Bureaucratic Reputation Theory
Micro-Level Theoretical Extensions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15748816 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jaap Willems (0000-0002-4439-3948, Vienna University of Economics and Business, corresponding author), Carolin Johanna Waldner (0000-0001-7838-8066, ESCP Business School), Carolin Waldner (ESCP Business School Berlin), Vera Winter (0000-0001-7087-2400, University of Wuppertal), Flavia Wiedemann (Vienna University of Economics and Business) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 77-92 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Perspectives on Public Management and Governance (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2398-4910 • E-ISSN: 2398-4929 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/ppmgov/gvaf004 |
| OpenAlex | W4407606906 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 119 |
Bureaucratic Reputation Theory (BRT) focuses on the role of public agencies’ reputation as an asset in socio-political dynamics. Agencies aim to manage their reputation for different audiences to have higher levels of (publicly legitimized) strategic independence, autonomy, and discretion. Considering that reputations form because of shared reputational beliefs among individuals, we study bureaucratic reputation from a dialogic perspective between agencies and the individual stakeholders in their audiences. First, we make a case that such socio-cognitive elements are relevant for a broad range of public-serving organizations, pinpointing the broader relevance of BRT beyond public agencies. Second, building on interdisciplinary insights on the formation and evolution of individual perceptions, as well as the social network interactions within and between audiences, we derive 10 micro-level theoretical propositions in three related themes: (1) distinct information sources for reputational beliefs, (2) the episodic nature of agency-audience interactions, and (3) the reputation spillovers between structurally related units
Agency (philosophy · Autonomy · Bureaucracy · Discretion · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Reputation · Social science · Sociology · Corporate Identity and Reputation · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Relations and Crisis Communication
Why volunteer? Evidence on the role of altruism, image, and incentives
The right kind of participation? The effect of a deliberative mini-public on the perceived legitimacy of public decision-making
Organizational Reputation
Social Media and the Formation of Organizational Reputation
Public Sector Organizations and Reputation Management
Being Good or Being Known
The Social Construction of Reputation
Representation, reputation and expectations towards bureaucracy
The threat of appearing lazy, inefficient, and slow? Stereotype threat in the public sector
What happens when the going gets tough? Linking change scepticism, organizational identification, and turnover intentions
Updating public accountability
No Longer Unmeasurable? A Multidimensional Integrated Model of Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness
Nonprofit Organizations Becoming Business-Like
Too much of a good thing? A systematic review about the conditions of learning in governance networks
The bureaucratic reputation scale
Conceptualizing and Measuring (Public) Reputation Management
Collective and Reflexive Styles of Volunteering
Missing Areas in the Bureaucratic Reputation Framework
Persuading the independent
Inequality in Volunteering
Charity Watchdogs and the Limits of Information-Based Regulation
Non-Governmental and Not-for-Profit Organizational Effectiveness
Organizational Reputation in the Public Administration
How-to Bureaucracy
The odd woman out
Reputation and Public Administration
Management of Multiple Accountabilities Through Setting Priorities
Behavioral Public Administration
Ambiguity in Policy Lessons
Is resilience enough? The macroprudential reform agenda and the lack of smoothing of the cycle
Friend or Foe? Inter‐agency Cooperation, Organizational Reputation, and Turf
Public servant stereotypes
Organizational reputation and risk regulation
Bad government performance and citizens’ perceptions
Bureaucratic reputation in the eyes of citizens
Reputation Shocks and Recovery in Public-Serving Organizations
Preserving the old or building the new? Reputation-building through strategic talk and engagement with stakeholder inputs by the European Commission
Building organizational reputation in the European regulatory state
Navigating Theories of Volunteering
A reputation for what, to whom, and in which task environment
Responsive Change
Building anti‐corruption agency collaboration and reputation
How does organizational task matter for the reputation of public agencies
Ingredients of institutional reputations and citizen engagement with regulators
What Is Behavioral Public Administration Good for
Socioeconomic Status and Public Sector Worker Stereotypes
Reputation‐Sourced Authority and the Prospect of Unchecked Bureaucratic Power
Citizen Participation in Decision Making
How Do Citizens Assess Street‐Level Bureaucrats’ Warmth and Competence? A Typology and Test
Can We? Administrative Limits Revisited
A Multidimensional Reputation Barometer for Public Agencies
Managing bureaucratic reputation in the face of crises
The Marketization of the Nonprofit Sector
Reputation and Accountability Relationships
Do reputational threats influence the rigidity of US agencies? A dynamic panel data approach
Understanding reputational concerns within government agencies
Juggling Conflicting Demands
The Politics of Detection in Business Regulation
Participant Voice in the Bureaucratic Policymaking Process
Assessing the Effects of Organizational Resources on Public Agency Performance
Antecedents and Consequences of Corporatization
Audience Heterogeneity, Costly Signaling, and Threat Prioritization
Caught up or Protected by the Past? How Reputational Histories Matter for Agencies’ Media Reputations
Organizational Reputation, Regulatory Talk, and Strategic Silence
Organizational Reputation, the Content of Public Allegations, and Regulatory Communication
Reputational drivers and deterrents of accountability
The Effect of Salient Reputational Threats on the Pace of FDA Enforcement
Measuring bureaucratic reputation
Groups, the Media, Agency Waiting Costs, and FDA Drug Approval
Happily unaccountable? Perceptions of accountability by public managers
Utilizing Hyperlink Network Analysis to Examine Climate Change Supporters and Opponents
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |