Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Performance of public organizations continues to be a widely debated and studied topic in public management. Descriptions of public organizations tasked with public service delivery are often rife with criticism from citizens, policymakers and the media claiming that such entities are inefficient, inflexible, and ineffective. However, empirical research on differences in performance between private and public organizations remains mixed and generally, inconclusive. This raises an important question concerning whether bias plays a role in perceptions of performance and, if so, to what extent?

Building on existing experimental research which aims to isolate the perception of publicness on individuals evaluation of performance, this study examines individuals’ perceptions of publicness in the case of the United States public education system. Using a randomized survey experimental design, this study departs from traditional distinctions between public and private performance by drawing on Bozeman’s (1987) theory of multidimensional publicness to assess perceptions of performance among the “more public” traditional public school and the “less public” charter school. Findings will contribute to an ongoing discussion in public administration and management research regarding whether it is the presence of a negative bias toward public service delivery or a positive bias toward private actors, or privatization efforts in this case, which can best explain discrepancies in citizens’ perceptions of performance of public organizations and service delivery.

This study aims to fill the gap in our understanding of how individual bias may impact the image of public organizations as well as influence support for policies affecting service delivery. Furthermore, the methodology used is appropriate for measuring and understanding behavioral mechanisms in effect in individuals’ evaluations of public and private performance which, until relatively recently, was largely ignored in public management research. Lastly, examining the case of public education, specifically charter schools, in this manner can help us to better understand support for charter policies despite considerable variation in charter school performance across the United States.