Abstract
The public administration literature has paid scant attention to bureaucratic errors as performance measures. This has largely been due to a lack of data. Unlike most programs, the unemployment insurance (UI) program has systematically collected performance data and has independently audited those data to determine error responsibility (employer, employee, and agency error). In the first comprehensive analysis of these data, we examine the probability that a bureaucrat makes an error involving nonpayment of UI benefits and theorize about the reasons for these errors. Our findings indicate that the previous UI office error rate is a good predictor of current error rates, demonstrating that poorly performing offices remain poor performers. In addition, local offices with high error rates account for a disproportionate percentage of the errors, indicating a need to examine agency management. Second, errors are more commonly made on cases involving White UI claimants and claimants with a college education. Finally, we find that claimants who have higher self-valuation, are less likely to experience agency errors. Taken together, these results point to systematic agency errors. Public managers and the unemployed would be better served if training efforts and performance targets were developed with these systematic error effects in mind.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 695-714 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | American Review of Public Administration |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 Nov 1 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Sociology and Political Science
- Public Administration
- Marketing
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When Claimant Characteristics and Prior Performance Predict Bureaucratic Error. / Ryu, Sangyub; Wenger, Jeffrey B.; Wilkins, Vicky M.
In: American Review of Public Administration, Vol. 42, No. 6, 01.11.2012, p. 695-714.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - When Claimant Characteristics and Prior Performance Predict Bureaucratic Error
AU - Ryu, Sangyub
AU - Wenger, Jeffrey B.
AU - Wilkins, Vicky M.
PY - 2012/11/1
Y1 - 2012/11/1
N2 - The public administration literature has paid scant attention to bureaucratic errors as performance measures. This has largely been due to a lack of data. Unlike most programs, the unemployment insurance (UI) program has systematically collected performance data and has independently audited those data to determine error responsibility (employer, employee, and agency error). In the first comprehensive analysis of these data, we examine the probability that a bureaucrat makes an error involving nonpayment of UI benefits and theorize about the reasons for these errors. Our findings indicate that the previous UI office error rate is a good predictor of current error rates, demonstrating that poorly performing offices remain poor performers. In addition, local offices with high error rates account for a disproportionate percentage of the errors, indicating a need to examine agency management. Second, errors are more commonly made on cases involving White UI claimants and claimants with a college education. Finally, we find that claimants who have higher self-valuation, are less likely to experience agency errors. Taken together, these results point to systematic agency errors. Public managers and the unemployed would be better served if training efforts and performance targets were developed with these systematic error effects in mind.
AB - The public administration literature has paid scant attention to bureaucratic errors as performance measures. This has largely been due to a lack of data. Unlike most programs, the unemployment insurance (UI) program has systematically collected performance data and has independently audited those data to determine error responsibility (employer, employee, and agency error). In the first comprehensive analysis of these data, we examine the probability that a bureaucrat makes an error involving nonpayment of UI benefits and theorize about the reasons for these errors. Our findings indicate that the previous UI office error rate is a good predictor of current error rates, demonstrating that poorly performing offices remain poor performers. In addition, local offices with high error rates account for a disproportionate percentage of the errors, indicating a need to examine agency management. Second, errors are more commonly made on cases involving White UI claimants and claimants with a college education. Finally, we find that claimants who have higher self-valuation, are less likely to experience agency errors. Taken together, these results point to systematic agency errors. Public managers and the unemployed would be better served if training efforts and performance targets were developed with these systematic error effects in mind.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84867256853&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84867256853&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0275074011435151
DO - 10.1177/0275074011435151
M3 - Article
VL - 42
SP - 695
EP - 714
JO - American Review of Public Administration
JF - American Review of Public Administration
SN - 0275-0740
IS - 6
ER -