'Janet Newman's 'Modernizing Governance' provides a comprehensive and thorough critique of contemporary public sector reforms. The book combines an impressive synthesis of theoretical perspectives with a deep understanding of the practice of public policy making and management. The contradictions within a shift to governance are clearly highlighted, and the notion of a third way is carefully deconstructed. This book is an important contribution to the literature, and will provide stimulating reading for academic researchers and students' - George Boyne, Professor of Public Sector Management, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University

'The tale of Tony Blair and "government" is a complicated one which Janet Newman tells with insight and academic rigour?.It deserves wide readership; it ought to pique the interest of all those concerned with the condition of British democracy' - David Walker, Analysis Editor and Leader Writer, The Guardian

The first comprehensive guide that explores the politics and policies of new Labour.

Has Labour's responses to the challenges and issues of the past 4 years, represented something radically different both in content and style from the Thatcher and Major years? Did it, in the language of this book, represent the emergence of a new form of governance in the UK?

This book offers:

Critical insights into Labour's impact on:

§ the relationship between government and citizens

§ public services and their users

§ the state and civil society

Interpretations of core themes in Labour's policy agenda:

§ the Third Way and social democracy

§ modernising government

§ public service reform

§ joined-up government and partnership

§ public participation and democratic renewal

§ remaking civil society

Drawing on cultural and institutional theory, the author brings a fresh approach to the study of governance, politics and policy. She traces Labour's attempt to reinstall 'the social' in public and social policy by examining its use of the discourses of democracy, citizenship, community, social inclusion, partnership and public participation. The book analyses the implications of these new, and not so new, discourses for the practice of making and delivering policy, and the patterns of equality and diversity that they invoke. It also highlights the way in which managers, professionals and staff are responding to the new agenda, and the tensions and dilemmas produced in the process of institutional change.

`This is an illuminating and topical study, which skilfully blends together theoretical and empirical analysis in search of the "citizen-consumer". It should become a key text for all with an interest in public service reform and the "choice" agenda, as well as consumerism and citizenship' - Ruth Lister, Professor of Social Policy, University of Loughborough Political, popular and academic debates have swirled around the notion of the citizen as a consumer of public services, with public service reform increasingly geared towards a consumer society. This innovative book draws on original research with those people in the front-line of the reforms - staff, managers and users of public services - to explore their responses to this turn to consumerism. Creating Citizen-Consumers explores a range of theoretical, political, policy and practice issues that arise in the shift towards consumerism. It draws on recent controversies about choice to examine the tensions of modernising public services to meet the demands of a consumer society. The book offers a fresh and challenging understanding of the relationships between people and services, and argues for a model based on interdependence, respect and partnership rather than choice. This original book makes a distinctive contribution to debates about the future of public services. It will be of interest to those studying social policy, cultural studies, public administration and management across the social sciences, as well as for those working in public services. John Clarke is a Professor of Social Policy at the Open University. Janet Newman is a Professor of Social Policy at the Open University. Nick Smith is a Research Officer in the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent. Elizabeth Vidler is a Project Officer in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Open University. Louise Westmarland is a Lecturer in Criminology at the Open University.

This original analysis of the creation of new state forms critically examines the political forces that enabled `more and better management' to be presented as a solution to the problems of the welfare state in Britain. Examining the micro-politics within public service, the authors draw links between politics, policies and organizational power to present an incisive and dynamic account of the restructuring of social welfare. Clarke and Newman expose the tensions and contradictions in the managerial state and trace the emergence of new dilemmas in the provision of public services. They show that these problems are connected to the recurring difficulties in defining `the public' that receives these services. In particular they question whether the reinvention of the public as either a nation of consumers or a nation of communities can effectively address the implications of social diversity.