Interorganizational Competition and Government Competitiveness: The Case of the Korean Central Government*

This study introduces the concept of government competitiveness to the public management literature. Government competitiveness involves an effective, value-oriented utilization of resources in order to provide services that can lead to economic and social development. It is argued that, overall, government competitiveness is the outcome of both coordination and cooperation among key industries and competition between them, as each strives to secure for itself a greater share of resources and legitimacy. This hypothesis is tested using a novel measurement method of government competitiveness that incorporates both a subjective and objective dimension of competitiveness obtained from a national survey of civil servants as well as performance rankings from the Korean prime minister’s office. In addition to finding that interorganizational competition enhances overall competitiveness, this study also finds that performance management, goal clarity, and innovative climate all influence government competitiveness. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed in detail.