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New Public Management has held a central position within public
administration over the past few decades, complemented by various
models promoting post-bureaucratic organization. But 'traditional'
bureaucracy has not disappeared, and bureaucracy is in transition
in the West and the rest of the world. Bureaucracies still fill
crucial positions in modern societies, despite growing criticism of
assumed inefficiencies and unlimited growth. This volume examines a
range of issues related to bureaucracies in transition across
Europe, with a particular focus on the Nordic region. Chapters
examine a range of topics including a reinterpretation of Weber's
conception of bureaucracy; the historical development of
institutions and organizational structures in Sweden and Greece;
the myth of bureaucratic neutrality and the concept of 'competent
neutrality'; performance management systems; the anti-bureaucratic
identities of senior civil servants; the role of experts and
expertise in bureaucratic organizations; the impact of reform on
public sector executives; the curbing of corruption in Scandinavian
states; an interrogation of the Nordic administrative model;
Supreme Audit Institutions; 'street-level' bureaucracy; and the
establishment of an 'ethics of office' amongst Danish civil
servants.
The "cultural turn" in sociology created a new interest in power
questions. This has led to a renewed interest in conceptual
discussions of power in the field of culture studies, whereas
empirical work is still less developed. "Comparative Studies of
Culture and Power" sets the focus on the uses of cultural and
symbolic means in struggles for hegemony: in politics, music
markets, literature and the arts. Gender specific uses of
rhetorical techniques is one salient theme, struggles for
recognition of rhythm and blues music another. Several articles
treat the role of the arts in nation building, as well as the role
of public monuments in the acknowledgement of war and terrorism.
The analyses relate to cultures all over the Western world.
The yearbook Comparative Social Research aims at furthering the
international orientation in the social sciences. Each volume is
concentrated on a specific topic, mostly of substantive, but also
of methodological character. As a rule, the articles present two or
more cases for comparison, be they nations, regions, organizations,
or social units at different points of time. The volumes embrace a
broad set topics, such as comparative studies of universities as
institutions for production and diffusion of knowledge; family
policies; regional cultures; and institutional aspects of work and
wage formation. Comparative Social Research seeks well-written
articles that place the current or historical data in context,
critically review the literature of comparative studies, or provide
new theoretical or methodological insights. The series recognizes
that comparative research is theoretically and methodologically
interdisciplinary, and encourages and supports there trends. All
papers will be subject to double-blind peer review.
This analysis of regional cultures is the 17th part in a series on
social research. Topics covered include: the emergence of Wales and
Saxony as modern regions in Europe; state support and literary
regionalism in Norway and the US; and regional industrialization
and political mobilization.
Focusing upon the area of social methodology, this volume examines
diverse approaches toward sociological research. These include
case-orientated research versus variable orientated research, a
multi-methodological approach and comparing historical sequences.
The book should serve as a source of reference for research into
approaches to social methodology.
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