The Public Service Mutual: Theories of Motivational Advantage

Public service mutuals are a form of employee‐led organization in which service workers spin out of the public sector to form “mutuals” that contract back with government to provide a service. This article draws on economic and psychological theory to demonstrate that mutuals can align both self‐interested and altruistic or public service motivations so as to serve the social good; moreover, by offering greater autonomy to public service professionals, mutuals are predicted to encourage energetic and persistent behaviors. In both cases, there is an advantage over alternative forms of organization such as the public sector bureaucracy, the shareholder‐owned private firm, or the nonprofit organization. The employee‐led mutual form, however, may not appeal to risk‐averse workers, its collective decision‐making systems may be inefficient, and external mechanisms may be required to ensure that organizational outcomes are always directed toward the social good.     

Editor's note

This study applies Elisabeth Noelle‐Neumann's spiral of silence theory to the controversial issue of whether children with AIDS should be allowed to attend public school. The study tests the theory's hypotheses in light of two content analyses of the media's treatment of the issue. The findings offer tentative and qualified support for Noelle‐Neumann's theoretical propositions about the relationship between individuals' perceptions of the issue and the media's tenor of the issue; particularly that of television. The findings suggest the need to address the role of other agents of influence, including reference groups, and to use time‐based data to unravel the causal order of the relationships.     

新战略 新方式 新发展——对以实施新战略为牵动加快转变哈尔滨市经济社会发展方式的认识与思考

市委党校公务员处长任职培训班的全体学员,在校期间,认真学习党的十七届五中全会精神,结合哈尔滨市新战略的实施,对加快转变哈尔滨市经济发展方式进行了深入思考和研讨,并写出了一篇很有份量的论文,得到了市委领导的重视。省委常委、哈尔滨市委书记盖如垠同志,2010年10月29日在学员的论文上作了如下批示：＂学习很有成果,下步要把学习成果变为实践动力,为哈尔滨人民多做贡献。＂哈尔滨市委副书记、市委党校校长王颖同志对此文作了批示：＂这篇文章写得有份量。不仅对哈市新战略认识理解很到位,对躬身实践进程中的体会和收获有深度,而且对围绕加快实施新战略所提建议和意见也很对路子,很有见地。充分反映新的发展战略在干部群众中深得人心,深为干部群众所接受、所认可,也看出党校这期新任处长培训班很必要,很有成效。＂盖书记、王书记的批示,不但是对学员认真学习、深入思考的肯定,也是对我校通过结合实际、有针对性地开展教学工作、直接服务于哈尔滨发展的认可,现将该文章发表于此,以资参考。