Abstract

While extensive literature on public management has suggested that management matters for performance, the role of national context in this mechanism has been significantly understudied. This article examines whether and how the impact of management on performance varies across national settings by conducting a comparative analysis of U.S. and Korean hospitals. Based on a parallel hospital manager survey and archival database in the two countries, we find that managerial networking contributes to performance in both U.S. and Korean hospitals, but its functional form varies between the two countries. These findings imply that management is the key to enhancing performance, but the effective strategy can vary depending on the national context. This study highlights the role of national context and advances the field of comparative public administration.

摘要

虽然关于公共管理的大量文献表明管理对绩效很重要，但国家背景在该机制中的作用却没有得到充分研究。本文通过对美国和韩国医院的比较分析，研究管理对绩效的影响是否以及如何在不同国家/地区发生变化。根据两国医院管理人员的平行调查和档案数据库，我们发现管理网络对美国和韩国医院的绩效都有贡献，但其功能形式因两国而异。这些发现意味着管理是提高绩效的关键，但有效的战略可能因国情而异。