This book describes and compares how semi-autonomous agencies are created and governed by 30 governments. It leads practitioners and researchers through the crowded world of agencies, describing their tasks, autonomy, control and history. Evidence-based lessons and recommendations are formulated to improve agencification policies in post-NPM times.

This book describes and compares how semi-autonomous agencies are created and governed by 30 governments. It leads practitioners and researchers through the crowded world of agencies, describing their tasks, autonomy, control and history. Evidence-based lessons and recommendations are formulated to improve agencification policies in post-NPM times.

Originating in the Anglo-American world, the New Public Management paradigm appears to have swept over various Continental-European countries, producing convergence of administrative reform. Specific implementations of NPM, however, show a surprisingly large variety of forms, shapes and results. These include performance indicators, personnel reforms, creation and management of executive agencies, public private partnerships, benchmarking and evaluations of reforms. This volume demonstrates and explains how the ambiguous concept of NPM is crafted and shaped differently in various institutional contexts.

The New Public Management paradigm seems to have produced a convergence of administrative reform. However, specific implementations of NPM show range of forms and results including performance indicators, personal reforms and evaluations of reforms. This text demonstrates how NPM is crafted differently in various institutional contexts.