000 01677pab a2200181 454500
008 180718b2014 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100 _aThiel, Sandra van
245 _aDoes task matter? The effect of task on the establishment, autonomy and control of semi-autonomous agencies
260 _c2014
300 _ap.318-340.
362 _aJun
520 _aThe task of agencies is often considered to be an important of agency design, autonomy, governance and control. The evidence for these expectations has, however, been limited so far. Moreover, there are several problems with the 'task-variable'. There is no clear definition, agencies often perform multiple tasks, and as task is a nominal variable there are restrictions on the use of statistical techniques. Two questions arise: does task matter and does it matter how task is measured? Using survey data on Dutch agencies (N=206), several expectations are tested with different techniques. Overall, some tasks have some effect on agency autonomy and control, however, often only indirectly and not sustained in multivariate analyses. Formal autonomy and budget are more decisive than task in explaining agency autonomy and control. Analysis with dummy variables offers better opportunities to test task effects than non-parametrical tests. Researchers should use multiple task categories in future analyses instead of simple dichotomies, not only because agencies perform multiple tasks but also because specific tasks have specific effects. - Reproduced.
650 _aManagement
700 _aYesilkagit, Kutsal
773 _aInternational Review of Administrative Sciences
908 _aN
909 _a104502
999 _c104498
_d104498