Federo, R. & Saz Carranza, A. (2018). A Typology of Board Design for Highly Effective Monitoring in Intergovernmental Organizations under the United Nations System. Regulation & Governance

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) system comprises several intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) that were established to contribute to the functioning of the overall transnational system of delivering global public goods. However, many IGOs under the UN system are criticized for their failure to accomplish their mandates. Research argues that IGO boards serve as a governance mechanism that should be designed in order to effectively perform the monitoring function to ensure fulfillment of IGO mandates. Thus, using an inductive fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study explores 13 IGO boards under the UN system to identify the board designs that are associated with highly effective monitoring. Our findings reveal a board design typology reflecting the interplay of the level of organizational complexity and the extent of the distribution problem in IGOs. This research contributes to our understanding of IGO governance by underscoring the relationship between board designs and highly effective monitoring to help researchers and practitioners improve IGO performance.

More at: https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12216

Federo, R. & Saz Carranza, A. (2018). A Configurational Analysis of Board Involvement in Intergovernmental Organizations. Corporate Governance: An International Review

Abstract

Research on board involvement has evolved and shifted towards seeking the appropriate role these boards should play in the strategy process. Current theoretical debates and inconclusive empirical findings in the literature point to an unresolved issue regarding the level of board involvement that is conducive to effective strategy formulation. This study aims to identify the levels of board involvement that are associated with highly effective and less effective strategy formulation. We examine the boards of 16 intergovernmental organizations by conducting an inductive fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis to identify different levels of board involvement that are associated with highly effective and less effective strategy formulation. Our results illustrate that both active and less active board involvement are associated with highly effective strategy formulation, while an intermediate level of board involvement is associated with less effective strategy formulation. This study contributes to the literature seeking to understand board involvement in the strategy process. We build a multi‐dimensional board involvement framework consisting of board dynamics, the use of director resources, and context. We use the information‐processing perspective to elucidate the relationship between different levels of board involvement and effective strategy formulation. Our findings suggest that the optimal level of board involvement in strategy formulation depends on an organization’s complexity, a factor which determines its information‐processing needs.

More at: https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.1224

Férez, M. (2018).The Institutional Configuration of Merit Commissions in Selection Processes: Comparative Experiences and Application to the Spanish Context. Pertsonak eta Antolakunde Publikoak kudeatzeko Euskal Aldizkaria (Basque Journal of People Management and Public Organizations)

Abstract

This paper deals with the need to rethink the current institutional configuration of our selection model to face the transformations that the public sector must undertake in the coming years. The main challenges in the field of selection are: ability to attract enough candidates in number and talent from all areas of society, performing procedures in an agile and transparent manner, and ensuring the application of the principles of equality, merit and ability in an effective way. To this end, we start with an identification of the main deficiencies of this institutional configuration, and then several comparative experiences on the figure of so-called merit commissions are analyzed to draw some lessons from; in particular the cases of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the European Union. In light of these experiences, it is proposed to create a specialized and independent selection agency, based on permanent selection bodies, to resolve complaints in this area. Keywords: civil service, merit commissions, selection model, permanent selection bodies, comparative law; principles of equality, merit and ability.

More at: https://www.euskadi.eus/r61-s20001x/es/t59auUdaWar/t59aMostrarFicheroServlet?R01HNoPortal=true&t59aIdRevista=3&t59aTipoEjemplar=R&t59aSeccion=51&t59aContenido=14&t59aCorrelativo=5&t59aVersion=1&t59aNumEjemplar=14

Ngoye, B., Sierra, V. & Ysa, T. (2018). Different Shades of Gray: A Priming Experimental Study on How Institutional Logics Influence Organizational Actor Judgment. Public Administration Review

Abstract

This article examines whether and how judgments made by individual organizational actors may be influenced by institutional logics—the historical patterns of cultural symbols and material practices, including assumptions, values, and beliefs, by which individuals and organizations provide meaning to their daily activity, organize time and space, and reproduce their lives and experiences. Using an experimental design, the authors prime three institutional logics in three independent groups of managers (n = 98) and assess the influence of the primes on individual‐level judgment preferences. The results show that such priming affects participants’ judgments in an ambiguous judgmental task, with each prime influencing judgment in a discernibly unique pattern. Consequently, a more nuanced account of larger patterns of behavior can be constructed. The findings highlight the potential of text as a priming stimulus within institutionally complex work settings such as those in the public sector, an important yet underexamined issue.

More at: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13006

Ngoye, B., Sierra, V., Ysa, T. & Awan, S. (2018). Priming in Behavioral Public Administration: Methodological and Practical Considerations for Research and Scholarship. International Public Management Journal

Abstract

Despite its ubiquity in psychology and behavioral economics, and its utility in the assessment of cognitive processes, decisions, behavior, and actions, priming as a technique embedded in experimental designs is novel in behavioral public administration. And there is no clear guidance on how it should be done. We address this gap. Based on an illustrative study involving the priming of three institutional logics among public and private sector workers, and on a supplemental review of the literature, we present a synopsis of the theoretical underpinnings of priming research, and highlight methodological and practical considerations for experimental research using priming techniques. We additionally provide guidance for subsequent research and scholarship, and foreground the development of a methodology for conducting high-quality experimental research using priming techniques.

More at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2018.1495672 

Pencheva, I., Esteve, M. & Mikhaylov, S.L. (2018). Big Data and AI – A Transformational Shift for Government: So, What Next for Research? Public Policy and Administration

Abstract

Big data and artificial intelligence will have a profound transformational impact on governments around the world. Thus, it is important for scholars to provide a useful analysis on the topic for public managers and policymakers. This study offers an in-depth review of the policy and administration literature on the role of big data and advanced analytics in the public sector. It provides an overview of the key themes in the research field, namely the application and benefits of big data throughout the policy process, and challenges to its adoption and the resulting implications for the public sector. It is argued that research on the subject is still nascent and more should be done to ensure that the theory adds real value for practitioners. A critical assessment of the strengths and limitations of the existing literature is developed, and a future research agenda to address these gaps and enrich our understanding of the topic is proposed.

More at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0952076718780537

Mikhaylov, S.J., Esteve, M. & Campion, A. (2018). Artificial Intelligence for the Public Sector: Opportunities and Challenges of Cross-sector Collaboration, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences

Abstract

Public sector organizations are increasingly interested in using data science and artificial intelligence capabilities to deliver policy and generate efficiencies in high-uncertainty environments. The long-term success of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector relies on effectively embedding it into delivery solutions for policy implementation. However, governments cannot do this integration of AI into public service delivery on their own. The UK Government Industrial Strategy is clear that delivering on the AI grand challenge requires collaboration between universities and the public and private sectors. This cross-sectoral collaborative approach is the norm in applied AI centers of excellence around the world. Despite their popularity, cross-sector collaborations entail serious management challenges that hinder their success. In this article we discuss the opportunities for and challenges of AI for the public sector. Finally, we propose a series of strategies to successfully manage these cross-sectoral collaborations. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue “The growing ubiquity of algorithms in society: implications, impacts and innovations”.

More at: http://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2017.0357

Salvador Iborra, S., Saz Carranza, A., Fernández Marín, X. & Albareda Sanz, A. (2018). The Governance of Goal-directed Networks and Network Tasks: An Empirical Analysis of European Regulatory Networks. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

Abstract

In this article, we answer the research question “What factors affect the structural complexity of network administrative organizations (NAOs)?” The question warrants further research because of the lack of empirical studies on the topic. We design a quantitative study of the structure of all 37 European regulatory networks. Using Bayesian statistics, we analyze the new data set and test hypotheses, derived from the literature, about the factors affecting the structural complexity of NAOs. We find that networks with rule-setting tasks are strongly related to less complex NAOs, whereas networks with member-sanctioning and rule-enforcing tasks are strongly related to more complex NAOs. Theoretically, network-level tasks appear to affect NAO complexity, particularly given the implied uncertainty of those tasks, as well as the network-level operational requirements related to them.

More at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mux037