The influence of regulative contents, stakeholders, and formalization on managerial autonomy perceived at the front line

Reforms of deregulation have aimed to increase managerial autonomy of frontline managers with varying success. The article investigates the link between regulation and managerial autonomy by matching a panel of content coding of local regulation (N = 194) to a panel survey with five waves (n = 2,332) measuring perceived managerial autonomy of school managers in Denmark. The findings show no link between the specific content of the regulation and perceived managerial autonomy, whereas unilaterally decided regulation and formalized regulation decrease managerial autonomy. The results underline the regulatory process matter for frontline managers’ perception of autonomy.