Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how contracts are used to build and develop long‐term relationships in contexts where trust cannot be expected in advance – i.e. there is a lack of initial trust. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a qualitative...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significance of contracts in long‐term relationship building comparing public and private contexts. In order to investigate this, the paper addresses literature about relationship building, negotiation process and the role of...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create knowledge about what factors explain the design of control systems for contracted public services. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire data analyzed with structural equation models. Findings – Legitimacy-seeking is the most important...