The Synthetic Control Method for Comparative Case Studies: An Application Estimating the Effect of Managerial Discretion Under Performance Management

Public management researchers are often interested in estimating the effects of aggregate-level management reforms and policy changes, but they frequently rely on observational data that pose a number of threats to internal validity. The synthetic control method for comparative case studies (SCM) has great potential for advancing public management scholarship by addressing some of the methodological challenges associated with observational data and providing intuitive graphical results that help researchers communicate their findings to audiences unfamiliar with quantitative methods. SCM uses a transparent, data-driven algorithm for selecting a weighted combination of control units that act as a plausible counterfactual for estimating causal effects. This article demonstrates SCM by investigating the effect of enhancing managerial discretion under performance accountability systems in the context of public education. The article also provides a number of possible avenues for future public management research using SCM and practical guidance for applying the method.     

Archetype Transition in the German Health Service? The Attempted Modernization of Hospitals in a North German State

In this paper, we argue that, rather than aiming at universal contingency relationships, archetype theory needs to go down a path where 'local variants' can be discovered and understood by relating them to their organizational and institutional context(s). The case study of a public sector hospital group in a North German state (Hamburg) is drawn on here to elaborate the argument. We found evidence for a change from a Public Sector hospital archetype to a Public Hospital Corporation archetype. Drawing on this model permits us to explore the impact of the introduction of new forms of public management organization and the implications the managerial ideology underpinning this may have for the professional organization. The study explores the consequences of the innovations for professional/managerial relations. We also suggest that the 'archetype' approach may be particularly useful for the comparative study of organizations. This is particularly pertinent given the different – corporatist – organization of the German health care system and its different approach to public sector reform to that of the Anglo-American and Scandinavian systems where the 'archetypal' approach has so far been applied.     

Binge drinking and negative alcohol-related behaviors: A test of self-control theory

Binge drinking and alcohol-related behaviors have been viewed as major concerns on college campuses. Although national studies were conducted to describe these behaviors, less research attempted to explain them. Self-control theory is extended as a theoretical framework to explain both while considering other known risk factors. Using a sample of college students (n = 268) from a university in the southern United States, the additive and interactive effects of self-control were modeled to predict binge drinking and negative alcohol-related behaviors. A series of multivariate regression models showed that low self-control had effects on binge drinking and related behaviors. Binge drinking's effect on negative alcohol-related behaviors varied across levels of self-control.