Unintended Consequences of Public Sector Reforms (PSRs) and Institutional Characteristics: the Case of Sri Lankan Water Board

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the implementation of public sector reforms in Sri Lankan Water Board. It is clear that significance effort has gone into design of ideal PSRs, less efforts have largely been extended to investigate the context in which system could be used. I used explanatory case study approach to collect and analyze data. Data were collected from sources, namely, archival documents and interviews. The theoretical lens used to inform the findings in this case study is the institutional theory. It was found that a significant gap between what was designed and what was implemented. Thus, exiting PSRs in WB does not measure what has to be measured in line with directing the organization to achieve its purpose due to the power struggle among three different groups of the organization.
Key Words: Public sector Reforms, Institutional Pressure, Institutional Theory