The recent shift away from reactive to creative public policy management has caused considerable problems in Central and Eastern Europe. This book questions whether public management reforms as applied in OECD countries can make a real contribution to establishing new forms of public management in Central and Eastern Europe. The book defines the main problems facing public administrations in transitional countries and provides a comparative evaluation of the relevance for these countries of reform measures undertaken in OECD states. In the first part an historical perspective on the role of the state in Europe is presented. Parts two and three present country case studies which focus on the key areas of public management and the attempts made to address its current problems. The case studies describe the constitutional and political framework in which the system of public management operates and present a critical analysis of ongoing reform processes. They focus on reforms at the central government level, changes in local-central government relations, and the high profile areas of health and education policy. The authors look at the characteristics of the policy process, financial and human resource management and the accountability system. In conclusion, they question whether models of public administration and strategies for reform applied in Western capitalist economic systems, can really provide solutions to the particular problems of Central and Eastern Europe, or whether those problems might be aggravated by copying Western models and strategies. Innovations in Public Management will be welcomed by policy makers and practitioners in both Western Europe and OECD countries as well as those working in transitional countries through its fresh comparative approach and analysis of the real applicability of reform strategies. It will also be welcomed by academics and students interested in public administration, public policy and government.

Originally presented at a Conference on Labor in Nonprofit Industry and Government held at Princeton University, these studies are the first to provide an economic discussion of the public sector labor market. Melvin Reder examines the effect of the absence of the profit motive on employment and wage determination in the public sector. Orley Ashenfelter and Ronald Ehrenberg estimate the elasticities of demand for various types of labor employed by state and local governments. Theoretical ideas about behavior in nonprofit industries are employed by Richard Freeman to study the higher education industry. John Burton and Charles Krider try to predict the incidence of strikes in the public sector, while Donald Frey presents a model of the behavior of school boards in hiring faculty. The magnitude of the extra wage received by unionized public employees is compared by Daniel Hamermesh to that of private unionized workers in the same occupation. Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Identifying a form of government intervention in social and economic affairs called public service liberalism, Alan Stone looks to that ideology to confront the problems of the 1990s and beyond. He shows in this fascinating case study that the policy has been effective in the past: the American telephone industry from its inception until 1934 is an illustration of how public service liberalism served both economic efficiency and a complex structure of public values. Stone depicts the stages by which public service liberalism was replaced by less adequate policies and suggests ways that it could be successfully restored. Furthermore, Stone demonstrates that government-business relationships like the one that prevailed in the telephone industry were common in the nineteenth and the early twentieth century. He argues that this period was not an era of laissez-faire, as is often alleged, but that its economic energy and extraordinary technological progress were accompanied by complete acceptance of certain kinds of government intervention. Challenging the presuppositions not only of the new ideologists of deregulation, privatization, and competition but also of the practitioners of what he calls the "sanctimonious muddle" of present-day liberalism, Stone demonstrates that public service liberalism could help resolve current problems, such as those in the savings and loan institutions and the cable television industry.

Originally published in 1991.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The administrative state is the nexus of American policy making in the postwar period. The vague and sometimes conflicting policy mandates of Congress, the president, and courts are translated into real public policy in the bureaucracy. As the role of the national government has expanded, the national legislature and executive have increasingly delegated authority to administrative agencies to make fundamental policy decisions. How this administrative state is designed, its coherence, its responsiveness, and its efficacy determine, in Robert Dahl s phrase, who gets what, when, and how. This study of agency design, thus, has implications for the study of politics in many areas.
The structure of bureaucracies can determine the degree to which political actors can change the direction of agency policy. Politicians frequently attempt to lock their policy preferences into place through insulating structures that are mandated by statute or executive decree. This insulation of public bureaucracies such as the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Election Commission, and the National Nuclear Security Administration, is essential to understanding both administrative policy outputs and executive-legislative politics in the United States.
This book explains why, when, and how political actors create administrative agencies in such a way as to insulate them from political control, particularly presidential control.
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William Bacchus warns that the American Foreign Service is in serious danger of being unable to meet changing responsibilities unless it reforms its present personnel system.

Originally published in 1983.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Policymaking in India evokes an image of rational decision-making and technical optimality. However, the arena of policymaking is characterized by conflict and contestation resolved through processes of negotiations and compromises. A significant amount of research in India focuses on policy goals and consequences, and less on policy processes. Breaking away from that approach, Public Policy and Politics in India directly addresses policy processes and discusses the role of institutions in policymaking in India. The wide-ranging essays cover issues such as environment, education, Parliament, liberalization, and governance. They highlight failures of implementation resulting from deep-rooted flaws in overall policy design. The volume aims not only to provoke a debate but also to encourage more systematic studies in the area. 'This significant volume provides an excellent understanding of policy studies in India since independence' - Sudha Pai, Professor, Center for Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India 'Professor Mathur, a leading observer of Indian politics and policy, explores the political and administrative intricacies of the governmental system, with particular emphasis on institutional practices.' - Frank Fischer, Professor of Politics and Global Affairs, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA 'Through his wonderfully engaging essays, Kuldeep Mathur provides us with a rich understanding of the messiness within which Indias public policies are made and unmade.' - Bishnu N. Mohapatra, Professor, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India

This is a memoir covering some 50 years' involvement with delivering public services in a wide range of roles: civil servant; local government; chairing inquiries and public bodies; special adviser; Minister; and Parliamentarian. The book's topic areas include the NHS, social services, social care, welfare benefits, human rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues like House of Lords reform. It starts with a government apprenticeship in the 1960s and ends with Brexit and Covid19. It covers successes and failures; and identifies the limitations of our institutions. The book ranges over 1970s political battles; Thatcher's efficiency drive; social services and community care reforms of the 1980s and 90s; and tackling child abuse. A diary kept for the 1997 Election year sets out what it was like taking over government after a long period in Opposition. A major reform of the youth justice system is described, along with developing the Blair government's family policy. Much of the book is concerned with the NHS and its shortcomings as well as its iconic status in the UK. There are chapters on life as the pharmaceuticals Minister; implementing NHS targets and cutting its bureaucracy; and trying to instal a mega NHS computer system. The chapters on implementing Tony Blair's NHS reforms with more patient choice and competition illustrate how difficult public service reform is. The book poses the possibility that the NHS in its present form is unsustainable; and explains the failure to fix the funding of social care. Life in the House of Lords is described and why it needs major reform. The book concludes with some ideas on how the Government could build back better after Brexit and Covid with public sector reform.

At last - a textbook on the public sector for students of social policy, public policy, political science and sociology. This book explains why we have a public sector and what tasks it is expected to perform. Bent Greve presents the key strengths and weaknesses of the public sector in modern European societies in a clear and straightforward fashion. He also highlights the new challenges the sector faces, including changes in global development, demography and technology. Public and private sectors are highly interdependent and Greve explores this relationship and the consequences of choosing different public expenditures and financing. He addresses differences across affluent European economies and demonstrates how countries can develop society as desired whilst ensuring that their economies remain resilient to external crises, such as the financial crisis of 2008 or the Covid-19 pandemic. Highly accessible and informative, this book will be a valuable resource for lecturers and students of social policy, public policy, political science and economic sociology. It is also essential reading for students of public sector management and administration who need to understand the fundamentals of public sector economics and political economy. Its novel interpretation of the broader role of the public sector will also be beneficial for practitioners and policy makers.

The role of public entities is crucial within the economies of developing and developed countries. They facilitate economic growth and sustainable development, help to attract global investment capital, while aiding to maintain economic stability and to stimulate economic growth. As business environments change, boards of directors form a vital solid buffer by ensuring good corporate governance. Corporate Governance in Zimbabwe's Public Entities breaks new ground by focusing on the governance and effectiveness of boards of directors in public enterprises in Zimbabwe. Benchmarking with South Africa and Australia, the author critically evaluates Zimbabwean corporate governance models and legal, regulatory reforms with internationally accepted corporate governance standards. This book focuses on initiatives, laws and regulations aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of boards of public entities. Corporate Governance in Zimbabwe's Public Entities is designed to influence the formulation of policies where the application of corporate governance and the development of the jurisprudence is not in advanced stages yet. Spanning eight chapters, author Nomsa Moyo effectively follows a `law in action' approach, drawing from a wide range of sources and based on her discussions with corporations and boards across the three countries.