The Impact of the Great Recession on County Human Service Organizations: A Cross Case Analysis

Abstract

**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: An exploratory qualitative study examined the experiences of eleven county human service agencies’ as they embarked upon the budget reduction process during the years of the Great Recession, from 2008 to 2013. Through the analysis of 46 individual retrospective interviews with high level leadership in each organization, principles and values that guided decisions are identified. The study finds decision making strategies, including engagement with stakeholders, tactics employed for balancing the budget, and attempts to evaluate the success of such procedures and practices through the reflections of informants. Environmental and organizational factors that facilitated and constrained success are also reported. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.