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Bureaucratic locus of control
Author(s) -
Kay Kerenssa,
Rogger Daniel,
Sen Iman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.46
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1468-0491
pISSN - 0952-1895
DOI - 10.1111/gove.12524
Subject(s) - bureaucracy , locus of control , public service , perception , scale (ratio) , context (archaeology) , control (management) , promotion (chess) , political science , public relations , social psychology , economics , psychology , politics , management , geography , law , cartography , archaeology , neuroscience
To what extent do public officials feel they have control over their lives in public service? We develop a new measure of perceived control in the bureaucracy based on the locus of control scale. The “bureaucratic locus of control” (BLOC) scale extends standard measures to a bureaucratic context as well as introduces an extension to these measures that focuses on the power of systemic forces in officials' lives. Field tests among a representative sample of Ethiopian public officials suggest that the BLOC scale has good internal reliability and that it is positively associated with promotion opportunities, rewards and motivation. We showcase its use by investigating the extent to which inequality in control impacts the general perception of control. Potential uses of the scale to study bureaucratic dynamics are discussed.