Reasons for Bureaucracy in the Management of Portuguese Public Enterprise Hospitals – An Institutional Logics Perspective

Costa Oliveira, Helena; Lima Rodrigues, Lúcia; Craig, Russell

Abstract

There is widespread perception that bureaucracy is omnipresent in Portuguese health care management. This is despite bureaucracy being heavily deprecated. This paper addresses this dissonance by studying the Portuguese Public Enterprise Entity Hospitals context. It seeks to understand how a bureaucratic approach prevails. The study is based on document analysis and extends the Institutional Logics Perspective to the health care context. Three institutional logics were observed: State, community, and profession. The need to resolve conflicts between the different logics induces a neo-bureaucratic approach to management. This paper contributes by identifying the institutional drivers of bureaucratic logic in health care settings.

Citation

Costa Oliveira, H., Lima Rodrigues, L., & Craig, R. (2023). Reasons for Bureaucracy in the Management of Portuguese Public Enterprise Hospitals – An Institutional Logics Perspective. International Journal of Public Administration, 46(5), 344-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2021.1995748

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 11, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 10, 2021
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: May 10, 2023
• Journal: International Journal of Public Administration
• Print ISSN: 0190-0692
• Electronic ISSN: 1532-4265
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 46
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 344-353
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2021.1995748
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1218008