Management and Performance in the Public Sector: Evidence from German Municipalities

Englmaier, Florian; Muehlheusser, Gerd; Roider, Andreas und Wallmeier, Niklas (14. Mai 2023): Management and Performance in the Public Sector: Evidence from German Municipalities. Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190, Discussion Paper No. 397

Abstract

We study management practices and performance in a representative sample of German municipalities, which provide the bulk of direct administrative services for citizens and firms in Germany. Surveyed municipalities differ substantially in their use of structured management practices, and this heterogeneity is also pronounced within all federal states, regional types, and population size brackets. Moreover, we document a systematic positive relationship between the degree of structured management and a diverse set of performance measures capturing municipalities' attractiveness for citizens and firms. Topic modelling (LDA) of survey responses suggests that the predominant management style is to use relatively little structured management.

• Dokumententyp: Paper
• Keywords: management practices; public sector orgnizations; local government; municipal performance; state capacity; World Management Survey(WMS)
• Fakultät: Volkswirtschaft > Collaborative Research Center Transregio "Rationality and Competition"
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 330 Wirtschaft
• JEL Classification: D20, D73, H11, H73, R50
• Sprache: Englisch