Job Vacancy and Organizational Performance: Are Senior Managers or Street‐Level Bureaucrats Missed Most?

Abstract

AbstractThe field of public administration offers differing perspectives on the contributions of senior managers and street‐level bureaucrats to performance, focusing generally on the presence rather than absence of these actors in the policy process. This study explores whether job vacancies among senior managers and lower‐level employees affect service delivery and how any effects differ by type of employee. Using panel data from South African local governments between 2011 and 2015, we estimate the effect of vacancies among senior managers and lower‐level employees on access to water, sewage, electricity, and solid waste. Findings indicate job vacancies matter for performance and whether vacancies among senior managers or street‐level employees matter more depends on the type of service and how the delivery process is structured, including the degree of labor intensity involved in service delivery and whether the service is outsourced.