Contracting has become one of the tools that governments use to make their services more efficient and effective. This work studies the positives and negatives involved with the multiple elements of contracting. Contract culture is broken down into its many parts: rules and regulations, norms and values, local governments and the private sector. This allows the authors to examine the topic through a unique cross-cultural lens and provide a fresh take on this expanding topic. Sources such as survey data, in-depth case studies, and analysis of advocacy coalitions are used to shed new light on contract governance. Topics include: *Contracting on the Public Agenda. *Limits of the "New Contractualism." *The "hard" and "soft" elements of contracts. *Local Governments. *Contracting as part of the New Public Management.

This book is based on a unique data set and assesses in comparative terms the public management reforms in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Based on the assessments of administrative executives, the book compares the Nordic countries with the Anglo-Saxon, the Germanic, the Napoleonic and the East European group of countries. The book addresses the following questions: What reform trends are relevant in the public administrations of the Nordic countries? What institutional features characterize the state authorities in these countries? What characterizes the role identity, self-understanding, dominant values, and motivation of administrative executive in the Nordic countries? What characterizes reform processes, trends and content, what is the relevance of different types of management instruments, and what are their perceived effects and the perceived performance of the public administration? The book also examines how the different Nordic countries dealt with the financial crisis of 2008, and how the differences and similarities in their approaches can be explained.

Universities are important public institutions and are seen as key drivers for a country's economic and intellectual development. Their ability to deliver relevant research and education at the highest level have an impact on growth and progress in society, and governments attempt to control and govern the development of the universities. It is no longer left to the individual researcher or the institution to determine the role of the university. Universities have traditionally had a special role in society with a high degree of autonomy and independence. They have been described as a self-governing Republic of Science and their internal organization is characterized as "academic tribes". However, universities can also be viewed as institutions with somewhat similar characteristics as other public institutions with highly professionalized staff. Governing the Reformed University is a coherent volume based on a unique data set. The aim of the book is to quantitatively and qualitatively understand and explain how reforms and management instruments are implemented and how it influences different levels of the organization from the top management level to the employees within universities. It contributes to the knowledge of reform and reform impact in higher education. It also adds to our understanding of management and governance at universities and through which mechanisms management works at universities. This book builds on and adds to the knowledge of studies of reform and governance at universities. The data used in the book consists of a number of data sets and is collected as part of a comprehensive research project. Academics and policy makers alike in the fields of public administration, public management, public policy, educational studies and accountancy will find this of high interest.

Universities are important public institutions and are seen as key drivers for a country's economic and intellectual development. Their ability to deliver relevant research and education at the highest level have an impact on growth and progress in society, and governments attempt to control and govern the development of the universities. It is no longer left to the individual researcher or the institution to determine the role of the university. Universities have traditionally had a special role in society with a high degree of autonomy and independence. They have been described as a self-governing Republic of Science and their internal organization is characterized as "academic tribes". However, universities can also be viewed as institutions with somewhat similar characteristics as other public institutions with highly professionalized staff. Governing the Reformed University is a coherent volume based on a unique data set. The aim of the book is to quantitatively and qualitatively understand and explain how reforms and management instruments are implemented and how it influences different levels of the organization from the top management level to the employees within universities. It contributes to the knowledge of reform and reform impact in higher education. It also adds to our understanding of management and governance at universities and through which mechanisms management works at universities. This book builds on and adds to the knowledge of studies of reform and governance at universities. The data used in the book consists of a number of data sets and is collected as part of a comprehensive research project. Academics and policy makers alike in the fields of public administration, public management, public policy, educational studies and accountancy will find this of high interest.

Increasingly, multiple providers - public organizations, for-profit companies and non-profit organizations - are providing public services, resulting in a 'public service delivery system' consisting of a variety of different organizations. In addition, the 'contract' has gained importance as one of the key institutions linking public purchasers with service providers. Arranged in four distinct parts, this significant text covers this subject in depth, through topics, such as contractual organizational capacity, using information technology, local purchasers and global providers, and budgeting for contracted services. Illustrated with practitioner case studies and clear directives in each chapter, it enables readers to develop: a critical understanding of the nature of contracting for public services; an understanding of how to deal with service provider markets; contract management skills to enable successful planning and service evaluation; and approaches to hire, train and educate contract managers. As contractual relationships increase in importance, their management has become a core task for successful public managers. today, this key resource will improve readers' understanding, develop their latent skills and provide the up-to-date knowledge required to succeed in this evolving field.

Increasingly, multiple providers - public organizations, for-profit companies and non-profit organizations - are providing public services, resulting in a 'public service delivery system' consisting of a variety of different organizations. In addition, the 'contract' has gained importance as one of the key institutions linking public purchasers with service providers. Arranged in four distinct parts, this significant text covers this subject in depth, through topics, such as contractual organizational capacity, using information technology, local purchasers and global providers, and budgeting for contracted services. Illustrated with practitioner case studies and clear directives in each chapter, it enables readers to develop: a critical understanding of the nature of contracting for public services; an understanding of how to deal with service provider markets; contract management skills to enable successful planning and service evaluation; and approaches to hire, train and educate contract managers. As contractual relationships increase in importance, their management has become a core task for successful public managers. today, this key resource will improve readers' understanding, develop their latent skills and provide the up-to-date knowledge required to succeed in this evolving field.

The global financial crisis hit the world in a remarkable way in late 2008. Many governments and private sector organizations, who had considered Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to be their future, were forced to rethink their strategy in the wake of the crisis, as a lot of the available private funding upon which PPPs relied, was suddenly no longer available to the same extent. At the same time, governments and international organizations, like the European Union, were striving to make closer partnerships between the public sector and the private sector economy a hallmark for future policy initiatives.

This book examines PPPs in the context of turbulent times following the global financial crisis (GFC). PPPs can come in many forms, and the book sets out to distinguish between the many alternative views of partnerships; a project, a policy, a symbol of the role of the private sector in a mixed economy, or a governance tool - all within a particular cultural and historical context.

This book is about rethinking PPPs in the wake of the financial crisis and aims to give a clearer picture of the kind of conceptual frameworks that researchers might employ to now study PPPs. The crisis took much of the glamour out of PPPs, but theoretical advances have been made by researchers in a number of areas and this book examines selected new research approaches to the study of PPPs.

The global financial crisis hit the world in a remarkable way in late 2008. Many governments and private sector organizations, who had considered Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to be their future, were forced to rethink their strategy in the wake of the crisis, as a lot of the available private funding upon which PPPs relied, was suddenly no longer available to the same extent. At the same time, governments and international organizations, like the European Union, were striving to make closer partnerships between the public sector and the private sector economy a hallmark for future policy initiatives. This book examines PPPs in the context of turbulent times following the global financial crisis (GFC). PPPs can come in many forms, and the book sets out to distinguish between the many alternative views of partnerships; a project, a policy, a symbol of the role of the private sector in a mixed economy, or a governance tool - all within a particular cultural and historical context. This book is about rethinking PPPs in the wake of the financial crisis and aims to give a clearer picture of the kind of conceptual frameworks that researchers might employ to now study PPPs. The crisis took much of the glamour out of PPPs, but theoretical advances have been made by researchers in a number of areas and this book examines selected new research approaches to the study of PPPs.