Performing change: the institutional logics of internal restructuring in the public sector
通过分析新西兰公共服务部门356个重组案例，揭示重组如何被用作改革表演，而非推动实际运营变革，对公共管理者和政策制定者有警示意义。
What does the practice of internal organizational restructuring reveal about the institutional logics that shape public sector reform? This study examines 356 restructuring cases in New Zealand’s public service (2018–2021) through a narrative analysis of formal consultation documents. It identifies how restructures are framed through symbolic rhetoric, implemented without supporting practices, and used to exercise managerial discretion. Rather than driving operational change, restructuring appears as a performance of reform, shaped by overlapping logics of managerialism, institutional routine, and discretionary authority. These findings raise critical questions about the effectiveness, accountability, and normative legitimacy of restructuring in contemporary public governance.