This interdisciplinary reader provides a distinctive introduction to the way social, political and economic life is coordinated. It brings together three quite different models of coordination - markets, hierarchies and networks - and places them into a comparative framework, presenting a comprehensive and insightful overview of social coordination. The articles dealing with each model explore the characteristics of that coordinating mechanism, outlining key theoretical issues and drawing on various empirical examples. The final section shows how these models can be compared and contrasted. It also assesses the respective strengths, weaknesses and limitations of each model. Markets, Hierarchies and Networks is a set book on The Open University course D212 Running the Country.

`This reader is certainly worth a place in any consultant's start-up kit, and offers useful refreshment for all but the most expert' - Education Systems The articles in this book outline the main principles of reflective practice and consultancy, and relate them to a view of management as concerned with a constant process of reviewing and improving practice. The book explores a number of research strategies including case studies, surveys and action research, and provides a wide range of techniques for planning, data collection, data analysis and presentation, bearing in mind the different audiences and purposes an investigation might serve. This book is the companion volume to Educational Management in Action: a collection of case studies (edited by Megan Crawford, Lesley Kydd and Susan Parker). It is one of the two course readers for The Open University Course E828 Educational Management in Action.