Dag Ingvar Jacobsen

• Blåka, Sara & Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2023). Does shared service delivery affect cost? A study of the cost-capacity relation in Norwegian local child protection services. Journal of Economic Policy Reform. ISSN 1748-7870. doi: 10.1080/17487870.2023.2281645. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Intermunicipal cooperation is often seen as a means to increase capacity and reap economic benefits of scale. Prior research, however, shows that the effects of shared service delivery diverge, leaving scholars and practitioners to question whether, under what conditions and at what expense effects of cooperation manifest. Using a panel dataset on child protection services, we analyze how cooperation affects the cost-capacity relation. The results show that cooperation increases cost. This increase is only partly explained by investments in service capacity, indicating that there are significant transaction costs linked to cooperation as a mode of production.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Fjelde, Viktoria-Anastasia Staurland (2023). Part-time work and sickness absence - an organization-level analysis. BMC Public Health. ISSN 1471-2458. 23(1). doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17189-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Absenteeism is consistently higher in public than in private organizations, as is the use of part-time employment. The aim of this study is to identify whether there is a relationship between part-time work and sickness absence at the organizational level. Methods The data is a six-year panel for the full population of Norwegian municipalities (N=422), linking objective register data on both part-time employment and sickness absence. Using OLS regression with fixed effects for municipality and time, we estimate the statistical effects of the municipalities’ use of part-time work on sickness absence. Results The bivariate correlation between percentage position at the municipal level and percentage sickness absence is positive and significant (Pearson’s r=.25, sig LE 0.01). When controlling for fixed effects for municipality and time, as well as municipality economy, municipality size, ratio of female employees in the municipality and characteristics of the general population, the multivariate regression coefficient is still positive but insignificant (coefficient=1.56, robust standard error=1.31). Conclusions The main findings are that the organizations’ use of part-time work is unrelated to sickness absence indicating that organizations with extensive use of part-time work do not experience higher levels of absenteeism than those having less extensive use of part-time employees.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2023). Political fragmentation and “The purple zone”: how party fragmentation affects political–administrative relations. Local Government Studies. ISSN 0300-3930. doi: 10.1080/03003930.2023.2264798. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A good cooperative relationship between politics and administration is essential to good governance and efficient decision making in public organisations. This study of the cooperative relationship is based on the notion that politics and administration is intertwined, making interaction between politicians and administrators necessary. The study focuses on how political fragmentation affects cooperative relations between politics and administration. Using data from both Norwegian mayors and municipal directors (436 respondents from 303 municipalities), the effects of three different types of political fragmentation are investigated: number of political parties in council and the steering coalition, the Laakso-Taagepera index, and ideological distance between parties. The findings indicate that cooperative relationships get worse with increasing ideological distance and improves with political fragmentation in the council under the conditions of divided government (political parties in the steering coalition spanning both sides of the left–right dimensions). Implications for the study of political–administrative relations are discussed.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Trondal, Jarle (2023). Institutional geography: effects of physical distance on agency autonomy. International Review of Administrative Sciences. ISSN 0020-8523. doi: 10.1177/00208523231164072. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Establishing government agencies outside ministerial departments is frequently justified by a need to safeguard agency autonomy. In addition to ‘formal agencification’, that is, erecting formal barriers between agencies and ministries, agencies are also frequently (re)located physically distant from ministries to both signal and strengthen agency autonomy. However, we know little of the effects of physical location and distance on agency autonomy. Using two large surveys from 2006 and 2016, this study examines how geographical location and distance affect agency autonomy. Our study establishes that agency autonomy is only weakly associated with physical location and distance, and is much less important than political salience. Whereas a conventional claim is that agency autonomy may be strengthened by physically (re)locating agencies at arm's length distance from the core executive, our study suggests that physical (re)location represents an ineffective administrative policy design-tool when applied to agency autonomy.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2022). Room for leadership? A comparison of perceived managerial job autonomy in public, private and hybrid organizations. International Public Management Journal. ISSN 1096-7494. doi: 10.1080/10967494.2022.2077491. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The study contributes to our knowledge of leadership in public organizations on three specific areas. First, it is a unique exploration of whether managers in publicly owned organizations perceive less job autonomy than managers in privately owned and hybrid organizations. Hybrid organizations are defined in two categories: shareholder companies with both public and private owners, and public companies (organizations selling their products or services, but publicly owned). Second, the study investigates possible mechanisms - more specifically formalization and professionalization - through which organizational ownership (public, private, and hybrid) is assumed to affect managerial autonomy. Finally, the study incorporates important confounding variables – first and foremost size (number of employees), task (technology), and hierarchical level - missing from many other comparisons of public and private organizations. The main findings support the notion that perceived managerial autonomy in publicly owned organizations is lower than in both hybrid and private organization. These differences are not, however, explained by differences in formalization and professionalization.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar; Baldersheim, Harald & Kühn, Nadja Sophia Bekkelund (2021). Professional autonomy or political loyalty? How Norwegian Chief Municipality Officers handles the balance between profession and politics. Norsk Statsvitenskapelig Tidsskrift. ISSN 0801-1745. 37(4), p. 210–225. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-2936-2021-04-04. Full text in Research Archive
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2021). Organisasjonsdesign - den fysiske dimensjonen. In Blindheim, Bjørn-Tore; Klemsdal, Lars & Røvik, Kjell Arne (Ed.), Design av organisasjon. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215051727. p. 70–82.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2021). Motivational Differences? Comparing Private, Public and Hybrid Organizations. Public Organization Review. ISSN 1566-7170. 21, p. 561–575. doi: 10.1007/s11115-021-00511-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Blåka, Sara; Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Morken, Tone (2021). Service quality and the optimum number of members in intermunicipal cooperation: The case of emergency primary care services in Norway. Public Administration. ISSN 0033-3298. doi: 10.1111/padm.12785. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Intermunicipal cooperation (IMC) is often used as a mean to reap scale benefits. Most studies on the effects of IMC focus on cost savings, while service quality is overlooked. In this study, the focus is set on input quality in a service characterized by high asset specificity and need for redundancy: emergency primary care. We analyze how mode of governance affect performance by (1) measuring whether IMC versus single-municipal production affects input quality and (2) identifying optimum scale of operation; effect of the number of participants in the cooperation on input quality. The findings indicate that cooperation weakens the input quality of medical workforce, but that this negative effect is balanced out as the number of participants increases, indicating that cooperation needs to reach a certain size to achieve optimum scale of operation. Concerning equipment, both cooperation in general and an increasing number of participants decrease the input quality.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Johnsen, Åge (2020). Alignment of strategy and structure in local government. Public Money & Management. ISSN 0954-0962. 40(4), p. 276–284. doi: 10.1080/09540962.2020.1715093. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Strategic positioning and structural alignment in the public sector is a neglected area of research. This paper analyses the strategic positions of prospectors, defenders and reactors and structural alignment in Norwegian municipalities. Top managers responding to a survey perceived that the municipalities did align their organizational structures to the strategic positions for prospectors and defenders, but not for reactors, as hypothesized, but these relationships were modest. The top managers often found it difficult to provide consistent responses on their organizations’ choices of strategic positions.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2019). Mellomledelse - en spesiell form for ledelse? Magma forskning og viten. ISSN 1500-0788. 22(1), p. 46–54.
• Zyzak, Barbara & Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2019). External managerial networking in meta-organizations. Evidence from regional councils in Norway. Public Management Review. ISSN 1471-9037. 22(9), p. 1347–1367. doi: 10.1080/14719037.2019.1632922.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Fjeldbraaten, Elin M (2019). Exploring the Links Between Part-Time Employment and Absenteeism: the Mediating Roles of Organizational Commitment and Work-Family Conflict. Public Organization Review. ISSN 1566-7170. p. 1–15. doi: 10.1007/s11115-018-00437-x.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar; Hillestad, Tore; Yttri, Birgitte & Hildrum, Jarle (2018). Alternative routes to innovation - The effects of cultural and structural fit. International Journal of Innovation Management. ISSN 1363-9196. doi: 10.1142/S1363919620500061.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Fjeldbraaten, Elin M (2018). Shift work and sickness absence-the mediating roles of work-home conflict and perceived health. Human Resource Management. ISSN 0090-4848. 57(5), p. 1145–1157. doi: 10.1002/hrm.21894.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Kiland, Charlotte (2017). Success With a Bitter Aftertaste: Success Factors in Inter-Municipal Cooperation. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration (SPJA). ISSN 2001-7405. 21(4), p. 53–76. Full text in Research Archive
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2017). Democratic effects of inter-municipal cooperation: Equal effects for all? In Trondal, Jarle (Eds.), The Rise of Common Political Order. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 978-1-78643-499-9. p. 217–232. doi: 10.4337/9781786435002.00020.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2017). Governance at the local level: A Research agenda on cross-boundary coordination. In Trondal, Jarle (Eds.), The Rise of Common Political Order. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 978-1-78643-499-9. p. 197–216. doi: 10.4337/9781786435002.00019.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2017). Publicness as an antecedent of transformational leadership: the case of Norway. International Review of Administrative Sciences. ISSN 0020-8523. 83(1), p. 23–42. doi: 10.1177/0020852315575000.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Adopting and Refining e-services — the Role of Organization Size. Public Organization Review. ISSN 1566-7170. 18(1), p. 111–123. doi: 10.1007/s11115-016-0364-0.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Skollevold, Ann Sherin (2016). Presidentialisation on the executive arena at the local level? The case of Norway 1992-2012. Zarządzanie Publiczne. ISSN 1898-3529. 35(1), p. 7–19. doi: 10.15678/ZP.2016.35.1.01.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Regional governance networks: Filling in or hollowing out? Scandinavian Political Studies. ISSN 0080-6757. 38(2), p. 115–136. doi: 10.1111/1467-9477.12037.

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• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2022). Hvordan gjennomføre undersøkelser? (4. utgave). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 978-82-02-72730-7. 447 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2022). Interkommunalt samarbeid i Norge. Former, funksjoner og effekter (2. utgave). Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 978-82-450-4008-1. 236 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Thorsvik, Jan (2019). Hvordan organisasjoner fungerer (5. utgave). Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 978-82-450-2524-8. 563 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2019). Ledelse og den offentlige dimensjon. En sammenligning av ledere i offentlige og private organisasjoner. . Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 978-82-450-2682-5. 211 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Postholm, May Britt (2018). Forskningsmetode for masterstudenter i lærerutdanning. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 978-82-02-57586-1. 300 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2018). Organisasjonsendring og endringsledelse (3. utgave). Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 978-82-450-2492-0. 288 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Engangsorganisasjonen. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 978-82-450-2101-1. 180 p.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Hvordan gjennomføre undersøkelser? Innføring i samfunnsvitenskapelig metode. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 978-82-02-48188-9. 432 p.

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• George, Bert; Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar; Johanson, Jan-Erik; Johnsen, Åge & Pekkola, Elias (2021). User acceptance of strategic planning: evidence from Northern European municipalities.
• George, Bert; Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar; Johanson, Jan-Erik; Johnsen, Åge & Pekkola, Elias (2019). Making Strategic Planning Work: A Cross-Country Analysis in Flemish, Norwegian and Finnish Municipalities.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Beskyldes for å blande sammen rollene. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Hva skjedde med USA? Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Nesten halve landbruksmakta bor i Oslo. [Newspaper]. Nationen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Politikere mangler rolleforståelse. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Kommunal rapport.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Kritisk til ansettelse av ny organisasjonssjef. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Lite klokt av rådmannen. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Her er ekspertrådene. [Newspaper]. Sandnesposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Slutten kan være begynnelsen. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Benekter personlig lobbyisme. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Manglende kunnskap i kommunedebatten? Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.). ISSN 0804-3116.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Folkets røst? Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Forvirrende å kalle det avis. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Forstår ikke hemmeligholdet. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Yngste er mest imot. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Ikke helt uvanlig. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Kommunesammenslåing for dummies. [Radio]. KRS247.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Ikke typisk for bare Frp. [TV]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Halloooo? Er det noen sørlendinger her? [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Storkommune og bydelskommune. Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Ikkje endringar i ei eventuell storkommune. [Radio]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). De ber om trøbbel. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Duket for omkamp om sammenslåing. [Newspaper]. Nationen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Kaotisk på overtid. [Newspaper]. nationen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). kommunar klare for omkamp. [Newspaper]. Hallingdølen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Vurderer nye runder - kommunereformen. [Newspaper]. Aura avis.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Ekspert mener Skisland burde vært mer åpen. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Lite klokt av råådmannen. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Ikke undervurder startfasen. [Newspaper]. Ukeavisen ledelse.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2016). Revisjonen frikjenner rådmannen. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Organisasjonsendring og endringsledelse.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Innføring i prosjekteringsledelse - ledelse av et prosjekteringsteam.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Det verste fra to verdener. Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Ikke skremt av Høyres fall. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). To års muntlig dialog - ikke ett referat i arkivet. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Vanskelig med ett tog når partipolitiske saker frontes. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Debatten blir mer opplyst. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Djupedal og Harberg klare favoritter. [Radio]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Søker fritak på grunn av samvittighet. [Newspaper]. Arendals Tidende.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Storfavorittene vraket som fylkesmann. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Den store overraskelsen. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Professor: Uvanlig å ikke forlenge engasjement for sittende fylkesmann. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). AP-politikere gir ros til den blå-blå regjeringen. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Fikk forbønn for tøff politisk uke. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Kandidater på valgliste mot sin vilje. [Newspaper]. Lyngdals avis.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Har ikke hørt noe lignende. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). AP vil gå fram og Høyre tilbake. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Frivillighetens pris. Dagens næringsliv. ISSN 0803-9372. p. 36–36.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). 44,8 % til sittende ordfører. [TV]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). AP seierherre i Mandal. [Radio]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). AP størst, men forstatt borgerlig flertall. [Internet]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Kraftig tilbake, men fortsatt størst. Valgresultatet i Lillesand. [Internet]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Dette ble tight - valgresultatet i Kristiansand og Arendal. [Radio]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). AP har gjort et brakvalg på Sørlandet. [Radio]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). POlitisk utfordrende. [Newspaper]. Lindesnes.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Kun halvparten stemte. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Man bør avspeile befolkningen. [Newspaper]. Agderposten.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Kontekstuell organisasjonsatferd. Innledning til Rules and the institutionalization of action. In Karlsen, Jan Erik (Eds.), Veivisere i norsk organisasjonsforskning. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 978-82-450-1871-4.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2015). Anarkiske beslutningsmodeller. Innledning til "A garbage can model of organizational choice". In Karlsen, Jan Erik (Eds.), Veivisere i norsk organisasjonsforskning. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 978-82-450-1871-4. p. 103–107.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Trenger flere i lokalpolitikken. [Internet]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Fryktar for arbeidsplassane i Aust-Agder. [TV]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Sånn har det vært i Valle i alle år. [TV]. NRK.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Ny måling: Flest vil ha Høyre-ordfører, men AP er størst. [Internet]. NRK Sørlandet.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Mener ordfører presser gjennom nytt asylmottak. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Bør betale selv. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen.
• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar (2014). Kommunesammenslåing - argumenter for og mot.
• Blåka, Sara; Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Geys, Benny (2022). Cooperation is no Panacea: Inter-municipal Cooperation, Service Delivery, and the Optimum Scale of Operation. A Study of how Cooperation Affects Performance in Local Service Delivery. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 978-82-8427-077-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) is one of the most widely-used organizational alternatives in local governments’ attempts to adapt to ever-increasing demands for high quality and cost-efficient services. Although IMC is widespread, studies of its effects are largely lacking. The existing studies show contradicting results, causing more and more scholars to ask what determines whether or not cooperation is successful. This study contributes to filling this gap by asking, when and how shared service delivery is beneficial. The study’s empirical work is constituted of four separate articles. Each article uses one specific service as an empirical case for analyzing the effects cooperation on one or two distinct dimensions of performance. Together, these studies provide an empirical ground for comparing and discussing how the effects of cooperation may depend on cooperation size and tasks characteristics.

• Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar; Baldersheim, Harald; Hye, Linda; Kühn, Nadja Sophia Bekkelund; Nguyen Duy, Iris & Elgueta, Nichole Makarena Silva [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Styrket lederskap i kommunal sektor - gjeldende rett, roller og rolleforståelse mellom folkevalgte og kommunedirektør. Universitetet i Agder.
• Johnsen, Åge; Desmidt, Sebastian; George, Bert; Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar & Johanson, Jan-Erik (2017). Using Strategic Planning in Local Government. EGPA Policy Paper No. 3. European Group of Public Adminstration (EGPA).

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