Date of Conferral

7-16-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Lori Salgado

Abstract

Strong, capable public service systems are essential to meeting society's needs, and perceptions of public-service performance indicate how people ultimately respond to and value public sector systems and performance. While the literature documented the perspectives of public service employees and citizens, and found that they generally believed that public service was inefficient and ineffective due to excessive bureaucracy, autocratic leadership, and political influence, little was known about the perspectives of other stakeholders who participate in or are affected by the public service performance process. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to bridge the knowledge gap by gathering Bahamian Human Resource Practitioners' (HRPs) perspectives of public service performance, with the goal of identifying factors that might reverse the documented trend of negative perceptions. The research question focused on identifying and evaluating the reasons for HRPs' perceptions of public service performance. The conceptual framework for this study was Christopher Hood's new public management theory. Data from eight semistructured interviews were coded and categorized using thematic analysis and constant comparison, yielding four themes. Results indicated that excessive bureaucracy and political influence negatively affect public service performance, whereas participatory leadership styles and modern management approaches yield positive outcomes. Participants also shared 19 key performance indicators that may help public managers improve public service performance. The results of this study can be used to promote positive social change by informing program and policy changes to increase public trust in public sector services.

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