In this important new book, Christopher Pollitt, one of the leading researchers in public policy and management, argues that we are guilty of neglecting a fundamental dimension of both the practice and study of contemporary public policymaking and management: that of time.
Pollitt traces the character of, and the reasons for, this neglect in his wide-ranging study. He considers the theoretical options for addressing time in a more sophisticated way, and applies these perspectives both to his own research and that of many others. Finally he looks at the implications for practitioners.
Pollitt's analysis draws on an exceptionally wide range of work from many fields, sectors, and countries. It is rich in examples, concepts, and methods. It poses fundamental questions about some central tendencies in 21st century policymaking, and opens up a new direction for academic research.

Public sector bureaucracies have been subjected to harsh criticism. One solution which has been widely adopted over the past two decades has been to 'unbundle government' - that is to break down monolithic departments and ministries into smaller, semi-autonomous 'agencies'. These are often governed by some type of performance contract, are at 'arm's length' or further from their 'parent' ministry or department and are freed from many of the normal rules governing civil service bodies. This, the first book to survey the 'why' and the 'how' of this epidemic of 'agencification', is essential reading for advanced students and researchers of public management. It includes case studies from every continent - from Japan to America and from Sweden to Tanzania, these 14 case studies (some covering more than one country) critically examine how such agencies have been set up and managed.

"Decentralise authority and let managers manage" has been an almost universal message in UK public services over the last 15 years. But does it really work? This study attempts to show that behind the ministerial rhetoric the experiences of NHS trusts, grant maintained schools and housing associations were in practice distinctly mixed. The text offers a theoretical analysis of the origins and results of decentralized public management in the UK.

Contents:
Part One: Setting the Scene
1. Managers managing? The international trend towards agencies, quangos and contratualization Colin Talbot
2. Patterns of structural change Geert Bouckaert and Guy B. Peters
Part Two: Agencies, Quangos and Contracts in the Heartlands of the New Public Management
3. Adapting the agency concept: variations within 'Next Steps' Francesca Gains
4. Executive agencies and joined-up government in the UK Oliver James
5. Contracting and accountability: a model of effective contracting drawn from the U.S. experience Jocelyn Johnston and Barbara Romzek
6. Contractualism and performance measurement in Australia Linda McGuire
7. The agency concept in North America: failure, adaptation and incremental change Andrew Graham and Alasdair Roberts
Part Three: Autonomization in Continental Europe and Japan
8. Quangos in Dutch government Sandra van Thiel
9. Lost in translation? Shifting interpretations of the concept of 'agency': the Dutch case Amanda Smullen
10. Central agencies in Sweden: a report from Utopia Jon Pierre
11. Agencification in Japan Kiyoshi Yamamoto
Part Four: Autonomization in the Developing and Transitional Countries
12. New Public management in a developing country: creating executive agencies in Tanzania Janice Caulfield
13. Agencies in Thailand Bidyha Bowornwathana
14. The design, performance and sustainability of semi-autonomous revenue authorities in Africa and Latin America Robert R. Taliercio Jr
15. Castles built on sand? Agencies in Latvia Christopher Pllitt
16. Agencies in Jamaica Colin Talbot
Part Five: Overview
17. Theoretical overview Christopher Pollitt

Performance audit is now in fashion, but has in the past been a somewhat closed world, little studied by outsiders. Now an international team of researchers has studied the work of five national audit offices -- France, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. The picture thus revealed contains elements of technical innovation, methodological challenge, and crucial strategic choice.

The public sector continues to play a strategic role across the world. The last thirty years have seen major shifts in approaches to public sector management in many countries. There is also a fierce debate across academic disciplines about contemporary public administration/management: some advocate the use of more managerialist approaches; while others see managerialism as undermining democratic institutions. New roles have arisen, such as programme evaluation, management consulting, and reliance on NGOs and partnerships, which require new assessments. There is an intensified need for an analysis of contemporary public sector organisations, which are changing rapidly before our eyes.
It is thus time for an authoritative treatment of the major trends in public management, embracing both their intended and unintended consequences. This Handbook brings together leading international scholars to comment on key current issues. The individual chapters include broad overviews, in depth explorations of particular thematic areas and analyses of different theoretical perspectives such as political science, management, sociology and economics. The authors have space to develop their distinctive arguments. The editors provide an overall concluding chapter. The Handbook combines scholarly rigour, engaging writing and high policy relevance. It will be invaluable to advanced students, researchers and reflective public sector practitioners.

Despite their immense importance for many aspects of public service management, the specific features of places have been largely ignored in recent public management literature. Technologies have received much more attention, but mainly within the specific field of e-government. In this book Christopher Pollitt puts together a powerful and engagingly-written case for paying much more attention both to place and to technological change, and the interactions between them. The book synthesizes theories and concepts from a range of disciplines and focuses them on the many ways in which public services shape places, and places shape public services. Using extensive and varied original empirical material, it examines the role that new technologies have played in these interactions. This theme is traced through internationally comparative studies of central government agencies, hospitals, population registration, and the police. It raises questions about the longer term effects of the increasingly 'virtual' relations between the citizen and government. The book opens up new perspectives on the organization of our most basic and vital public services.

This is a new kind of book on public management. Using conversations, cases and original sources, it engages, in a challenging and amusing way, with the key themes and problems of the field. After writing many conventional books and articles Christopher Pollitt has turned to this novel approach in order to offer students, teachers and practitioners alike a refreshing introduction to both the 'classic' and the most fashionable issues in public management.
The book provides a vigorous overview of such crucial topics as the differences and similarities between public and private sector management, the nature of the 'New Public Management', the development of networks and partnerships, the impacts of politics and citizen participation on public administration, changes in the ethics and value climate for public servants, and the fundamental question of what kind of advice academics can (and cannot) offer to practising managers. It is international in its scope and draws upon examples and sources from Europe, North America and Australasia.
Although the style is lively and informal, the text is built upon a very wide range of academic writing and research. For those who wish to go deeper at any point, each chapter offers a summary of the litaerature and guidance on further sources.
The Essential Public Manager offers readers a stimulating journey through the challenges facing those who run the basic systems and services in our societies. It constitutes a valuable new source for students, teachers and practising managers alike.

Despite their immense importance for many aspects of public service management, the specific features of places have been largely ignored in recent public management literature. Technologies have received much more attention, but mainly within the specific field of e-government. In this book Christopher Pollitt puts together a powerful and engagingly-written case for paying much more attention both to place and to technological change, and the interactions between them. The book synthesizes theories and concepts from a range of disciplines and focuses them on the many ways in which public services shape places, and places shape public services. Using extensive and varied original empirical material, it examines the role that new technologies have played in these interactions. This theme is traced through internationally comparative studies of central government agencies, hospitals, population registration, and the police. It raises questions about the longer term effects of the increasingly 'virtual' relations between the citizen and government and opens up a new perspective on the organization of our most basic and vital public services.

The public sector continues to play a strategic role across the world. The last thirty years have seen major shifts in approaches to public sector management in many different countries. There is also a fierce debate across academic disciplines about contemporary public adminstration/management: some advocate the use of more managerialist approaches; while others critique them. New functions have also arisen in the public sector, such as evaluation or management consulting, which require analysis. There is a renewed need for an analysis of contemporary public sector organisations, which are changing rapidly before our eyes. Thus it is time for an authoritative assessment of the major trends in public management, embracing both their intended and unintended effects. This Handbook brings together leading international scholars to comment on key current issues. The individual chapters include a mix of broad overviews, in depth exploration of particular thematic areas and analyses of different theoretical perspectives such as political science, management, sociology and economics. The authors have been given sufficient space to develop their distinctive arguments. The editors provide an overall concluding chapter. The Handbook combines scholarly rigour, engaging writing from senior authors and high policy relevance. It will be relevant to advanced students, researchers and reflective public sector practitioners.

Since the third edition of this authoritative volume, most of Western Europe and North America have entered an era of austerity which has pervasive effects on programmes of public management reform. Even in Australasia extensive measures of fiscal restraint have been implemented. In this fourth edition the basic structure of the book has been retained but there has been a line-by-line rewriting, including the addition of extensive analyses and information about the impacts of austerity. Many new sources are cited and there is a new exploration of the interactions between austerity and the major paradigms of reform - NPM, the Neo-Weberian State and New Public Governance. The existing strengths of the previous editions have been retained while vital new material on developments since the Global Economic Crisis has been added. This remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, widely-cited academic text on public management reform in Europe, North America and Australasia.

Since the third edition of this authoritative volume, most of Western Europe and North America have entered an era of austerity which has pervasive effects on programmes of public management reform. Even in Australasia extensive measures of fiscal restraint have been implemented. In this fourth edition the basic structure of the book has been retained but there has been a line-by-line rewriting, including the addition of extensive analyses and information about the impacts of austerity. Many new sources are cited and there is a new exploration of the interactions between austerity and the major paradigms of reform - NPM, the Neo-Weberian State and New Public Governance. The existing strengths of the previous editions have been retained while vital new material on developments since the Global Economic Crisis has been added. This remains the most authoritative, comprehensive, widely-cited academic text on public management reform in Europe, North America and Australasia.

Since the late 1980s the quality of public services has become a major focus of attention for politicians, managers and citizens, but surprisingly there has been little material with a truly European focus. This book remedies this absence. Part One provides a theoretical framework which helps the reader make sense of the detail contained in the later case studies. It also locates quality improvement in the special political and organizational context of the public sector. It shows how choosing a particular concept of quality has significant political and organizational consequences and also discusses how quality may be measured. In Part Two seven case studies illuminate detailed operational issues in quality improvement by drawing on the experience of a range of different types of public services from a number of countries. The third part reviews the general lessons of the case studies in terms of fitting strategies for improvement to the purposes and circumstances of the organization in question, and reflects upon the nature of service quality and the range of approaches to its improvement.

Since the late 1980s the quality of public services has become a major focus of attention for politicians, managers and citizens, but surprisingly there has been little material with a truly European focus. This book remedies this absence. Part One provides a theoretical framework which helps the reader make sense of the detail contained in the later case studies. It also locates quality improvement in the special political and organizational context of the public sector. It shows how choosing a particular concept of quality has significant political and organizational consequences and also discusses how quality may be measured. In Part Two seven case studies illuminate detailed operational issues in quality improvement by drawing on the experience of a range of different types of public services from a number of countries. The third part reviews the general lessons of the case studies in terms of fitting strategies for improvement to the purposes and circumstances of the organization in question, and reflects upon the nature of service quality and the range of approaches to its improvement.