Bureaucracy and Organizational Performance: Causality Arguments about Public Schools

Authors

Kenneth J. Meier
Jerry L. Polinard, University of Texas - Pan American
Robert D. Wrinkle, University of Texas-Pan American

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2000

Abstract

One key policy dispute in the school choice debate concerns whether the education bureaucracy is a cause or a consequence of poor performance. This dispute is striking because both sides accept the same neo-institutionalist organization theory. This article uses a large panel of school districts to address the dispute. The evidence suggests that poor performance results in a growing bureaucracy not vice versa. Further evidence then shows that the growth in bureaucracy is associated in an increase in teachers and smaller class sizes; in short, bureaucracy increases as schools take actions that are linked to improved performance.

Comments

Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.2307/2669266

Recommended Citation

Meier, Kenneth J., et al. “Bureaucracy and Organizational Performance: Causality Arguments about Public Schools.” American Journal of Political Science, vol. 44, no. 3, 2000, pp. 590–602. https://doi.org/10.2307/2669266

Publication Title

American Journal of Political Science

DOI

10.2307/2669266