One-stop shops for social welfare: The adaptation of an organizational form in three countries

TY - JOUR

T1 - One-stop shops for social welfare: The adaptation of an organizational form in three countries

AU - Askim, Jostein

AU - Fimreite, Anne Lise

AU - Moseley, Alice

AU - Pedersen, Lene Holm

PY - 2011/12

Y1 - 2011/12

N2 - In recent years welfare services in Western Europe have been criticized for poor coordination. In response, 'seamlessness' has emerged as a vision for public administration with 'one-stop shops' viewed as means to reach this. This article conceptualizes the one-stop shop and presents a three country case study to examine its drivers and its adaptation. In all countries the reforms meant mergers driven by hopes for a single entrance to services as well as proximity to citizens. However, the analysis of task portfolios, participant structure, instruments and autonomy reveal important variations in the adaptations. The specific configurations of one-stop shops that emerged were partially a product of compromises and negotiations influenced by the political and performance priorities of central government. The classical trade-off between specialization and coordination persists, but by offering users ICT-based services one can to some extent maintain specialization behind the frontline and still provide services that are coordinated from a user perspective. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

AB - In recent years welfare services in Western Europe have been criticized for poor coordination. In response, 'seamlessness' has emerged as a vision for public administration with 'one-stop shops' viewed as means to reach this. This article conceptualizes the one-stop shop and presents a three country case study to examine its drivers and its adaptation. In all countries the reforms meant mergers driven by hopes for a single entrance to services as well as proximity to citizens. However, the analysis of task portfolios, participant structure, instruments and autonomy reveal important variations in the adaptations. The specific configurations of one-stop shops that emerged were partially a product of compromises and negotiations influenced by the political and performance priorities of central government. The classical trade-off between specialization and coordination persists, but by offering users ICT-based services one can to some extent maintain specialization behind the frontline and still provide services that are coordinated from a user perspective. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/onestop-shops-social-welfare-adaptation-organizational-form-three-countries

U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-9299.2011.01933.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1467-9299.2011.01933.x

M3 - Tidsskriftartikel

SN - 0033-3298

VL - 89

SP - 1451

EP - 1468

JO - Public Administration

JF - Public Administration

IS - 4

ER -