The Intensity of Organizational Transitions in Government: Comparing Patterns in Developed and Developing Countries

Abstract

Organisational transitions in governments have long been discussed in the literature. While, more recently, organisational life cycle changes between birth and death have been the focus of research, a systematic comparison of organisational transitions across countries has barely been initiated. We aim to bridge this gap in the literature by providing comparative metrics for organisational transitions, which could be later enriched with structural data from researchers working in this domain. Termination literature mainly hails from the West, wherein this article brings in Pakistan’s developing context – long considered a terra incognita in comparative research – and breaks new analytical ground by comparing the intensity of organisational transitions in Pakistan with those of developed countries. The lack of vivid variance in the intensity of transitions among developing and developed countries, raises interesting questions as to the relationship between the intensity of structural reform and administrative performance. The article thereby seeks to encourage future comparative research.