The Politics of Quasi-Government: Hybrid Organizations and the Dynamics of Bureaucratic Control

by Jonathan G. S. Koppell

• ISBN13: 9780521525602
• ISBN10: 0521525608
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-02
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Hybrid organizations, governmental entities that mix characteristics of private and public sector organizations, are increasingly popular mechanisms for implementing public policy. Koppell assesses the performance of the growing quasi-government in terms of accountability and control. Comparing hybrids to traditional government agencies in three policy domains - export promotion, housing and international development - Koppell argues that hybrid organizations are more difficult to control largely due to the fact that hybrids behave like regulated organizations rather than extensions of administrative agencies. Providing a rich conception of the bureaucratic control problem, Koppell also argues that hybrid organizations are intrinsically less responsive to the political preferences of their political masters and suggests that as policy tools they are inappropriate for some tasks. This book provides a timely study of an important administrative and political phenomenon.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

2. Building a better model of bureaucratic control

3. Administration by regulation

4. Principal's preference, organizational structure and the likelihood of control

5. Hybrid organizations and the alignment of interests

6. The limits of congressional control: agent structure as constraint

7. Regulating hybrids: structure and control

8. Conclusion

Appendix: background of organizations studied

References

Index.