An incisive examination of Britain today, which breaks from traditional studies, and takes a new approach to account for massive changes in the make-up of the nation.

Over the last twenty years Britain has changed from being governed as a unitary state to a country ruled by the interplay of various forces: central government, the market, public-private partnerships, new local government structures (eg. the new Mayoral system), greater regional autonomy as well as the EU and transnational businesses and organizations.

In their earlier book Interpreting British Governance, Bevir and Rhodes examined changes in British government by setting out an interpretative approach to British political science, which focussed on an aggregate analysis of British political traditions. This new study builds on this work to:

• provide a theoretical defence of situated agency located in the historical context of British political science
• compare their approach to British political science with others including, post-structural and institutional analysis
• present a general account of governance as the context for ethnographic analyses of governance in action
• deliver studies of the consumers of public services, the National Health Service, government departments and policy networks.

This book will be of great interest to advanced students and researchers of political theory, public policy, British politics and British history.

An incisive examination of Britain today, which breaks from traditional studies, and takes a new approach to account for massive changes in the make-up of the nation. unitary state to a country ruled by the interplay of various forces: central government, the market, public-private partnerships, new local government structures (eg. the new Mayoral system), greater regional autonomy as well as the EU and transnational businesses and organizations. developing an anthropological epistemology and an ethnographic account of the governance narrative and decentres British political science and British government. It addresses concerns that the interpretative approach risks neglecting the differences in the beliefs of the individuals grouped together in a tradition, arguing that situated agency: the analysis of people's webs of belief and actions located in the inherited traditions and practices that informs them, plays a key role in interpretative political science. examined changes in British government by setting out an interpretative approach to British political science, which focussed on an aggregate analysis of British political traditions. This new study builds on this work to: - provide a theoretical defence of situated agency located in the historical context of British political science. - compare their approach to British political science with others including, post-structural and institutional analysis. - present a general account of governance as the context for ethnographic analyses of governance in action. - deliver studies of the consumers of public services, the National Health Service, government departments and policy networks. political theory, public policy, British politics and British history.

How should we study government?
How do we know what we know about British government?
What is governance?

Governance in Britain has changed enormously in the past twenty years from the market led Thatcher years to Blair's 'joined up government'. This book, written by two leading scholars, is a major contribution to our understanding of the theoretical approaches to governance and of how British politics actually works in practice. The authors provide a radical challenge to traditional accounts of British politics, such as the Westminster model, and instead offer a highly original interpretive approach. The combination of innovative theory and rich empirical detail make this controversial book essential reading for students and scholars of British politics.

Contents:
1. Introduction: On governance Part 1: The Approach: On interpretation 2. An Interpretative Agenda 3. Governance in Britain 4. Decentring Governance Part 2: The Public Sector: On traditions and dilemmas 5. Comparing Britain and Denmark 6. Narratives of Thatcherism 7. New Labour's Civil Service Part 3: The Civil Service: On history and ethnography 8. The roots of Governance 9. The Meaning of Governance 10. Conclusions: On governance again