Factors affecting chief executive officers’ managerial autonomy in municipally owned corporations
A qualitative study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9963924 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna Uster (0000-0001-8450-8415, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, corresponding author), Hedva Vinarski-Peretz (0000-0003-4062-6414, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 92 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 141-163 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-08 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Administrative Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8523 • E-ISSN: 1461-7226 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00208523251369314 |
| OpenAlex | W4417116984 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
The importance of managerial autonomy for organizational performance and accountability is increasingly acknowledged in municipally owned corporations (MOCs) operating within competitive environments. However, few studies have examined the factors enabling or restricting chief executive officers' (CEOs') managerial autonomy in companies reliant on local and central governments. Using the public agency autonomy perspective, we investigate the subjective perceptions of MOCs’ executives concerning three intertwined political and bureaucratic mechanisms. The results of our 18 semi-structured interviews with CEOs of such corporations in various Israeli municipal authorities identified three factors on the micro, meso and macro levels affecting their autonomy. These findings reveal a pattern whereby local political and bureaucratic actors try to engage in framed autonomy, in contrast to the administrative bureaucracy model of the central government that curtails the CEOs’ autonomy substantially. Consequently, this dynamic impedes MOCs from achieving their goals. This interplay of micro, meso and macro factors explains how tensions between local and central governments are reflected in the managerial operations of MOCs. Points for practitioners Leverage Supportive Political Relationships to Navigate Constraints: Building trust-based ties with supportive political actors can help mitigate regulatory burdens and enable more adaptive decision-making within bureaucratic constraints. Balance Board Governance with Managerial Discretion: Practitioners should remain alert to how political appointments may influence operations and develop strategies to preserve managerial discretion while maintaining accountability. Promote Two-Way Engagement with Central Authorities: Public executives should advocate for more reciprocal relationships with central agencies, encouraging support-oriented oversight that acknowledges on-the-ground realities
Accountability · Agency (philosophy · Autonomy · Bureaucracy · Central government · Corporate governance · Discretion · Government (linguistics · Politics · E-Government and Public Services · Management and Organizational Studies · Public Policy and Administration Research
Delegation in the Regulatory State
Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis
The study of organisational autonomy
Sampling for qualitative research
The Politicization of the Civil Service in Comparative Perspective
Lessons and challenges of China's state‐led and party‐dominated governance model
Pressure, Legitimacy, and Innovative Behavior by Public Organizations
In control we trust!? Exploring formal control configurations for municipally owned corporations
Autonomy and Control of State Agencies
The efficiency and effectiveness of municipally owned corporations
Centralization, neoliberalism, and housing policy central–local government relations and residential development in Israel
Sampling in Interview-Based Qualitative Research
Performance of municipally owned corporations
Define, Explain, Justify, Apply’ (Deja)
Enhancing Local Service Effectiveness Through Purpose-Oriented Networks
Reputation and Public Administration
Public Management and Politics
Autonomy and managerial reforms in Europe
Dealing with multiple principals in at arm's length organizations
Unexplored aspects of bureaucratic autonomy
Explaining variation in perceived managerial autonomy and direct politicization in European public sectors
Local government’s response to dissatisfaction with centralized policies
Public Authorities and Intermunicipal Cooperation in a European Context
Attitudes of European Local Councillors towards Local Governance Reforms
Controlling Regulatory Agencies
De facto independence after delegation
Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties
Local governments and their arm’s length bodies
Elected mayors andde factodecentralisation, Israeli style
Ten years after
Delimiting citizen participation
Successful Problem Solvers? Managerial Performance Information Use to Improve Low Organizational Performance
Citizens' Perceptions of Politics and Ethics in Public Administration
The Global Diffusion of Regulatory Capitalism
| Highly cited | No |
|---|