The shirking bureaucrat: a theory in search of evidence?

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of public sector work motivation, particular the notion of bureaucratic ‘shirking’. Although a popular theoretical model among public choice scholars of public administration, the ‘shirking’ argument has not been empirically supported. The article compares two organisational models of ensuring public servants’ compliance; a contract regime which is common in public-interest-based, Anglo American countries, and a trust-based regime found in Continental European, Scandinavian and Asian administrative systems.