More Specialization, More Coordination? Evidence From Local Public Service Delivery in Norway

ABSTRACT Governments specialize their work by dividing tasks among organizational units. Because specialization creates a demand for coordination among tasks that are interdependent, governments are also expected to provide more coordination when specialization is higher. Although this challenge is pertinent in local service delivery, it is rarely studied systematically. This article examines whether the extent of local governments' coordination practices relates to their level of specialization, focusing on the number and breadth of coordination instruments that local governments use, that is, their scope of coordination. The article employed multilevel regression to analyze unique survey data obtained from operational managers ( N = 1448) working in 250 Norwegian local governments. The results show that horizontal specialization is positively but weakly correlated with the scope of coordination, while agencification is not. These findings reaffirm that specialization shapes coordination practices but also highlight that motivational issues can hinder coordination, even when it could be beneficial.