Has Outsourcing/Contracting Out Saved Money and/or Improved Service Quality? A Vote-Counting Analysis

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dc.contributor.authorBourbeau, John Allenen
dc.contributor.committeecochairDudley, Larkin S.en
dc.contributor.committeecochairWhite, Orion F. Jr.en
dc.contributor.committeememberWolf, James F.en
dc.contributor.committeememberBeale, Masonen
dc.contributor.committeememberHickok, Thomasen
dc.contributor.departmentPublic Administration and Public Affairsen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:19:32Zen
dc.date.adate2004-12-02en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:19:32Zen
dc.date.issued2004-09-08en
dc.date.rdate2004-12-02en
dc.date.sdate2004-12-01en
dc.description.abstractMost privatization literature, of which outsourcing/contracting out is a sub-set, discusses: 1) localized anecdotes of how organizations privatized; 2) privatization's history; 3) its types; and/or 4) its pros and cons. What is missing is a methodologically defensible, comprehensive, macro-view of whether or not outsourcing has saved money and/or improved service quality. Using the vote-counting analytical procedure, this dissertation provides one comprehensive view by analyzing and combining the findings of 40 sources covering 222 outsourced services at all levels of US government. The author found that contracting out resulted in cost savings 79% of the time, but improved service quality only 48% of the time. The author also found that outsourcing savings and improved service quality declined as the level of government got smaller. This phenomenon could be an artifact of the federal requirement that a private contractor must show savings of at least 10% or $10 million before any outsourcing occurs. The lower levels of improved service can generally be explained by surveys which show that government managers treat service quality improvement as an afterthought. The findings of this study are consistent with other authors (e.g., Hodge, Savas, Dehoog, Moore) and led the author to the following insights: 1) Outsourcing continues to grow. 2) The amount of evidence regarding outsourcing effectiveness is minimal, confusing, and highly subjective. 3) Outsourcing saves money, but at the expense of quality or at least without improving it. 4) Contracting out can be a solution, but is not the only solution to government funding and service quality shortfalls. 5) Successful outsourcing has been implemented in certain ways. 6) Outsourcing does not spell the end of public administration.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.identifier.otheretd-12012004-093956en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12012004-093956/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/29848en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartRawDataTable41.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartVITA.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartTable42Sortbygovlevel.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP1Intro.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartSortbysvctypeTable43.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartAddendum.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP2LitReview.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP6Conclusion.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP5Findings.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP4DataAnalysis.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP0TitlePgAbstractAckToC.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartBibliography.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartSortbylabortypeTableA1.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartCHAP3Methodology.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectprivatizationen
dc.subjectvote-countingen
dc.subjectContracting outen
dc.subjectoutsourcingen
dc.titleHas Outsourcing/Contracting Out Saved Money and/or Improved Service Quality? A Vote-Counting Analysisen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplinePublic Administration and Public Affairsen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

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