The public management literature suggests that organizational capacity, collaboration, and public service motivation positively impact organizational resilience. However, in times of emergencies/crises, when public administrators have limited time to plan and react, it is unclear what factors are more relevant for service delivery continuity. The present study focuses on organizational resiliency during crises and examines the predictors of service delivery continuity among county governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest that in times of crises, the capacity of local governments is a significant predictor of organizational resilience as opposed to public service motivation, which did not contribute to organizational resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration, on the other hand, had mixed results. These results suggest that governments should focus on strengthening their capacities to withstand shocks from crises.
AbutabenjehS.NukpezahJ. A.AzharA. (2022). Do smart cities technologies contribute to local economic development?Economic Development Quarterly, 36(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912424211053599
2.
AhmaduA. S.NukpezahJ. A. (2022). Disasters, jurisdictional vulnerability, and local tax revenues. Korean Public Administration Quarterly, 46(2), 129–154. https://doi.org/10.37808/paq.46.2.3
AlnachefT. H.AlhajjarA. A. (2017). Effect of human capital on organizational performance: A literature review. International Journal of Science and Research, 6(8), 1154–1158. https://doi.org/10.21275/ART20176151
5.
AnsellC.GashA. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032
6.
AnsellC.SørensenE.TorfingJ. (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic as a game changer for public administration and leadership? The need for robust governance responses to turbulent problems. Public Management Review, 23(7), 949–960. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2020.1820272
AzevedoL.HauptB.MarkoskiT. D. (2022). Operational challenges in a US nonprofit network amid COVID-19: Lessons from a food network in Virginia. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 33(2), 297–317. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21540
9.
BarberaC.JonesM.KoracS.SalitererI.SteccoliniI. (2017). Governmental financial resilience under austerity in Austria, England and Italy: How do local governments cope with financial shocks?Public Administration, 95(3), 670–697. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12350
10.
BenavidesA. D.NukpezahJ. A. (2020). How local governments are caring for the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Review of Public Administration, 50(6-7), 650–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074020942062
11.
BianchiC.NasiG.RivenbarkW. C. (2021). Implementing collaborative governance: Models, experiences, and challenges. Public Management Review, 23, 1581–1589. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1878777
12.
BoinA.LodgeM. (2016). Designing resilient institutions for transboundary crisis management: A Time for Public Administration. Public Administration, 94(2), 289–298. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12264
BrightL. (2021). Does person organization fit and person-job fit mediate the relationship between public service motivation and work stress among U.S. Federal employees?Administrative Sciences, 11(2), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11020037
15.
BruneauM.ChangS. E.EguchiR. T.LeeG. C.O’RourkeT. D.ReinhornA. M.ShinozukaM.TierneyK.WallaceW. A.von WinterfeldtD. (2003). A framework to quantitatively assess and enhance the seismic resilience of Communities. Earthquake Spectra, 19(4), 733–752. https://doi.org/10.1193/1.1623497
16.
BrunettoY.DickT.XerriM.CullyA. (2020). Building capacity in the healthcare sector: A strengths-based approach for increasing employees' wellbeing and organisational resilience. Journal of Management & Organization, 26(3), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2019.53
17.
BrysonJ. M.BerryF. S.KaifengY. A. N. G. (2010). The state of public strategic management research: A selective literature review and set of future directions. American Review of Public Administration, 40(5), 495–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074010370361
ChangA. (2021). Resource stability and federal agency performance. American Review of Public Administration, 51(5), 393–405. https://doi.org/10.1177/02750740211005046
20.
ChengY. D.YuJ.ShenY.HuangB. (2020). Coproducing responses to COVID-19 with community-based organizations: Lessons from Zhejiang Province, China. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 866–873.
21.
ChristensenR. K.PaarlbergL.PerryJ. L. (2017). Public service motivation research: Lessons for practice. Public Administration Review, 77(4), 529–542. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12796
ComfortL. K.BoinA.DemchakC. C. (Eds.) (2010). Designing resilience: Preparing for extreme events. University of Pittsburgh Press.
24.
CronbachL. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
25.
de VilliersC.CerboneD.Van ZijlW. (2020). The South African government's response to COVID-19. Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management, 32(5), 797–811. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbafm-07-2020-0120
26.
Dimitrijevska-MarkoskiT. (2022). Reducing COVID-19 racial disparities: Why some counties make data-driven decisions and others do not?Public Performance & Management Review, 45, 1235–1257. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2022.2101131
27.
Dimitrijevska-MarkoskiT.BreenJ. D.NukpezahJ. A.MobleyR. (2021). Strategic planning and management in small municipalities in Mississippi – Implementation, perceived benefits, and determinants of use. Public Organization Review, 21, 437–452.
28.
Dimitrijevska-MarkoskiT.NukpezahJ. A. (2022). Determinants of network effectiveness: Evidence from a Benchmarking Consortium. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 35(1), 61–75. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm-06-2019-0175
29.
Dimitrijevska-MarkoskiT.NukpezahJ. A. (2023). COVID-19 risk perception and support for COVID-19 mitigation measures among local government officials in the U.S.: A test of a cultural theory of risk. Administration & Society, 55(3), 351–380. https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997221147243
30.
DoubovaS. V.LeslieH. H.KrukM. E.Pérez-CuevasR.ArsenaultC. (2021). Disruption in essential health services in Mexico during COVID-19: An interrupted time series analysis of health information system data. BMJ Global Health, 6(9), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006204
31.
DuitA. (2016). Resilience thinking: Lessons for public administration: Resilience thinking: Lessons for public administration. Public Administration, 94(2), 364–380. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12182
32.
EitelD. F. (2013). Focusing on collaboration techniques. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 23(4), 1007–1013. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mut036
33.
El MasriA.SabzalievaE. (2020). Dealing with disruption, rethinking recovery: Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education. Policy Design and Practice, 3(3), 312–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1813359
34.
EmersonK.NabatchiT.BaloghS. (2012). An integrative framework for collaborative governance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mur011
35.
FredericksenP.LondonR. (2000). Disconnect in the Hollow State: The pivotal role of organizational capacity in community-based development organizations. Public Administration Review, 60(3), 230–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/0033-3352.00083
GrindleM. S.HilderbrandM. E. (1995). Building sustainable capacity in the public sector: What can be done?Public Administration and Development, 15(5), 441–463. https://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230150502
38.
HallJ. L. (2008). Assessing local capacity for federal grant-getting. American Review of Public Administration, 38(4), 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074007311385
39.
HallJ. L. (2017). Performance management: Confronting the challenges for local government. Korean Public Administration Quarterly, 41, 43–66.
40.
HallJ. S. (2002). Reconsidering the connection between capacity and governance. Public Organization Review, 2(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1016071303640
41.
HarmanH. H. (1976). Modern factor analysis. University of Chicago Press.
42.
HenstraD. (2010). Evaluating local government emergency management programs: What framework should public managers adopt?Public Administration Review, 70(2), 236–246. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02130.x
43.
HillmannJ. (2021). Disciplines of organizational resilience: Contributions, critiques, and future research avenues. Review of Managerial Science, 15(4), 879–936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-020-00384-2
44.
HonadleB. W. (1981). A capacity-building framework: A Search for concept and purpose. Public Administration Review, 41(5), 575. https://doi.org/10.2307/976270
HouY.MoynihanD. P.IngrahamP. W. (2003). Capacity, management, and performance: Exploring the links. American Review of Public Administration, 33(3), 295–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074003251651
47.
HuangW.-L.FeeneyM. K. (2016). Citizen participation in local government decision making: The role of manager motivation. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 36(2), 188–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x15576410
48.
JohnsonB. J.GoerdelH. T.LovrichN. P.PierceJ. C. (2015). Social capital and emergency management planning: A test of community context effects on formal and informal collaboration. American Review of Public Administration, 45(4), 476–493. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074013504127
49.
JohnsonD. R.CreechJ. C. (1983). Ordinal measures in multiple indicator models: A simulation study of categorization error. American Sociological Review, 48(3), 398–407.
50.
JreisatJ. E. (2012). Rethinking administrative capacity development: The Arab states. Public Organization Review, 12(2), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-011-0164-5
51.
KapucuN.ArslanT.DemirozF. (2010). Collaborative emergency management and national emergency management network. Disaster Prevention and Management an International Journal, 19, 452–468. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561011070376
52.
KimK.AndrewS. A.JungK. (2021). Building resilient organizations: Organizational resilience as a network outcome. International Journal of Public Administration, 44(15), 1319–1328. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2020.1758720
53.
KlijnE. H.KoppenjanJ. F. M. (2000). Public management and policy networks: Foundations of a network approach to governance. Public Management: An International Journal of Research and Theory, 2(2), 135–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719030000000007
54.
Lengnick-HallC. A.BeckT. E.Lengnick-HallM. L. (2011). Developing a capacity for organizational resilience through strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 21(3), 243–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2010.07.001
55.
LiaoL.WarnerM. E.HomsyG. C. (2019). Sustainability's forgotten third E: What influences local government actions on social equity?Local Environment, 24(12), 1197–1208. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2019.1683725
56.
LiuB.YangK.YuW. (2015). Work-related stressors and health-related outcomes in public service: Examining the role of public service motivation. American Review of Public Administration, 45(6), 653–673. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074014524298
57.
LohC. G. (2015). Conceptualizing and operationalizing planning capacity. State and Local Government Review, 47(2), 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160323x15590689
58.
LucioJ.McFaddenE. (2017). Leveraging resilience: Evidence from the management of senior low-income housing. American Review of Public Administration, 47(6), 661–671. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074015616868
59.
McDonaldB. D.IIILarsonS. E. (2020). Implications of the coronavirus on sales tax revenue and local government fiscal health. Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, 6(3), 377–400. https://doi.org/10.20899/jpna.6.3.377-400
60.
MaherC. S.HoangT.HinderyA. (2020). Fiscal responses to COVID-19: Evidence from local governments and nonprofits. Public Administration Review, 80(4), 644–650. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13238
61.
McCullaghP. (1980). Regression models for ordinal data. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, 42(2), 109–127.
NormanG. (2010). Likert scales, levels of measurement and the laws of statistics. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 15(5), 625–632.
64.
NukpezahJ.AbutabenjehS.AzharA. (2022). Do smart cities technologies contribute to revenue performance? Evidence from US local governments. Public Performance & Management Review, 45(5), 1155–1180. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2022.2076248
65.
NukpezahJ. A. (2019). Opportunities for collaboration and the adoption of local government investment pools. International Journal of Public Administration, 42(10), 799–809. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2018.1520243
66.
NukpezahJ. A.AbutabenjehS. (2018). Institutional isomorphism and cash management practices in Mississippi. Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management, 30(3), 315–334. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbafm-02-2018-0005
67.
NukpezahJ. A.AhmaduA. S. (2022). Political fragmentation, interlocal expenditures, and the adoption of bond banks for joint debt issue. International Journal of Public Administration, 45(10), 773–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2021.1891426
68.
NukpezahJ. A.OvertonM. (2020). Vertical and horizontal tax competition in the USA. In FarazmandA. (Ed.), Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (pp. 1–8). Springer.
69.
ParkS. M.KimM. Y. (2015). Accountability and public service motivation in Korean government agencies. Public Money & Management, 35(5), 357–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2015.1061178
70.
PerryJ. L. (1996). Measuring public service motivation: An assessment of construct reliability and validity. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 6(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a024303
71.
PerryJ. L.HondeghemA. (2008). Building theory and empirical evidence about public service motivation. International Public Management Journal, 11(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967490801887673
72.
PerryJ. L.VandenabeeleW. (2015). Public service motivation research: Achievements, challenges, and future directions. Public Administration Review, 75(5), 692–699. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12430
73.
PerryJ. L.WiseL. R. (1990). The motivational bases of public service. Public Administration Review, 50, 367–373.
74.
PetrovskyN.RitzA. (2014). Public service motivation and performance: A critical perspective. Evidence-based HRM a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 2(1), 57–79. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-07-2013-0020
75.
PettersenK. A.SchulmanP. R. (2019). Drift, adaptation, resilience, and reliability: Toward an empirical clarification. Safety Science, 117, 460–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.03.004
76.
PlimmerG.BermanE. M.MalinenS.FrankenE.NaswallK.KuntzJ.LöfgrenK. (2022). Resilience in public sector managers. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 42(2), 338–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x20985105
77.
PodsakoffP. M.OrganD. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12(4), 531–544.
78.
SchwarzG.EvaN.NewmanA. (2020). Can public leadership increase public service motivation and job performance?Public Administration Review, 80(4), 543–554. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13182
79.
SciulliN.D’OnzaG.GrecoG. (2015). Building a resilient local council: Evidence from flood disasters in Italy. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 28(6), 430–448. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm-11-2014-0139
80.
ShiY.JangH. S.KeyesL.DickeL. (2020). Nonprofit service continuity and responses in the pandemic: Disruptions, ambiguity, innovation, and challenges. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 874–879.
81.
SomersS. (2009). Measuring resilience potential: An adaptive strategy for organizational crisis planning. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 17(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2009.00558.x
82.
SongM.JungK. (2015). Filling the gap between disaster preparedness and response networks of urban emergency management: Following the 2013 Seoul floods. Journal of Emergency Management, 13(4), 327–338.
83.
SoujaaI.NukpezahJ. A.BenavidesA. D. (2021). Coordination effectiveness during public health emergencies: An institutional collective action framework. Administration & Society, 53(7), 1014–1045.
84.
StahelP. F. (2020). How to risk-stratify elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic?Patient Safety in Surgery, 14(1), 8–4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13037-020-00235-9
85.
StarkA. (2014). Bureaucratic values and resilience: An exploration of crisis management adaptation. Public Administration, 92(3), 692–706. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12085
86.
SteinerS. (2010). How important is the capacity of local governments for improvements in welfare? Evidence from decentralised Uganda. Journal of Development Studies, 46(4), 644–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220380903318046
87.
StoutM. (2014). Resilient governance: The many faces of unity. Public Administration Quarterly, 38(2), 273–281.
88.
TermanJ. N.FeiockR. C. (2015). Improving outcomes in fiscal federalism: Local political leadership and administrative capacity. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(4), 1059–1080. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu027
ToubølJ.CarlsenH. B.NielsenM. H.BrinckerB. (2023). Mobilizing to take responsibility: Exploring the relationship between sense of community responsibility (SOC-R), public service motivation (PSM) and public service resilience during covid-19. Public Management Review, 25(4), 836–857. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.2018847
91.
VandenabeeleW.BrewerG. A.RitzA. (2014). Past, present, and future of public service motivation research. Public Administration, 92(4), 779–789. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12136
92.
WalkerB.GundersonL.KinzigA.FolkeC.CarpenterS.SchultzL. (2006). A handful of heuristics and some propositions for understanding resilience in social-ecological systems. Ecology and Society, 11(1), art13. https://doi.org/10.5751/es-01530-110113
93.
WaughW. L.HyR. J. (1988). The administrative, fiscal, and policymaking capacities of county governments. State and Local Government Review, 20(1), 28–31.
94.
WildavskyA. B. (1988). Searching for safety. Transaction publishers.
95.
WrightB. E.HassanS.ChristensenR. K. (2017). Job choice and performance: Revisiting core assumptions about public service motivation. International Public Management Journal, 20(1), 108–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2015.1088493
96.
ZhangF.StritchJ. M.WelchE. W. (2020). Tension in democratic administration: Does managerial confidence in administrative capacity reduce citizen participation in organizational decision-making?Public Administration, 98(3), 675–695. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12645
97.
ZhaoZ.GuoH. (2011). Management capacity and state municipal bond ratings: Evidence with the GPP grades. American Review of Public Administration, 41(5), 562–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074010384718 (Jerry) (David).
