Collaborate or compete? How partisan heuristics, performance information valence and public service motivation impact politicians’ attitudes towards information-sharing

One of the main elements underlying the effectiveness of governing boards is the assumption that board members will collaborate by bringing different knowledge and insights to the table which in turn, will increase the quality of decisions. However, this rationale does not take into account that board members of public governing boards are often appointed or elected politicians with partisan-affiliations which increase within-group competition. Consequently, partisan governing board members are often confronted with information-sharing dilemmas because withholding information could foster the realization of individual or partisan goals while sharing information could help to advance collective or societal goals. The shed light on strategic information sharing behavior by partisan board members a randomized survey experiment in which respondents were presented with quantitative performance information. The study assess if partisan heuristics as well as board members’ degree of PSM impact information sharing intentions while controlling for the impact of information properties (i.e., the valence of performance information). The findings have implications for good governance in the boards of public organizations as they provide insights on the barriers and facilitators of collaboration within public governing boards.

Publication year:2019

Accessibility:Closed