Sector Context and Performance: A Comparison of Industrial and Government Research Units

Research comparing public and private organizations has become more common, but questions remain as to whether differences in sector are significant or spurious. The research reported here, based on secondary data from a cross-national study of research units, examines differences in the performance...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Administration & society 1987-08, Vol.19 (2), p.197-235
Main Authors: Bozeman, Barry, Loveless, Steve
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Austria
Belgium
Comparative study
Finland
Government
Government-sponsored research
Industry
Private sector
Public sector
Research and development
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Summary:Research comparing public and private organizations has become more common, but questions remain as to whether differences in sector are significant or spurious. The research reported here, based on secondary data from a cross-national study of research units, examines differences in the performance of public and private sector units, controlling for a number of potentially confounding variables. Path analysis is used to `factor out "performance differences in public and private sector units. The findings suggest that sector context is not entirely a spurious function of such variables as size and technology, but itself makes a significant contribution to performance differences. It is further concluded that multiple criteria are important when seeking to measure R&D performance by sector. Public sector units appear advantaged with respect to certain activities and private sector ones with respect to others.
ISSN:0095-3997
1552-3039
DOI:10.1177/009539978701900204