Based on a survey of more than 6,700 top civil servants in 17 European countries, this book explores the impacts of New Public Management (NPM)-style reforms in Europe from a uniquely comparative perspective. It examines and analyses empirical findings regarding the dynamics, major trends and tools of administrative reforms, with special focus on the diversity of top executives' perceptions about the effects of those reforms. Resulting from research funded by the European Commission, this book is an ambitious, comprehensive portrait of public administration in the central European bureaucracies after more than three decades of NPM reforms and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The chapters present extensive data on single countries but invaluably take a comparative approach, presenting a broad, explorational perspective. Public Administration Reforms in Europe is an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners and students in a variety of social science areas, especially public administration, public policy and public management. Contributors include: J. M. Alonso, R. Andrews, P. Bezes, R. Boyle, M.E. Cardim, J. Clifton, D. Diaz-Fuentes, J. Downe, N. Ejersbo, F. Ferre, D. Galli, C. Greve, V. Guarneros-Meza, G. Hajnal, G. Hammerschmid, K. Huxley, G. Jeannot, S. Jilke, P. Laegreid, S. Leixnering, F. Longo, R.E. Meyer, L. Mota, V. Nakrosis, S.A. OEberg, E. Ongaro, A. Oprisor, L. Pereira, T. Randma-Liiv, R. Rauleckas, L.H. Rykkja, K. Sarapuu, L. Sarkute , R. Savi, A. Schikowitz, R. Snapstiene, T. Steen, V. Stimac, S. Van de Walle, J. van der Voet, T. Virtanen, U. Weske, H. Wockelberg

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have excited the political world over the past few decades. Few books, however, have viewed them as both a phenomenon of politics as well as a technical matter aiming to better deliver public infrastructure. Through fiercely independent scholarship, this book investigates the various logics of PPPs. In doing so, it challenges those involved in delivering public infrastructure to think more about power, language and politics in decision-making. The Logic of Public-Private Partnerships takes a cross-disciplinary perspective on PPPs. It notes their global popularity, and considers the varying definitions used and policy positions taken by different governments. It discusses the contemporary, international evidence supporting and opposing the formation of these partnerships, with reference to efficiency, value-for-money and governance. The simultaneous growth of PPPs in some countries is observed along with their demise in others. The book also articulates the solid reasons for which governments might adopt PPPs, before pointing to continuing research priorities. This book will be useful for academics interested in PPPs and infrastructure governance, as well as professionals in the infrastructure sector and practitioners seeking to understand the PPP phenomenon. It will also be an invaluable tool for undergraduate students with an interest in infrastructure projects, and postgraduate students studying PPPs and the issues surrounding them.

The growing intensity and complexity of public service has spurred policy reform efforts across the globe, many featuring attempts to promote more collaborative government. Collaboration in Public Service Delivery sheds light on these efforts, analysing and reconceptualising the major types of collaboration in public service delivery through a governance lens. Featuring careful analysis with a global scope, this book unpacks the concept of collaborative service delivery and its practice, drawing from the fields of public policy, public administration, and management. Chapters by leading authors in these areas address service delivery arrangements including co-production, co-management, consultations, contracting-out, commissioning and certification. With a keen focus on conditions that are critical for the success of such collaborative arrangements, as well as their different pathways and pitfalls, the authors suggest ways to improve the analytical, managerial and political capacities needed for successful collaboration in public service delivery. This timely and comprehensive book is useful for students at all levels interested in public policy, governance, administration and management, as well as researchers investigating the governance of collaborative service delivery. Policymakers and practitioners working to re-evaluate and improve public service provision, especially, will also benefit from its insightful discussions of the conditions and mechanisms under which collaborative arrangements operate and fail or succeed.

Unmasked is the story of what happened in Okoboji, a small Iowan tourist town, when a collective turn from the coronavirus to the economy occurred in the COVID summer of 2020. State political failures, local negotiations among political and public health leaders, and community (dis)belief about the virus resulted in Okoboji being declared a hotspot just before the Independence Day weekend, when an influx of half a million people visit the town. The story is both personal and political. Author Emily Mendenhall, an anthropologist at Georgetown University, grew up in Okoboji, and her family still lives there. As the events unfolded, Mendenhall was in Okoboji, where she spoke formally with over 100 people and observed a community that rejected public health guidance, revealing deep-seated mistrust in outsiders and strong commitments to local thinking. Unmasked is a fascinating and heartbreaking account of where people put their trust, and how isolationist popular beliefs can be in America's small communities.

Government interest in wellbeing as an explicit goal of public policy has increased significantly in recent years. This has led to new developments in measuring wellbeing and initiatives aimed specifically at enhancing wellbeing, that reflect new thinking on 'what matters' and challenge established notions of societal progress. The Politics and Policy of Wellbeing provides the first theoretically grounded and empirically informed account of the rise and significance of wellbeing in contemporary politics and policy. Drawing on theories of agenda-setting and policy change, Ian Bache and Louise Reardon consider whether wellbeing can be described as 'an idea whose time has come'. The book reflects on developments across the globe and provides a detailed comparative analysis of two political arenas: the UK and the EU. Offering the first reflection grounded in evidence of the potential for wellbeing to be paradigm changing, the authors identify the challenge of bringing wellbeing into policy as a 'wicked problem' that policymakers are only now beginning to grapple with. This pioneering account of wellbeing from a political science perspective is a unique and valuable contribution to the field. The authors' theoretical and empirical conclusions are of great interest to scholars of politics and wellbeing alike.

Ministers, Minders and Mandarins brings together the leading academics in this specialty to rigorously assess the impact and consequences of political advisers in parliamentary democracies. The ten contemporary and original case studies focus on issues of tension, trust and tradition, and are written in an accessible and engaging style. Using new empirical findings and theory from a range of public policy canons, the authors analyze advisers' functions, their differing levels of accountability and issues of diversity between governments. Cases include research on the tensions in the UK, the possible unease in Swedish government offices and the role of trust in Greece. Established operations in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand are compared to relative latecomers to advisory roles, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. A key comparative work in the field, this book encourages further research into the varied roles of political advisers. Offering an excellent introduction to the complex role political advisers play, this book will be of great interest to upper undergraduate and postgraduate students studying political science and policy administration, as well as researchers and scholars in public policy. Contributors include: A. Blick, P.M. Christiansen, B. Connaughton J. Craft, C. Eichbaum, T. Gouglas, H. Houlberg Salomonsen, T. Hustedt, M. Maley, P. Munk Christiansen, B. Niklasson, P. Ohberg, R. Shaw, C. van den Berg

Policy design efforts are often hampered by an inadequate understanding of how policy tools and actions promote effective policies. This book addresses this gap by proposing a causal theory of the linkages between policy actions and policy effects. Adopting a mechanistic perspective, it identifies the causal processes that activate policy effects and help achieve policy goals. Bringing together established and emerging scholars in the field, Making Policies Work introduces new concepts of first- and second- order policy mechanisms developed from epistemological and theoretical perspectives, and considers how they can be activated through design. Theoretical concepts are explored through empirical cases from different policy arenas and contemporary policy issues such as partnerships in healthcare, food waste prevention, retirement savings, EU regulations and public sector reform. Graduate students in public policy, public administration and political science will find the powerful analytical tools offered in this book useful in exploring the theoretical elements of effective policy design. Policymakers and practitioners in governmental and non-governmental organisations interested in the practical applications will also benefit from reading this timely book. Contributors include: S. Busetti, G. Capano, M.E. Compton, B. Dente, C.A. Dunlop, M.T. Galanti, S. Giest, M. Guidi, M. Howlett, E. Lindquist, E. Ongaro, C.M. Radaelli, M. Ramesh, P. 't Hart, A. Virani, R.K. Weaver, A. Wellstead