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Policy dissonance and executive preferences: Implications for reform

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Abstract

Services of mental health and related agencies have been subjected to extensive criticism in recent years. Reformers have suggested that agencies should place more emphasis upon prevention, outreach, and crisis-oriented services and that more use should be made of planning, research, and citizen contributions. Insufficient attention has been given, however, to staff attitudes toward these reforms to ascertain whether they favor or oppose them. Policy orientations of 167 top executives are utilized to develop a methodology and theory for analyzing reform activity within human services agencies.

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Additional information

This research was partially funded by the Faculty Research Fund of the University of Southern California. The author acknowledges the collaboration of Professor Samuel H. Taylor in data collection. Bruce S. Jansson is Associate Professor at the School of Social Work of the University of Southern California.

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Jansson, B.S. Policy dissonance and executive preferences: Implications for reform. Administration in Mental Health 7, 175–186 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00820520

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