Governing through Consultants: How does Central Government Agency Use of Private Consultants Impact Public Values?

The purpose of this project is to explore an understudied part of public sector use of private consultants: the contracting in of consultant services. Contracted in consultants work side-by-side with public servants within public organizations.

As legal requirements on public and private sector employees differ in the Swedish context, the ‘contracting in’ means that two value-systems and cultures meet and mix. Well-functioning public sector institutions are key to create and uphold legitimacy in democratic government.

Contracting in private consultants is increasing in Swedish central government agencies, a development spurred by possible gains in efficiency and flexibility. Hence, we need to know more about the possible consequences for other public values, and for democratic governance.

The aim of the project is to investigate how non-financial values associated with public service and our public ethos, such as e.g. legality, transparency and accountability, are affected as consultants are hired to work within Swedish central government agencies.

We use a mixed method-design including novel survey data, content analysis of agency policies and semi-structured interviews.

The focus is on measures taken to integrate consultants into the norms of the public sector workplace, as well as on similarities and differences in the role conceptions and public service motivations of consultants and public servants in the same public workplace.