Management by Results: Its Origin and Development in the Case of the Swedish State

The paper discusses the origin and development of management by results in Swedish state administration. The historical presence and stability of this political institution is analyzed. It is argued that it can be traced to program budgeting, which was introduced in the early 1960s, and that the institution has been marked by a high degree of stability. An attempt is made to explain the constancy of the steering model. The question is brought to the fore by the fact that the learning process has failed in several respects. The course of events is explained from a historical-institutional perspective and different theories of bureaucratic power. It is asserted that different initial decisions made in connection to the introduction of program budgeting created different positive feedbacks, which were to have stabilizing effects on the institution.