任务重要吗?任务对半自主机构的建立、自主和控制的效应

Does task matter? The effect of task on the establishment,autonomy and control of semi-autonomous agencies

人们通常认为,机构的任务对机构的设计、自主、治理和控制是一个重要的决定因素。但是,迄今有关这方面预测的证据却是有限的。此外,在'任务变量'方面,还存在若干问题。在没有明确界定的情况下,机构往往承担多项任务,由于任务是一个称名变量,在使用统计技术时就受到了限制。这样就出现了两个问题:任务重要吗?如何测量任务是否重要呢?利用对荷兰机构的调查数据(N=206),采用不同方法对若干预期进行了检验。总的来说,有些任务对机构的自主性和控制性有一些影响,然而这种影响往往只是间接的,而且在多变量因素分析中并未得到支持。在解释机构的自主性和控制性时,正式自主性和预算规模比任务更具有决定性。在检验任务效应上,虚变量分析比非参数检验更为适用。在未来的分析中,研究人员应采用多种任务分析法,而不只是简单地采用二分法,这不仅是因为机构承担多项任务,而且还因为特定的任务会产生特定的效应。对实践工作者的启示机构具有多种不同组合的任务。在设计机构应拥有多大自主性和控制性时,应考虑到这一因素。任务和自主性或控制性之间并没有直接的关系。机构的类型和预算规模对其自主性和控制性的影响最为关键。

The task of agencies is often considered to be an important determinant 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.Points for practitioners Agencies have multiple tasks in different combinations.This should be taken into account when designing agencies’degrees of autonomy and control.There are no straightforward relations between task and autonomy or control.The type of agency and the size of its budget are most decisive to agency autonomy and control.