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Do environmental and task characteristics matter in the control of externalized local public services? Unveiling the relevance of party characteristics and citizens' offstage voice

Daniela Cristofoli (University of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland, and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy)
Angelo Ditillo (Università Bocconi and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy)
Mariannunziata Liguori (Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy)
Mariafrancesca Sicilia (Università Bocconi and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy)
Ileana Steccolini (Università Bocconi and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy)

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal

ISSN: 0951-3574

Article publication date: 30 March 2010

1996

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mechanisms adopted by cities to control the provision of externalized public services and to explore the determinants of such control choices.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents the results of a multiple case study based on the experiences of three cities and three public services (transport, solid waste collection and home care services for the elderly), where control mechanisms and their possible antecedents were analyzed.

Findings

The results show that the control models found in the cases analyzed do not correspond to the “pure” patterns described in the private sector literature and that the factors identified by management control contributions do not seem to be exhaustive in explaining the configuration of control systems in the public sector. While environmental and task characteristics only partially explain the adoption of certain configurations of control, the features of the control systems seem to be rather influenced by variables that are related to party characteristics.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the combinations of control mechanisms are more multifaceted than those presented in the literature, and that the factors identified in the private sector literature do not seem to explain comprehensively the configuration of control systems in the public sector.

Keywords

Citation

Cristofoli, D., Ditillo, A., Liguori, M., Sicilia, M. and Steccolini, I. (2010), "Do environmental and task characteristics matter in the control of externalized local public services? Unveiling the relevance of party characteristics and citizens' offstage voice", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 350-372. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513571011034334

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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