Making Public Sector Mergers Work

Mergers and consolidations of government agencies and departments raise significant policy and management dilemmas for public sector leaders. This research project examines the theory and practice of public sector mergers at the federal and state levels with two main goals: (1) to provide broad guidance to policy makers on how to analyze proposed mergers, (2) give practical advice to agency and department managers on how to respond to the many challenges created when several independent public organizations suddenly become one. The project creates an analytic framework and set of recommendations for public sector leaders who find themselves at the center of government merger environment.