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Should Government Go It Alone or With a Partner? A Comparison of Outcomes from a Work Release Program Using Different Policy Tools
Author(s) -
Jung Haeil,
Malatesta Deanna,
LaLonde Robert J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/puar.12948
Subject(s) - government (linguistics) , earnings , business , work (physics) , context (archaeology) , politics , public relations , public policy , contract management , public economics , public service , social contract , public administration , accounting , marketing , economics , political science , economic growth , law , mechanical engineering , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , engineering , biology
This article compares labor market outcomes from two different approaches to a work release program in Illinois: direct provision by a government and a purchase‐of‐service (POS) contract between government and a public charity. Significantly better employment and earnings outcomes were associated with the POS contract. To better understand the reasons for the success of the POS contract, the authors further examined the specific terms of the contract, organizational expertise, and the political context of POS contracts. The results are organized according to the main theoretical assertions. Findings add to the weight of evidence that contractors, like public charities, can be valuable government partners for addressing challenging social policies and programs .