Evidence and Policymaking: An Organizational Approach

Public Administration Review (Johan Christensen)

Evidence-informed policy-making not only depends on the rigor and relevance of the research, science communication or features of policy-makers. It also depends on how expertise arrangements in public organizations are organized.

From Receipts to Results: Denver Redesigns Homeless Shelter Contracts

Substack/Department of What Works

By tying payments to performance, the city is reducing administrative burden, improving data and helping shelter providers focus on moving people toward housing.

UK Introduces Pay for Performance for Top Civil Servants

Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office

For the first time ever, the UK Government has introduced performance-based pay progression for the Senior Civil Servants – with those who deliver for the public at an exceptional level being rewarded with salary increases. “Reward the doers, not the talkers.”

Seeking Legitimacy Through Accountability

Public Administration Review

Institution-based accountability, rooted in rational-legal authority and procedural regularity, is widely seen as the gold standard for ensuring legitimacy. However, this research experiment challenges the dominant view that emphasizes rational-legal authority as the main source of legitimacy among Chinese civil servants.