qualitatively determine the influence of four variables: quotas, electoral system, parties in power, national and EU policy, and international pressure on achieving equal gender representation in the Portuguese Republic. In order to examine the effects of these variables, process-tracing was utilized to analyze the period between 1974 (the end of the dictatorship in Portugal) till 2022. The research found that quotas were the most directly influential variable in increasing women's representation in Portugal. The electoral system had a supporting role, being more influential when paired with party lists that included women, and particularly when combined with the Parity Law. As for the parties in power, it was identified that left-wing parties were more likely to advocate for more equality and representation and that this effect did not change after the implementation of quotas. EU policy and International pressure significantly affected the Portuguese policy and plans for more women's representation, which in turn led to increased representation. Although individually influential, a strong interconnectedness between variables was identified. In conclusion, despite quotas having had the most direct effect on representation, this effect has only been achieved due to its interconnectedness to the other observed variables.Show less
Purpose: This study aims to get a better understanding of the role of meritocracy in shaping civil servants’ work attitudes by taking into account mediating and contextual factors. Specifically,...Show morePurpose: This study aims to get a better understanding of the role of meritocracy in shaping civil servants’ work attitudes by taking into account mediating and contextual factors. Specifically, this study examines whether job autonomy mediates the relationship between meritocracy and work attitudes as well as whether the mediating effects differ across hierarchical levels. Methodology: A quantitative research design was employed through the use of a survey strategy for data collection. The data was drawn from the COCOPS Executive Survey on Public Sector Reform in Europe. For data analysis, multiple regression analysis, mediation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis were performed in SPSS version 26. Findings: The perceptions of meritocracy in public organizations significantly affect civil servants’ degree of job autonomy, which in turn influences their work attitudes. Moreover, the indirect effect of meritocracy on job satisfaction and organizational commitment via the mediator variable (job satisfaction) differs between top- and lower-level civil officials. Implications: The findings of this study are relevant for public service organizations wishing to increase civil servants’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study argues civil servants’ work attitudes depend on their intrinsic motivation, which is greatly influenced by the degree of autonomy and discretion they have in performing their duties. Contribution: This study makes a significant contribution to the field of public administration by expanding our understanding of the antecedents of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in public organizations.Show less
This thesis provides an alternative view on the Quality of Government (QoG) framework. The current norm within this framework is that impartiality in bureaucrats’ decision-making leads to better...Show moreThis thesis provides an alternative view on the Quality of Government (QoG) framework. The current norm within this framework is that impartiality in bureaucrats’ decision-making leads to better governmental outcomes because citizens perceive the government institutions to be more effective. Based on criticisms of this framework, this thesis provides an alternative metric of decision-making for street-level bureaucrats; equity: decision-making by government officials that temporarily favors members of marginalized groups in society over people that come from a privileged group in society with the purpose of creating more equality amongst societal groups. It is hypothesized that equity affects citizens’ perceptions of governmental institutions in four ways: (1) it increases the suitability of decisions made by street-level bureaucrats to the individual cases, (2) it increases the accessibility of public institutions to citizens, (3) it decreases the predictability of a requests’ outcome and (4) it decreases the timeliness with which is responded to citizens’ requests. Based on these four hypotheses, the general expectation is that equity creates a better citizen perception of governmental institutions. To test this, an exploratory small-N comparative case study is made in which the Dutch SVB and Allowance of the Dutch Tax Department are compared. The aim is to provide scholars with a more nuanced understanding of the QoG framework and for practitioners to have a wider tool-set available which they can use to provide services to citizens.Show less
The influence of right-wing populist ideology on governments has increased over the past two decades and these developments are still ongoing in several countries over the world. Right-wing...Show moreThe influence of right-wing populist ideology on governments has increased over the past two decades and these developments are still ongoing in several countries over the world. Right-wing populist politics is often characterized by values of anti-pluralism and anti-elite, which threaten diverse, inclusive, and open societies. These influences in the form of populistic pressures may lead to democratic backsliding and can have far-reaching consequences on the administrative apparatus and political-administrative relations. Top civil servants as main actors within the democratic constitutional state and the civil service are important in safeguarding day-to-day governance and in dealing with populistic pressures and preventing democratic backsliding. This research, therefore, focuses on the perceptions and expectations of top civil servants regarding which strategies and actions a government with a populistic signature will adopt and subsequently the response of civil servants to these pressures. The findings show that the absolute majority of top civil servants expect that a government with a populist signature will adopt strategies and actions about centralization of both structure and resources and regarding the politicization of both norms and personnel. Furthermore, most top civil servants are neutral regarding their expectations of whether civil servants will respond. They consider it most likely that civil servants will resign, closely followed by speaking out against the policy. They find it more likely that civil servants will have a response than not respond, and finally, expect that civil servants will not be loyal to a populist government when dealing with populistic pressures.Show less
The purpose of this small-scale exploratory research is to understand which leadership style (transformational or transactional) different generations find more motivating in the workplace....Show moreThe purpose of this small-scale exploratory research is to understand which leadership style (transformational or transactional) different generations find more motivating in the workplace. Previous public management research primarily focuses on how baby boomers and millennials are influenced by leadership. However, new generations such as Gen Z are less studied. Filling this research gap, this thesis explores how preferred leadership styles differ across different generations, including Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. The purpose of this study is finding out which type of leadership each generation prefers to feel motivated. This thesis aims to contribute to the current research on this topic in order to help understand what motivates the next working generation better and to help promote teamwork and cohesion between generations in the workplace. Following the introduction, this research begins with a theoretical framework based on a literature review and then includes a methodology section, which explains the choice of quantitative data collection in the form of a survey. The survey was handed out to employees at a private organization in the Netherlands and examines if there is a positive or negative correlation or no correlation between motivation and leadership across generations. This research can be regarded as a contribution to developments in theory on leadership and motivation. The results of the thesis show that each generation is affected differently by the different types of leadership. Baby boomers and Gen X are more positively influenced by transactional leadership, and millennials are more positively influenced by transformational leadership. Interestingly, Gen Z prefer both transformational and transactional leadership, with a slight preference for transformational leadership. As this study is a single-case study and a small N-study, it is susceptible to quantitative limitations, and it is more likely that the results are context-dependent. Therefore, low external validity and non-generalizability are the main weaknesses of this research. If this research would be more thoroughly explored and elaborated on in the future, it could add value to existing studies on leadership style and motivation, as it could provide new information on how to manage employees in the future. If managers are given the tools to understand how to lead different generations, they can use these tools to create cohesion between employees and promote effective teamwork. The findings in this research are especially relevant for future research on Gen Z because, currently, there is little knowledge on which types of leadership motivate Gen Z or on how Gen Zers work together with their colleagues from other generations.Show less
Abstract Purpose: This thesis aims to understand the necessary conditions and associated causal mechanisms for socially responsive effective government delivery of a socially just and equitable...Show moreAbstract Purpose: This thesis aims to understand the necessary conditions and associated causal mechanisms for socially responsive effective government delivery of a socially just and equitable public childcare reform policy. Research Method: The research method is theory-based Causal Process Tracing to deductively seek evidence of the theorized model or framework in the empirical reality of public childcare and its reform in the Netherlands under the Rutte II and Rutte III Cabinets or governments. That is, to determine if evidence exists to support theorized relationships in prior literature. A content analysis of primarily formal documents and video evidence sourced from core actors such as the Dutch government and its ministers and their state secretaries, associated intergovernmental organizations, the Dutch parliament, bureaucrats as well as previous scholarship yields data facilitating a complete overview of the process. Findings: New perspectives on political representativeness, in the form of ‘critical actors’ and their ‘critical acts’ of direct and indirect representation that substantively represents women. Evidence supporting the absence of negligible moderating effects of degree of democracy on institutional gender representation. No real evidence of bureaucratic gender representation which also confirms prior scholarship. Implications: This was a qualitative study and new studies should explore quantitative and mixed methods to investigate study findings. The theory of representative bureaucracy, in particular active gender representation probably needs to evolve to include new insights from Feminist theory. Contributions: The study reintroduces politics and the state actor into public administration and public management research. It advances the theory of representative democracy incorporating new actors and new approaches to substantive women-friendly representation in politics. Citizens have new avenues for political representation through individual and small groups of invested political actors.Show less
There is a scarcity of qualitative research on the public service professionals perspective of coproduction and representative bureaucracy. Therefore, this thesis aims to answer the research...Show moreThere is a scarcity of qualitative research on the public service professionals perspective of coproduction and representative bureaucracy. Therefore, this thesis aims to answer the research question, “How does gender representation of project managers affect co-production in Operatie Steenbreek according to the project managers"? This thesis aims to connect representative bureaucracy and co-production by looking at the impact of gender on the projects outcome from the perspective of the project managers. To help answer this main research question, several expectations were derived from the theoretical framework and formulated. These expectations are as follows, E1: If Operatie Steenbreek is a gendered environmental programme, it will show positive effects of representativeness; E2: When the project manager is female, she will expect more females to coproduce in the Steenbreek Projects she leads; E3: When the project manager is female, she will expect that her gender has an impact on the outcome of her Steenbreek projects; and E4: When the project manager is male, he will expect that gender played no role in Steenbreek Projects. To test these expectations, this thesis used semi-structured interviews to observe if these expectations were confirmed. Most project managers observed that E2 and E3 were incorrect out of the four expectations. There are alternative explanations given in the analysis why these were incorrect. This thesis contributed to the scarce body of qualitative literature on co-production and representative bureaucracy.Show less
The judicial system is the pillar of fairness and accountability in the nation state and women’s inability to access it to the same extent as men highlights a more hidden form of inequality that is...Show moreThe judicial system is the pillar of fairness and accountability in the nation state and women’s inability to access it to the same extent as men highlights a more hidden form of inequality that is however embedded with the others, notably socioeconomic dependency. It proves that while laws are necessary to ensure women’s rights, formal equality does not correspond to effective equality as discrimination remains present in various aspects of society. This research contributes to the investigation of barriers as well as good practices that can foster a more effective response to women’s access to justice while taking into consideration the strength and weaknesses offered by a centralized and decentralized approach.Show less
Several advanced countries are experiencing sub-replacement level fertility rates which, together with an increase in life expectancy, results in population decrease and ageing. Scholars have...Show moreSeveral advanced countries are experiencing sub-replacement level fertility rates which, together with an increase in life expectancy, results in population decrease and ageing. Scholars have focused on studying these phenomena as potential trigger of societal and economic changes. However, the link between demographic decline and public sector innovation remains unexplored: we know little about innovation by governments when they are pressured by a population that is shrinking and ageing. This study tries to fill this gap by examining the digital transformation of Italian provincial capitals. I argue that the demographic decline can make the digitalization of local administrations less attractive, since it would shrink the pool of potential users of the innovative item. This hypothesis was tested with multiple regression analyses and the findings support the existence of a negative and statistically significant correlation between demographic decline and local government digitalization.Show less
Abstract Purpose: This thesis aims to understand, clarify, and further explore the mechanism underlying the relationship between gender and corruption. The objective is to test and develop theory...Show moreAbstract Purpose: This thesis aims to understand, clarify, and further explore the mechanism underlying the relationship between gender and corruption. The objective is to test and develop theory about the link between gender representation in the legislature and corruption levels. Design and methodology: The research design is qualitative. Eight (8) semi-structured interviews with municipal councillors were conducted, coded, and analysed. Through the interviewees’ lived experiences, patterns of attitudes and relationships can be explored, and causation can be established. Findings: The results find that marginalisation is the mechanism that mediates between high corruption levels and low female representation in the legislature. Women are not less corrupt than men. They have fewer opportunities to engage in corrupt behaviour. The lack of accessibility in corrupt networks mediates the link between gender and corruption in the legislature. Research contribution: The existence of an association between gender representation in the legislature and corruption levels has already been established. This thesis answers the call for more research on the mechanism underlying the link between gender and corruption. Practical implications: The findings are relevant for policymakers in Greece. Marginalisation leads women to leave the political scene, further exacerbating the issue of lack of representation. On the contrary, a high female representation may not lead to lower levels of corruption, but it may encourage diverse views for the society’s benefit to be expressed.Show less
Purpose: This thesis aims to understand the causal mechanistic relationship between organisational centralisation and Public Service Motivation (PSM). It tests and explains one existing causal...Show morePurpose: This thesis aims to understand the causal mechanistic relationship between organisational centralisation and Public Service Motivation (PSM). It tests and explains one existing causal mechanism based on PSM theory and explores an alternative causal mechanism based on the logic of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Design and methodology: This qualitative, single-case deductive study includes some explorative elements to explain and probe causal mechanisms. Nine semi-structured interviews provide the data which this study transcribed, coded, and analysed. Findings: The results find that organisational centralisation indeed creates stark hierarchical structures and a certain degree of autonomy loss for individual employees. This negatively impacts PSM. However, centralisation of more services in organisations such as contact centres also makes their job more varied and rewarding due to direct contact with service beneficiaries and therefore satisfies four basic universal psychological needs. In turn, this positively impacts employee motivation (PSM). Originality/value: Although not a first, this thesis brings the PSM and SDT literature closer by using the latter as a logic through which the effects of an independent variable (organisational centralisation) on the former can be explained. Furthermore, organisational centralisation has barely been studied alone as an antecedent of PSM. This thesis also shifts the continued focus from quantitative PSM studies to qualitative research. Thusly advancing the internal validity of the theory and passed research. Practical implications: The findings are especially relevant for foreign affairs ministries wishing to establish a 24/7 contact centre resembling that of the Netherlands. Centralised provision of consular and other information can be excellent for providing uniform and high-quality information to people abroad. Moreover, since good public service depends on the motivation of public employees, centralised or centralising (public) organisations should balance hierarchy creation whilst maintaining high levels of employee need satisfaction.Show less
