Do NPM Strategies Lead to Negative Organizational Behavior? Lessons from the Differential Effects of Contracting Out on Voluntary Turnover

While public sector organizations have increasingly utilized New Public Management (NPM) strategies as a means of increasing the values of the market, a growing body of literature suggests that market-based reforms may generate indirect costs associated with negative organizational behaviors in the public sector. Focusing on probable consequences of government contracting out for the public workforce, this study examines the relationship between contracting out and voluntary turnover relying on a panel data of U.S. federal agencies from 2010 to 2017. The results present that contracting activity is associated with voluntary quits in the opposite direction depending on the level of job satisfaction. This finding disentangles the previous discussion on the relationship between NPM strategies and employee behavior.

The Welfare State as Employer

This chapter introduces the concept of public employment regimes to understand why reform trajectories aligning public to private employment take on different pathways and reflect differences in welfare regimes and political economy types referring to OECD countries. After mapping the state of the art on the relevance and development of public employment in Western welfare states, the chapter presents a comparative evaluation of the distinct features of public employment regimes. Specifically, we compare the costs and size of government employment (capturing the fiscal side of public employment regimes), the extent to which females and migrants are represented in the public workforce (referring to the societal integration function of the state as an employer), and public–private-sector wage differentials (referring to the role of the state as employer for the private sector). The chapter concludes by outlining future trends and the need for further research from a global perspective.

Training and Employment for Correctional Populations

Education and employment are both moderate risk factors for recidivism. There is a well-documented relationship between low educational achievement and antisocial behaviors. Education programming in correctional facilities is crucial for improving the educational attainment of incarcerated and re-integrating populations. A brief discussion situates policy reform efforts against a backdrop of extensive research that has documented the interaction between employment and increased educational attainment as pivotal to reducing an individual’s propensity to recidivate. The policies then focus on three pillars that reduce employment barriers for returning citizens: workforce training, educational upgrading, and regulatory employment barriers. In the short-term, policymakers should study and address systemic remedial educational needs in tandem with increasing access to and occupational skills-based training that builds a skill base congruent with the current labor market for incarcerated students. In the mid-term, it is essential to match policy support with the intersecting barriers faced by returning citizens. As an example of federal policies that can help center the public workforce development system around the need to improve quality employment outcomes for returning citizens, the DOL’s dormant pilot Linking to Employment Activities Pre-Release (LEAP). Finally, policymakers should target other consequential screening barriers, such as the accuracy of criminal records that employers can check and have been shown to adversely affect employment prospects.

Accessing the public workforce: Organisational recruitment practices and the inclusion or exclusion of individuals of immigrant origin

Organisations are important gatekeepers in the labour market inclusion of immigrants and their children. Research has regularly documented ethnic discrimination in hiring decisions. Aiming to further our understanding of the role of organisations in influencing the professional trajectories of individuals of immigrant origin, this paper investigates the recruitment practices of public administrations. Drawing on approaches from organisational sociology and a qualitative case study of public administrations in the German state of Berlin, the article identifies three crucial elements of organisational decision-making affecting the recruitment of staff of immigrant origin: decisions regarding advertisement strategies, formal criteria, and individual candidates. Further, the article shows the underlying decision-making rationalities and the role of organisational contexts and ethnic stereotypes for recruitment-related decisions.

Critical Issues Facing the Animal and Food Industry: A Delphi Analysis

By the year 2050, the world’s population is estimated to increase by approximately 2.1 billion people. For the sake of food security and safety, it is vital for the animal and food industry to act now in preparation for future consumption needs. The study at hand explored the most critical issues facing the field, according to industry experts. Using Delphi and constant comparative methods, seven thematic categories emerged that serve as overarching areas for attention: Industry Image and Relationship with the Public, Workforce Development and Pipeline, Economic and Environmental Sustainability, Animal and Human Health/Well-Being, Production and Distribution Efficiency, Government Regulations and Relationship with Legislative Leaders, and Relationship with Higher Education/Researchers. Findings and recommendations on how the industry can move forward in light of future challenges and opportunities are explored.

Do Pensions Matter for Recruiting State and Local Workers?

Many state and local governments have responded to financial challenges facing their pension systems by cutting benefits or by shifting costs to employees. Will these changes make it harder for state and local governments to recruit highly skilled workers? This study explores this question by linking individual-level data from the Current Population Survey on worker transitions between the private and public sectors to measures of state and local pension generosity from the Public Plans Database. The results suggest that state and local employers with relatively generous pensions are better able to recruit high-wage workers from the private sector, but that this advantage is lost as workers are asked to contribute more from current paychecks to prefund those benefits. The findings help inform an ongoing debate over the role that state and local pensions play in shaping the public workforce.

Does Increasing Racial Minority Representation Contribute to Overall Organizational Performance? The Role of Organizational Mission and Diversity Climate

One underexplored question in the representative bureaucracy literature is whether public employees advocate for their demographic groups at the expense of other groups or their organizational roles. Many studies have focused on the link between passive representation, or the extent to which the public workforce reflects the demographic characteristics of its clients, and active representation, or the extent to which policies advance the interests of those people. However, little research has been done on whether and when increased representation by a certain group enhances overall organizational performance. This study examines the relationship between racial minority representation in U.S. federal agencies and the agencies’ goal achievement while considering the moderating role of organizational mission and diversity climate. The panel data analysis shows that increased minority representation lowers agencies’ goal achievement. However, a positive relationship exists between the two in agencies that mainly work to promote social equity for disadvantaged populations and foster a positive diversity climate in the workplace. These findings suggest that racial minority employees can better contribute to organizational success in agencies where they balance advocacy and organizational roles well and they are treated fairly and respectfully.