Reputation and Public Administration

TLDR

Organizational reputation is defined as a set of beliefs about an organization’s capacities, intentions, history, and mission that are embedded in a network of multiple audiences. The article examines how organizational reputation applies to public administration, focusing on its relationship with bureaucratic autonomy. The authors review foundational assumptions and empirical studies on organizational reputation in the public sector, uncovering stylized facts that deepen understanding of public agency functioning. They assert that the formation and cultivation of organizational reputations are fundamental to understanding the role of public administration in a democracy.

Abstract

This article examines the application of organizational reputation to public administration. Organizational reputation is defined as a set of beliefs about an organization’s capacities, intentions, history, and mission that are embedded in a network of multiple audiences. The authors assert that the way in which organizational reputations are formed and subsequently cultivated is fundamental to understanding the role of public administration in a democracy. A review of the basic assumptions and empirical work on organizational reputation in the public sector identifies a series of stylized facts that extends our understanding of the functioning of public agencies. In particular, the authors examine the relationship between organizational reputation and bureaucratic autonomy.