TY - JOUR
T1 - Marketization and Economic Performance
T2 - Competitive Tendering in the Social Sector
AU - Hansen, Morten Balle
PY - 2010/3/3
Y1 - 2010/3/3
N2 - The public management reforms of the past three decades have been characterized byorganizational innovations usually associated with New Public Management (NPM) andreinventing government. In particular, neoliberal ideas of strengthening market mechanismsin the public sector have been prominent. In the empirical literature focusingon the consequences of marketization, most studies have examined technical servicessuch as refuse collection while very few have focused on the social sector.In this article, an example of the general trend towards marketization conducted withinthe social sector is analysed. A reform enforcing compulsory competitive tenderingin homecare for elderly people in Denmark is analysed and its relation to measures ofeconomic performance is explored. Two competing models of marketizationare contrasted in the analysis: a problem solving model inspired by public choiceideology, in which marketization processes are seen as driven by work-related concernsfor efficiency and performance, and a macro phenomenological institutional model, inwhich innovation processes are seen as driven by factors related to hegemonicideologies, legitimacy concerns and coercive enforcement.Very little impact on economic performance is found, which lends support to aninstitutional interpretation of the findings.
AB - The public management reforms of the past three decades have been characterized byorganizational innovations usually associated with New Public Management (NPM) andreinventing government. In particular, neoliberal ideas of strengthening market mechanismsin the public sector have been prominent. In the empirical literature focusingon the consequences of marketization, most studies have examined technical servicessuch as refuse collection while very few have focused on the social sector.In this article, an example of the general trend towards marketization conducted withinthe social sector is analysed. A reform enforcing compulsory competitive tenderingin homecare for elderly people in Denmark is analysed and its relation to measures ofeconomic performance is explored. Two competing models of marketizationare contrasted in the analysis: a problem solving model inspired by public choiceideology, in which marketization processes are seen as driven by work-related concernsfor efficiency and performance, and a macro phenomenological institutional model, inwhich innovation processes are seen as driven by factors related to hegemonicideologies, legitimacy concerns and coercive enforcement.Very little impact on economic performance is found, which lends support to aninstitutional interpretation of the findings.
U2 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14719031003616644
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14719031003616644
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1471-9037
VL - 12
SP - 255
EP - 274
JO - Public Management Review (Print Edition)
JF - Public Management Review (Print Edition)
IS - 2
ER -