Quasi-Contractual Ministerial Steering of State Agencies: Its Intensity, Modes, and How Agency Characteristics Matter

This article demonstrates the value of conceptualizing four ideal types when studying ministries' contract steering of state agencies-relational, double-whammy, performance, and behavioral steering-each defined by its combination of input- and output-oriented steering. In the system under study-Norway-about half of all agencies are subjected to steering with a clear profile; the other half are not. The two profiles often dismissed or overlooked in existing research-relational and double-whammy steering-are most common. Thus, introducing a contract regime has not meant a clear shift from input to output control, as posited by some. Most agency characteristics under study-size, age, political salience, and tasks-have significant effects on the likelihood that an agency is subjected to one type of steering or another. Still, the analysis suggests that agency-level characteristics constrain ministerial choice about which steering to practice only to a limited extent.