This book explores recent theoretical and empirical advances in the understanding of how professional and knowledge-based occupations are organised. Focusing in particular on the differences between established and emerging forms of expert work, this collection of papers are representative of recent authoritative work in this rapidly developing field. Theauthors suggests that despite some serious challenges, professionalism retains its viability as a work organisation method and continues to exercise a strong influence on the organisation and delivery of expertise.

This book offers a new and insightful analysis of the effectiveness of the public sector reforms that have been put in place in the UK over the last twenty years. It represents a different type of approach, in that it looks at the effects of reform by examining the actual social organization of the groups the various policy measures have impacted. It moves away from the emphasis of general writing on the New Public Managerialism which, in terms of overall assessment, either assumes that the reforms will work, or that they are entirely inappropriate and will produce changes that are uniformly poor. This book seeks a more careful appraisal in which important effects are distinguished and examined.

This book explores recent theoretical and empirical advances in the understanding of how professional occupations are organized. Focusing in particular on the differences between established and emerging forms of expert work, the authors provide unique theoretical perspectives on this rapidly developing field.

The New Managerialism and Public Service Professionals is a fresh and insightful analysis of the changes that have taken place in the UK public sector over the past twenty years. Unlike many other recent accounts it is not assumed that these policy goals were always implemented or that new approaches to the management of services are necessarily effective. Drawing on an extensive review of major published research it considers developments in three areas: the National Health Service, social services and housing. This analysis reveals marked differences in the way the professions responded to change and draws attention to some significant costs associated with restructuring.