Public Management

PMR — pp. 1-29 2026-07-13 Original Strategic narratives and the processes of goal achievement in municipal strategic planning Fabien Eymas Abstract This study examines how strategic narratives shape strategic planning processes in ways that support the pursuit of municipal goals. Drawing on a longitudinal case study of a French municipality and combining analysis of council deliberations, documentary materials, and interviews, it shows that strategic narratives link planning to implementation. The findings reveal how temporality, positioning, and performative intent interact to generate municipal strategic capacity by sustaining coherence, structuring multi-actor alignment, and mobilizing engagement over time. The study contributes to public management research by integrating a narrative perspective with strategic planning scholarship and showing how strategic narratives become embedded in municipal practices.

PA — 2026-07-09 Original Resolving Agile Ambidexterity: Between Ambivalence, Adaptation, and Accommodation Ines Mergel Abstract ABSTRACT Public bureaucracies address challenging and complex problems by applying agile work practices when standard operating procedures or routines fail. In these situations, public managers need to decide whether to exploit existing bureaucratic routines or explore novel solutions through non‐routine agile work practices. This study shows how public managers maneuver between different adoption decisions: (1) remain ambivalent and reject agile, (2) accommodate the needs of the bureaucracy and adjust agile work practices to align with administrative routines, or (3) adapt in an ambidextrous manner by becoming agile literate and choosing the appropriate work practices depending on the public management problem. This study contributes to the literature on agile governance by incorporating the notion of ambidexterity into the existing theory of 21st‐century bureaucracy.

PMR — pp. 1-25 2026-07-08 Original Public value as care within and for practices Per Skålén Abstract This article draws on practice theory and care theory to conceptualize public value as care within and for the practices to which citizens are entitled. In doing so, it contributes by theoretically integrating major strands of public value research. More specifically, it shows that strategic management of public value depends on the sustained care for practices; that contestation over public value centres on struggles over what should be cared for; that the cocreation and codestruction of public value depend on the extent to which practices are carefully sustained; and that public values are normatively grounded in care and become visible through enacted practices. The article also outlines practical implications for addressing pressing collective challenges through policy design and demonstrates how legitimacy, management, and accountability are reconfigured when public value is understood as care within and for the practices to which citizens are entitled.

PMR — pp. 1-30 2026-07-02 Original The promise and performance of social impact bonds Clare J. FitzGerald, Alec Fraser, Carolyn J. Heinrich, Mikkel Munksgaard Andersen Abstract This article examines social impact bonds (SIBs), first scrutinizing early discourse on their promises—increased accountability through competitive public-private partnerships, outcomes measurement, and a learning approach to performance management—drawing on theories of New Public Management and New Public Governance. Then, a structured review of empirical research is used to evaluate SIB performance against their public management reform promises. Findings show that while SIBs sometimes foster intersectoral collaboration, they can also surface power imbalances, institutionalize gaming, and inadvertently reduce public accountability. A faltering commitment to robust outcomes measurement is also demonstrated, with negative implications for effective governance and public value.

PMR — pp. 1-28 2026-06-29 Original Building collaborative governance from scratch: the significance of recalibration and reaffirmation in boundary work Sarah van Duijn, Sierk Ybema, Frans Kamsteeg

PMR — pp. 1-27 2026-05-30 Original Leading in a time of turmoil: Political fragmentation, political conflict, and managerial turnover Dag Ingvar Jacobsen Abstract （原文未提供摘要） 中文 动荡时期的领导：政治碎片化、政治冲突与管理层更替 Dag Ingvar Jacobsen

PMR — pp. 1-31 2026-05-28 Original Cultural humility in agile work practices Ines Mergel Abstract （原文未提供摘要） 中文 敏捷工作实践中的文化谦逊 Ines Mergel 摘要 原文未提供摘要 关键词 文化谦逊、敏捷工作实践、公共管理、组织文化 DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2026.2676775 查看原文 →

PMR — pp. 1-36 2026-04-25 Original Managing noise through nudges: a mixed methods study on decision-hygiene in public management Nicola Belle, Paola Cantarelli Abstract Nudging interventions can enhance expert decision-making in public management, improving resource use and equity. Using a parallel mixed-methods design, we experimentally tested 2,763 healthcare professionals’ prescribing decisions. Results show physicians are susceptible to systematic errors (i.e. bias) and exhibit variation in choices when presented with the same case (i.e. level noise), but their choices are influenced in the desired direction by guidelines, cost information, command-and-control mechanisms, reduction targets, and social comparisons. Nudges effectively reduce or redirect between-subjects variability. We also compare two noise measures: equality in distribution versus standard deviation. Semi-structured interviews with 36 healthcare managers explored real-world applications of educative and architectural nudges and root causes of noise.