Responsiveness of Public Bureaucracies: An Empirical Case Study
Author: Yun-tung Tsai
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
The purpose of this research is to conceptualize the notion of bureaucratic responsiveness and examines how public bureaucracies can become more responsive to societal needs and goals. This essay suggests that, in order to be properly responsive to citizen preferences and to deal with societal problems effectively, public bureaucracies must be concerned with the whole range of policy instruments and institutions for collective action available to a modern society. A case study is applied to verify the use of the conceptual framework of the notion of bureaucratic responsiveness. Key questions are: how can the Taipei Municipal Police Department (TMPD) adapt and respond to changing environmental demands, and, how do citizens assess the responsiveness of the TMPD? A cross-sectional exploratory survey design is employed. Results indicate that citizen respondents show a low percentage of satisfaction with TMPD’s performance to date. Professionalism scores the highest Beta weights and explains most of the variability in both citizen and police surveys.