Abstract
Contemporary public administration encompasses a wide variety of service delivery options. During the past two decades, privatization has become an increasingly utilized and legitimized approach. The perception that privatization poses a threat to public employment is seemingly widespread. Indeed, public sector unions often challenge the adoption of privatization programs. There is little evidence that individual rank-and-file public employees oppose privatization, however. In this study, the authors develop a multivariate model of support for privatization. Using a large-size public opinion data set from Georgia, the authors test the model and find that an individual's employment in the public sector is a predictor of opposition to privatization. The authors then discuss the practical implications of public employee opposition to privatization. The authors conclude with a discussion of ways for reducing such opposition.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 356-381 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Review of Public Personnel Administration |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2006 |
Keywords
- contracting out
- employees
- opposition
- privatization
- unions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Administration
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management