Purpose This paper aims to explore how governance and accountability in municipal corporations (MCs) are dynamically negotiated. It proposes the Straussian package – comprising negotiated order theory, social worlds and arenas – as an analytical lens to capture the fluid, multi-actor processes in these hybrid public organizations. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative, interpretive approach. Using the historical case of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline in the 19th century as an illustrative example, the paper illustrates how accountability and governance issues can be co-constructed through negotiations involving multiple actors belonging to different social worlds. Findings By adopting the Straussian package, the role of the ongoing, context-dependent negotiations between actors navigating overlapping roles and shifting alliances is shown. The analysis illustrates how strategic maneuvering, social interaction, and structural constraints jointly shaped accountability and governance in a politicized, technical and public value-driven environment. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a historical, illustrative case, and while it demonstrates the analytical value of the framework, further research in contemporary contexts is needed. Originality/value This paper adds to the growing literature on MCs by exploring the potential of the Straussian package as a framework for analyzing how governance arrangements are enacted and renegotiated in practice. It contributes to emerging work on the complexities of hybrid public organizations and offers a dynamic alternative to static, top-down models of governance.
Özgün Imre (Wed,) studied this question.