Summary:

Public organizations are compound bodies characterized by competing endogenous
dynamics of governance. This study makes two main contributions. First, it contributes
to an organizational approach to studies of public policy and administration by conceptualizing compound agency governance. Second, by determining how variation in agency
governance reflects endogenous organizational factors. Based on a study of the
Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), two observations are
highlighted: Firstly, DSA staff are torn between two competing behavioural logics: A
governmental and a transnational logic. Moreover, portfolios of core state powers are
more closely monitored by parent ministries than portfolios that relate to non-core
state powers. Secondly, the study suggests that organizational factors are vital determents in balancing behavioral logics in agency governance.