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Hidden costs of cuts: austerity, civil service management and the motivation of public officials in Central and Eastern Europe after the crisis

Meyer-Sahling, Jan-Hinrik; Janta, Barbara; Reinholde, Iveta; Van Stolk, Christian

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Authors

Barbara Janta

Iveta Reinholde

Christian Van Stolk



Abstract

The implementation of austerity measures presents a dilemma for governments. While austerity measures such as cutbacks aim to reduce costs and enhance public sector efficiency, the same measures might undermine the motivation of employees and, consequently, the prospects of effectively implementing austerity programmes. Based on a survey of ministerial officials in Poland and Latvia, this article finds that the scale of cutbacks explains a larger decline of staff motivation in Latvia than in Poland. The article further shows that motivation was more likely to decrease after the crisis if austerity measures involved cutbacks such as staff reductions, recruitment freezes, and a reduction of training opportunities.

Citation

Meyer-Sahling, J., Janta, B., Reinholde, I., & Van Stolk, C. (2016). Hidden costs of cuts: austerity, civil service management and the motivation of public officials in Central and Eastern Europe after the crisis. European Journal of Government and Economics, 5(2),

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 5, 2017
Online Publication Date Jan 5, 2017
Publication Date Dec 31, 2016
Deposit Date Apr 26, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal European Journal of Government and Economics
Electronic ISSN 2254-7088
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 5
Issue 2
Keywords Economic crisis; austerity; cutbacks; civil service reform; motivation; Central and Eastern Europe
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/831408
Publisher URL http://www.ejge.org/index.php/ejge/article/view/94

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