Should Government Go It Alone or with a Partner: A Comparison of Outcomes from a Work Release Program Using Different Policy Tools

Abstract

This study compares the effectiveness of two different approaches to the delivery of human services-direct government and a collaboration between government and a nonprofit provider using a point of service contract. A work release program in Illinois provides the study context. We apply multiple econometric techniques for analysis to address nonrandom assignment of program participants, including: regression with fixed-effects; and propensity score matching. Labor market outcomes for the collaborative approach were significantly better than outcomes associated with direct government. Our discussion and results add to several literatures: policy tools; policy implementation; collaborations; point of service contracts; work release programs; and sector differences.

Keywords: policy tools; policy implementation; collaborations; point of service contracts; work release programs; and sector differences