Aligning the steering of governmental organizations a comparative mixed-methods study in Denmark using stewardship theory

Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen, Thomas Schillemans*, Lars Brummel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Stewardship theory offers considerable promise for strengthening trust between governments and organizations implementing policy. Recent studies show stewardship is partially applicable to the steering of public organizations yet it is not clear under what conditions. This study asserts that the steering of governmental organizations needs to be aligned with preferences and conditions of organizations, combining principal-agent and stewardship theory. The article adopts a unique nested comparative mixed methods study focusing on perceived and preferred steering of Danish agencies and educational institutions. The study finds a higher alignment of steering for agencies, mostly because participants experience real partnerships and closer proximity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3320-3341
Number of pages22
JournalPublic Management Review
Volume26
Issue number11
Early online date22 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Keywords

  • agencies
  • educational institutions
  • principal-agent theory
  • steering
  • Stewardship-theory

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