When Accreditation Standards Change: Factors Affecting Differential Responsiveness of Public and Private Organizations

Abstract

We examine how technical and institutional factors affect the responsiveness of public and private organizations to a change in accreditation standards. We found that market niche and ties to an accrediting organization affected the responsiveness of both types of organizations. However, technical factors (potential economic gains from accreditation) had a greater effect on the responsiveness of private organizations, and institutional factors (diffusion through both social cohesion and structural equivalence) had a greater effect on the responsiveness of public organizations.