Continuity and Change in Public Policy and Management offers a major reconsideration of patterns in long-term policymaking and organizational change. Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckaert use international and inter-sectoral comparison to challenge some currently fashionable models of policymaking. Combining theory development, international comparison and original case study analysis, two of Europe's leading public policy and management scholars apply and develop some of the main models of policy change and offer a revealing long-term view of policy developments since 1965. Drawing on an extensive programme of elite interviews and documentary analysis they provide an integrated treatment of national and local policymaking in two major public services - hospital care and the police - in England and Belgium. This timely book addresses the 'paradigm wars' in public policy, arguing for a nuanced intermediate position that challenges the orthodox and the post-modernists alike. This fascinating core book will be highly sought by advanced students and academics in public administration, public management, government, comparative politics or public policy courses. It will also prove to be an important tool for students in police studies and healthcare management.

This book provides a research-based analysis of public sector reforms in Pakistan. It offers a broad overview of reforms at different levels of government - including federal, provincial and local - and examines decentralization and devolution reforms in various policy sectors. It also reflects on market-oriented reforms and the steps taken to involve the private sector to build a better-governed public sector, and explores new trends in the public sector in the areas of digitalisation and disaster management. Bringing together young researchers, academics, and practitioners, the book sets a new milestone in the movement towards context-specific reform studies in both academia and the professional practice of public administration, particularly in South Asia.

This book discusses the trajectories of creating specialized autonomous units. An analysis of the mechanisms and measures taken for granting autonomy to specialised autonomous units and subsequently to coordinating them back is described. The book shows a range of patterns in the dynamics of specialization and coordination over 25 years.

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.

In recent years, concerns over the effectiveness of public administration have encouraged the widespread measurement and management of 'performance'. But is performance management an appropriate model for public sector organizations, and has it proved successful? Moreover, how do the principles of performance management affect how public bodies operate, and the way they relate to the wider community? In this important text, the viability of performance management in public sector organizations is systematically assessed across a number of international case studies. The book provides a framework through which models of performance management can be understood in terms of both their impact within a public sector organization, and the effects that have been seen in countries with contrasting administrational contexts. Managing Performance - International Comparisons critically examines the effects of performance management models in the public sector, and assesses their future evolution. It is an important book for all students and researchers with an interest in management, public administration and public policy.

In recent years, concerns over the effectiveness of public administration have encouraged the widespread measurement and management of 'performance'. But is performance management an appropriate model for public sector organizations, and has it proved successful? Moreover, how do the principles of performance management affect how public bodies operate, and the way they relate to the wider community?

In this important text, the viability of performance management in public sector organizations is systematically assessed across a number of international case studies. The book provides a framework through which models of performance management can be understood in terms of both their impact within a public sector organization, and the effects that have been seen in countries with contrasting administrational contexts.

Managing Performance - International Comparisons critically examines the effects of performance management models in the public sector, and assesses their future evolution. It is an important book for all students and researchers with an interest in management, public administration and public policy.

Legislative initiative, in response to public demands for more accountability, require public agencies at all levels of government to measure organizational performance and to report on service efforts and accomplishments (SEA). What considerations should managers use in developing performance measurement protocols? What is the experience to date in the U.S. and abroad? This collection of original articles does not represent a consensus about the one best way for developing an SEA reporting system. Rather, it aims to put performance measurement in perspective by relating it to the budgeting, auditing, and policy making processes. Towards that end, the issues managers need to consider are examined in a critical way and from various points of view.

This book addresses the issues involved in developing Service Effort and Accomplishment (SEA) reports from various points of view. It addresses the context of SEA reporting and relates performance measurement to the budgeting process, auditing process, and policy making. It provides examples of successful performance measurement protocols from the U.S. and abroad.

Continuity and Change in Public Policy and Management offers a major reconsideration of patterns in long-term policymaking and organizational change. Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckaert use international and inter-sectoral comparison to challenge some currently fashionable models of policymaking. Combining theory development, international comparison and original case study analysis, two of Europe's leading public policy and management scholars apply and develop some of the main models of policy change and offer a revealing long-term view of policy developments since 1965. Drawing on an extensive programme of elite interviews and documentary analysis they provide an integrated treatment of national and local policymaking in two major public services - hospital care and the police - in England and Belgium. This timely book addresses the 'paradigm wars' in public policy, arguing for a nuanced intermediate position that challenges the orthodox and the post-modernists alike. This fascinating core book will be highly sought by advanced students and academics in public administration, public management, government, comparative politics or public policy courses. It will also prove to be an important tool for students in police studies and healthcare management.

In times of rising expectations and decreasing resources for the public sector, performance management is high on the agenda. Increasingly, the value of the performance management systems themselves is under scrutiny, with more attention being paid to the effectiveness of performance management in practice. This new edition has been revised and updated to examine: performance in the context of current public management debates, including emerging discussions on the New Public Governance and neo-Weberianism; the many definitions of performance and how it has become one of the most contested agendas of public management; the so-called perverse effects of using performance indicators; the technicalities of performance measurement in a five step process: prioritising measurement, indicator development, data collection, analysis and reporting; and the future challenges and directions of performance management Performance Management in the Public Sector 2nd edition offers an approachable insight into a complex theme for practitioners and public management students alike.

This book discusses the trajectories of creating specialized autonomous units. An analysis of the mechanisms and measures taken for granting autonomy to specialized autonomous units and subsequently to coordinating them back is described. The book shows a range of patterns in the dynamics of specialization and coordination over 25 years.

This book provides a research-based analysis of public sector reforms in Pakistan. It offers a broad overview of reforms at different levels of government – including federal, provincial and local – and examines decentralization and devolution reforms in various policy sectors. It also reflects on market-oriented reforms and the steps taken to involve the private sector to build a better-governed public sector, and explores new trends in the public sector in the areas of digitalisation and disaster management. Bringing together young researchers, academics, and practitioners, the book sets a new milestone in the movement towards context-specific reform studies in both academia and the professional practice of public administration, particularly in South Asia.

In times of rising expectations and decreasing resources for the public sector, performance management is high on the agenda. Increasingly, the value of the performance management systems themselves is under scrutiny, with more attention being paid to the effectiveness of performance management in practice. This new edition has been revised and updated to examine: performance in the context of current public management debates, including emerging discussions on the New Public Governance and neo-Weberianism; the many definitions of performance and how it has become one of the most contested agendas of public management; the so-called perverse effects of using performance indicators; the technicalities of performance measurement in a five step process: prioritising measurement, indicator development, data collection, analysis and reporting; and the future challenges and directions of performance management Performance Management in the Public Sector 2nd edition offers an approachable insight into a complex theme for practitioners and public management students alike.

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 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.