EXIT AND VOICE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECONSIDERED: A CHOICE REVOLUTION'?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Pierre, Jon; Roiseland, Asbjorn
• 署名单位: University of Gothenburg; University of Melbourne; Nord University
• 刊物名称: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-3298
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.12258
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 738-753
• 关键词: political-action; swedish; Loyalty; performance

摘要

Market-based public management reform has introduced customer choice among competing providers of public services. Choice entails exit, an option which Albert Hirschman famously reserved for the market, while voice is the key mode of communication in political life. Based on elite and mass surveys, the article studies how exit is perceived by citizens and local political and administrative leaders in Norway and Sweden, and how the two strategic options relate to each other. Citizens are more positive towards customer choice and exit than are leaders, albeit with some variation across different public service sectors. Political and administrative leaders are positive towards customer choice models as a strategy to empower clients but more critical in terms of the potential loss of accountability and control that contracting out services may entail.