A Municipal Service Center – For What and For Whom?: Understanding the Political Nature of a Public Administration Reform Process

Organizational reforms in public administration have been high on the agenda for decades. A popular type is the municipal service center (MSC) gathering citizen–government interaction in one location, physically and virtually. Previous research has mainly focused on the organizational solution and o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of public administration (Print) 2016, Vol.20 (3), p.33
Main Authors: Kristianssen, Ann-Catrin, Olsson, Jan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Municipal service center
Political Science
processualism
public administration reform
public management
Statskunskap
value-priorities
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Organizational reforms in public administration have been high on the agenda for decades. A popular type is the municipal service center (MSC) gathering citizen–government interaction in one location, physically and virtually. Previous research has mainly focused on the organizational solution and operation of MSCs. This article contributes by using a processual approach to study how priorities are handled during a reform process with fundamental effects and consequences for the organizational solution. The article is based on a deep case study of a MSC in a mid-sized Swedish municipality. The empirical data comprise documents and 29 interviews with politicians, managing directors, and other key actors. We discern a number of process factors and analyze the process in relation to four key priorities: organizational change or organizational solution, efficiency or democracy values, politicians or administrators as key actors, and citizens as customers or co-creators. The article also relates the priorities to more comprehensive public administration perspectives in the literature such as NPM and more citizen-centered perspectives. The results show that the process was characterized by a view of citizens as service-recipients and customers; a focus on efficiency and the MSC as an organizational solution, and a process pushed forward by leading public administrators with a significant influence over vital value priorities. 
ISSN:2001-7405