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...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the links between contractual governance and performance measurement in a value network for public service business, in the context of public transport, by positing service‐dominant logic (S‐D logic) as an alternative paradigm to the...

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...

What is contractual governance in a scenario of performance management? When approached from a static viewpoint, contracting is largely connected with the securing of resources, thus acquiring a capacity focus. In this article, we focus on contractual governance as a part of performance...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the applicability of care quality concepts as contract award criteria for public procurement of health and social care, using the case of Sweden. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review, European and Swedish legal texts,...

What is contractual governance in a scenario of performance management? When approached from a static viewpoint, contracting is largely connected with the securing of resources, thus acquiring a capacity focus. In this article, we focus on contractual governance as a part of performance...

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...