Controlling Public Services: In Search for an Explanatory Framework

Steccolini, Ditillo e Sicilia con Liguori

Ileana Steccolini (Dipartimento di Analisi Istituzionale e Management Pubblico), Angelo Ditillo (Dipartimento di Accounting e SDA Bocconi) e Mariafrancesca Sicilia (SDA Bocconi) con Mariannunziata Liguori (Queen’s University Belfast) hanno presentato Controlling Public Services: In Search for an Explanatory Framework a EURAM 2011 (Tallinn, 1-4 giugno).

Abstract: In our paper we explore the determinants of municipalities’ choices to control the provision of contracted-out public services. Based on a survey on Italian Municipalities of at least 20.000 inhabitants, we investigate the explanatory potential of agency and stewardship theories as well as transaction cost economics with reference to the control mechanisms of waste collection services. Our results show that the “publicness” of the service provider does not appear to affect the type of control pattern adopted by the municipalities, whereas output measurability appears to be relevant in association with market- and hierarchy-based controls and asset specificity in association with and trust-based control.