Contract Consulting's Hidden Agenda

Abstract

In recent years state and local governments have relied increasingly on a silent partner—the contract consultant—who is neither accountable nor responsive to democratic control. After discussing the rise in government consulting, this article suggests that the hiring of consultants is frequently motivated by a hidden agenda: The quest for legitimacy. On the basis of brief case histories of contract consulting, we argue that legitimacy comes as much from the consultancy process as from the substance of an expert's final report or specific recommendations. Using three additional cases, we indicate that reliance on the consultancy process can give rise to the increased effectiveness of “counter-consultants” that insurgent organizations may use to combat corporate or governmental adversaries.