Quality Standards, Implementation Autonomy, and Citizen Satisfaction with Public Services: Cross-National Evidence

Public Management Review 23 (6): 906-928

46 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2020 Last revised: 10 Jun 2021

See all articles by Miyeon Song

Miyeon Song

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Rutgers University, Newark

Seung-Ho An

University of Arizona - School of Government and Public Policy

Kenneth J. Meier

American University; Cardiff University; Leiden University - Institute of Public Administration

Date Written: 2021

Abstract

This article investigates how institutional context shapes the relationship between citizens’ evaluations of performance and archival measures of performance contingent on administrative autonomy — standards, human resources, and financial autonomy. Using cross-national education data, we find that student performance is positively associated with parental evaluations of schools. We also find that they are more closely aligned when agencies have greater autonomy in managing employees, and when national-level bureaucracies have greater authority in setting the performance standards. This article advances our understanding of the role of administrative autonomy in citizen satisfaction and provides implications for the institutional designs that can benefit performance assessment.

Keywords: Citizen Satisfaction, Performance Assessment, Bureaucratic Autonomy, Decentralization

Suggested Citation

Song, Miyeon and An, Seung-Ho and Meier, Kenneth J., Quality Standards, Implementation Autonomy, and Citizen Satisfaction with Public Services: Cross-National Evidence (2021). Public Management Review 23 (6): 906-928, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3546721

Miyeon Song

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Rutgers University, Newark ( email )

180 University Avenue
Newark, NJ 07102
United States

Seung-Ho An (Contact Author)

University of Arizona - School of Government and Public Policy

315 Social Science Building
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States

Kenneth J. Meier

American University ( email )

4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States

Cardiff University ( email )

Aberconway Building
Colum Drive
Cardiff, Wales CF10 3EU
United Kingdom

Leiden University - Institute of Public Administration ( email )

P.O. Box 13228
Den Haag, 2501 EE
Netherlands

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