Ewan Ferlie, Sue Dopson, Chris Bennett, Michael D. Fischer, Jean Ledger, and Gerry McGivern
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- November 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198777212
- eISBN:
- 9780191823008
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198777212.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Knowledge Management
This chapter is the first of a set of four chapters exploring the themes of the book more empirically within particular health care organizations. This chapter analyses the bureaucratic career of a ...
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This chapter is the first of a set of four chapters exploring the themes of the book more empirically within particular health care organizations. This chapter analyses the bureaucratic career of a succession of national-level service improvement agencies apparent in the English health care sector since around 2000. There have also been a series of reorganizations in this domain which have consistently failed to secure a high level of autonomy; their bureaucratic career as agencies has therefore been somewhat disappointing. We also examine the types of preferred management knowledge espoused by these agencies, which absorbed and then disseminated to the health care field conventional forms of private firm related and business school produced knowledge, which has been highly influential in the latest cycle. However, there is also evidence of some interesting exceptions (public value, social movements) to this pattern which we had not expected and which complicate the assessment.Less
This chapter is the first of a set of four chapters exploring the themes of the book more empirically within particular health care organizations. This chapter analyses the bureaucratic career of a succession of national-level service improvement agencies apparent in the English health care sector since around 2000. There have also been a series of reorganizations in this domain which have consistently failed to secure a high level of autonomy; their bureaucratic career as agencies has therefore been somewhat disappointing. We also examine the types of preferred management knowledge espoused by these agencies, which absorbed and then disseminated to the health care field conventional forms of private firm related and business school produced knowledge, which has been highly influential in the latest cycle. However, there is also evidence of some interesting exceptions (public value, social movements) to this pattern which we had not expected and which complicate the assessment.
B. Guy Peters
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198297253
- eISBN:
- 9780191914522
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198297253.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, Comparative Politics
This chapter develops the model of administrative traditions that functions as the framework for the remainder of the book. The argument is that contemporary public bureaucracies are influenced ...
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This chapter develops the model of administrative traditions that functions as the framework for the remainder of the book. The argument is that contemporary public bureaucracies are influenced significantly by their historical roots, and that many features of contemporary bureaucracy can be understood through the historically rooted administrative traditions. The model of administrative traditions developed in this chapter has a number of components. First is the nature of the state in which public administration functions. Second is whether there is an emphasis on law or management in defining the role of public servants. The third dimension is the relationship between politics and public administration, followed by the service orientation of public servants. The fifth element of the model is the nature of the career patterns of public servants. Another political dimension concerns the role of social actors in influencing the bureaucracy. Administrative traditions also are concerned with the degree of uniformity in public services throughout the country. The final dimension of the model of administrative traditions is the degree and form of accountability. This model of administrative traditions is based on the experiences of Western Europe, but also has relevance in many other settings.Less
This chapter develops the model of administrative traditions that functions as the framework for the remainder of the book. The argument is that contemporary public bureaucracies are influenced significantly by their historical roots, and that many features of contemporary bureaucracy can be understood through the historically rooted administrative traditions. The model of administrative traditions developed in this chapter has a number of components. First is the nature of the state in which public administration functions. Second is whether there is an emphasis on law or management in defining the role of public servants. The third dimension is the relationship between politics and public administration, followed by the service orientation of public servants. The fifth element of the model is the nature of the career patterns of public servants. Another political dimension concerns the role of social actors in influencing the bureaucracy. Administrative traditions also are concerned with the degree of uniformity in public services throughout the country. The final dimension of the model of administrative traditions is the degree and form of accountability. This model of administrative traditions is based on the experiences of Western Europe, but also has relevance in many other settings.
