Determinants of Bureaucratic Turnover Intention: Evidence from the Department of the Treasury

Posted: 17 Jul 2008

See all articles by Anthony M. Bertelli

Anthony M. Bertelli

Pennsylvania State University; Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals - IBEI

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 2007

Abstract

This study employs a novel statistical strategy to examine the determinants of turnover intention in government service. To appropriately measure a main determinant of turnover intention - functional preferences - I estimate an ordinal item response model using data from the Federal Human Capital Survey. The sample is selected to facilitate an important comparison: the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has undergone significant performance-based pay reforms for supervisors, but not for nonsupervisors, whereas the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), also a subunit of the U.S. Treasury, has not. Inferential models of turnover intention reveal among other things that functional and friendship solidary preferences are important determinants of turnover intention, but increased accountability is associated with greater turnover among subordinates. IRS supervisors, who face paybanding, are significantly less likely to consider leaving than their counterparts in the OCC, who do not face such incentives.

Suggested Citation

Bertelli, Anthony M., Determinants of Bureaucratic Turnover Intention: Evidence from the Department of the Treasury (April 2007). Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 17, Issue 2, pp. 235-258, 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1161793 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mul003

Anthony M. Bertelli (Contact Author)

Pennsylvania State University ( email )

University Park, PA 16802-3306
United States

HOME PAGE: http://tonybertelli.com

Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals - IBEI ( email )

Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27
Barcelona, Barcelona 08005
Spain

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