<title>Abstract</title> The introduction of market-inspired organizational models in the public sector has emphasized the value of decentralized forms of co-ordination and control, notably demand-driven resource allocation. However, the perceived requirement to correct for aggregate effects of user optimization has underpinned reforms that separate public service provision and assessment of service needs. How, then, do organizations operating in different functional areas practise the notion of fair and reasonable needs assessment? And how can these practices be understood in relation to the focus on responsiveness to user preferences? This topic is investigated by comparing two Swedish government agencies, operating in the fields of development aid and healthcare. A comparison of the organizations’ work informs a discussion about the impact of organizational setting and process logic on decisions concerning intervention, specifically as regards the definition and delimitation of the scale and scope of relevant needs to be addressed.
