How personnel allocation affects performance: Evidence from Brazil's federal protected areas agency

Abstract

Abstract Many government agencies operate with fewer personnel than they need to perform effectively. Yet little research has explored how agencies might allocate their personnel so as to maximize performance with the personnel they have. I address this gap through a study of Brazil's federal protected areas agency, which manages the world's third largest system of conservation areas. Based on 66 interviews and econometric analyses covering 322 administrative units, I find that three moderators influence the relationship between sub‐unit size and performance: the size of a sub‐unit's jurisdiction, a sub‐unit's likelihood of near‐term failure, and the strength of a sub‐unit's ties with local stakeholders. Personnel re‐allocation strategies informed by these factors may have reduced deforestation on the order of 26% over the agency's first decade. This study contributes a framework for analyzing the efficacy of personnel allocation strategies, with implications for management of one of the world's greatest natural assets.