Christopher Hood and Martin Lodge
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199269679
- eISBN:
- 9780191604096
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926967X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The traditional understandings that structure the relationships between public servants and the wider political system are said to have undergone considerable change. But what are these formalized ...
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The traditional understandings that structure the relationships between public servants and the wider political system are said to have undergone considerable change. But what are these formalized and implicit understandings? What are the key dimensions of such bargains? In what conditions do bargains rise and fall? And has there been a universal and uniform change in these bargains? This book offers a distinct perspective to answer these questions. It develops a unique analytical perspective to account for diverse bargains within systems of executive government. Drawing on comparative experiences from different state traditions, it examines ideas and contemporary developments along three key dimensions of any Public Service Bargain: reward, competency, and loyalty and responsibility. The book points to diverse and differentiated developments across national systems of executive government, and suggests how different ‘bargains’ are prone to cheating by their constituent parties. It explores the context in which managerial bargains — widely seen to be at the heart of contemporary administrative reform movements — are likely to catch on and considers how cheating is likely to destabilize such bargains.Less
The traditional understandings that structure the relationships between public servants and the wider political system are said to have undergone considerable change. But what are these formalized and implicit understandings? What are the key dimensions of such bargains? In what conditions do bargains rise and fall? And has there been a universal and uniform change in these bargains? This book offers a distinct perspective to answer these questions. It develops a unique analytical perspective to account for diverse bargains within systems of executive government. Drawing on comparative experiences from different state traditions, it examines ideas and contemporary developments along three key dimensions of any Public Service Bargain: reward, competency, and loyalty and responsibility. The book points to diverse and differentiated developments across national systems of executive government, and suggests how different ‘bargains’ are prone to cheating by their constituent parties. It explores the context in which managerial bargains — widely seen to be at the heart of contemporary administrative reform movements — are likely to catch on and considers how cheating is likely to destabilize such bargains.
Christopher Hood
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297659
- eISBN:
- 9780191599484
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297653.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Why does public management—the art of the state—so often go wrong, producing failure and fiasco instead of public service, and what are the different ways in which control or regulation can be ...
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Why does public management—the art of the state—so often go wrong, producing failure and fiasco instead of public service, and what are the different ways in which control or regulation can be applied to government? Why do we find contradictory recipes for the improvement of public services, and are the forces of modernity set to produce worldwide convergence in ways of organizing government? This study aims to explore such questions, which are central to debates over public management. It combines contemporary and historical experience, and employs grid/group cultural theory as an organizing frame and method of exploration. Using examples from different places and eras, the study seeks to identify the recurring variety of ideas about how to organize public services—and contrary to widespread claims that modernization will bring a new global uniformity, it argues that variety is unlikely to disappear from doctrine and practice in public management. The book has three parts. Part I, Introductory, has three chapters that discuss various aspects of public management. Part II, Classic and Recurring Ideas in Public Management, has four chapters that discuss various ways of doing public management. Part III, Rhetoric, Modernity, and Science in Public Management, has three chapters that discuss the rhetoric, and culture of public management, contemporary public management, and the state of the art of the state.Less
Why does public management—the art of the state—so often go wrong, producing failure and fiasco instead of public service, and what are the different ways in which control or regulation can be applied to government? Why do we find contradictory recipes for the improvement of public services, and are the forces of modernity set to produce worldwide convergence in ways of organizing government? This study aims to explore such questions, which are central to debates over public management. It combines contemporary and historical experience, and employs grid/group cultural theory as an organizing frame and method of exploration. Using examples from different places and eras, the study seeks to identify the recurring variety of ideas about how to organize public services—and contrary to widespread claims that modernization will bring a new global uniformity, it argues that variety is unlikely to disappear from doctrine and practice in public management. The book has three parts. Part I, Introductory, has three chapters that discuss various aspects of public management. Part II, Classic and Recurring Ideas in Public Management, has four chapters that discuss various ways of doing public management. Part III, Rhetoric, Modernity, and Science in Public Management, has three chapters that discuss the rhetoric, and culture of public management, contemporary public management, and the state of the art of the state.
Christopher Hood and Martin Lodge
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199269679
- eISBN:
- 9780191604096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926967X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter introduces the notion of Public Service Bargain (PSB) and points to variations in its three dimensions: reward, competency, and loyalty and responsibility. Based on these variations, it ...
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This chapter introduces the notion of Public Service Bargain (PSB) and points to variations in its three dimensions: reward, competency, and loyalty and responsibility. Based on these variations, it discusses the centrality of PSBs for politics and points to the intellectual origins of the idea. The distinction between trustee- and agency-bargains is introduced.Less
This chapter introduces the notion of Public Service Bargain (PSB) and points to variations in its three dimensions: reward, competency, and loyalty and responsibility. Based on these variations, it discusses the centrality of PSBs for politics and points to the intellectual origins of the idea. The distinction between trustee- and agency-bargains is introduced.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199591527
- eISBN:
- 9780191731389
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591527.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
One of the principal goals of antipoverty efforts should be to improve the absolute living standards of the least well-off. This book aims to enhance our understanding of how to do that, drawing on ...
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One of the principal goals of antipoverty efforts should be to improve the absolute living standards of the least well-off. This book aims to enhance our understanding of how to do that, drawing on the experiences of twenty affluent countries since the 1970s. The book addresses a set of questions at the heart of political economy and public policy: How much does economic growth help the poor? When and why does growth fail to trickle down? How can social policy help? Can a country have a sizeable low-wage sector yet few poor households? Are universal programs better than targeted ones? What role can public services play in antipoverty efforts? What is the best tax mix? Is more social spending better for the poor? If we commit to improvement in the absolute living standards of the least well-off, must we sacrifice other desirable outcomes?Less
One of the principal goals of antipoverty efforts should be to improve the absolute living standards of the least well-off. This book aims to enhance our understanding of how to do that, drawing on the experiences of twenty affluent countries since the 1970s. The book addresses a set of questions at the heart of political economy and public policy: How much does economic growth help the poor? When and why does growth fail to trickle down? How can social policy help? Can a country have a sizeable low-wage sector yet few poor households? Are universal programs better than targeted ones? What role can public services play in antipoverty efforts? What is the best tax mix? Is more social spending better for the poor? If we commit to improvement in the absolute living standards of the least well-off, must we sacrifice other desirable outcomes?
Julian Le Grand
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199266999
- eISBN:
- 9780191600869
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199266999.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Can we rely on the public service ethos to deliver high quality public services? Are professionals such as doctors and teachers really public‐spirited altruists—knights—or self‐interested ...
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Can we rely on the public service ethos to deliver high quality public services? Are professionals such as doctors and teachers really public‐spirited altruists—knights—or self‐interested egoists—knaves? And how should the recipients of those services, patients, parents, and pupils, be treated? As passive recipients—pawns—or as active consumers—queens?This book offers answers to these questions. It argues that the original welfare state was designed on the assumptions that those who worked within it were basically altruists or knights and that the beneficiaries were passive recipients or pawns. In consequence, services were often of low quality, delivered in a patronising fashion and inequitable in outcome. However, services designed on an opposite set of assumptions—that public service professionals are knaves and that users should be queens—also face problems: exploitation by unscrupulous professionals, and overuse by demanding consumers, especially middle class ones.The book draws on evidence from Britain and abroad to show that, in fact, public policies designed on the basis that professionals are a mixture of knight and knave and recipients a mixture of pawn and queen deliver better quality and greater equity than policies based on more simplistic assumptions about motivation and agency. In particular, contrary to popular mythology, the book shows that policies that offer choice and competition within public services such as education and health care can deliver both excellence and equity. And policies aimed at building up individual assets and wealth ownership can empower the poor and powerless more effectively than those aimed simply at bolstering their current income.Less
Can we rely on the public service ethos to deliver high quality public services? Are professionals such as doctors and teachers really public‐spirited altruists—knights—or self‐interested egoists—knaves? And how should the recipients of those services, patients, parents, and pupils, be treated? As passive recipients—pawns—or as active consumers—queens?
This book offers answers to these questions. It argues that the original welfare state was designed on the assumptions that those who worked within it were basically altruists or knights and that the beneficiaries were passive recipients or pawns. In consequence, services were often of low quality, delivered in a patronising fashion and inequitable in outcome. However, services designed on an opposite set of assumptions—that public service professionals are knaves and that users should be queens—also face problems: exploitation by unscrupulous professionals, and overuse by demanding consumers, especially middle class ones.
The book draws on evidence from Britain and abroad to show that, in fact, public policies designed on the basis that professionals are a mixture of knight and knave and recipients a mixture of pawn and queen deliver better quality and greater equity than policies based on more simplistic assumptions about motivation and agency. In particular, contrary to popular mythology, the book shows that policies that offer choice and competition within public services such as education and health care can deliver both excellence and equity. And policies aimed at building up individual assets and wealth ownership can empower the poor and powerless more effectively than those aimed simply at bolstering their current income.
Adrienne Héritier and Susanne K. Schmidt
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240920
- eISBN:
- 9780191600180
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240922.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The liberalization and/or privatization of formerly highly protected, monopolistic, public utilities, and infrastructural services has added to the challenges of welfare‐state adjustment. The move to ...
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The liberalization and/or privatization of formerly highly protected, monopolistic, public utilities, and infrastructural services has added to the challenges of welfare‐state adjustment. The move to market competition is affecting these industries’ historical role not only as providers of public service goods but also as important national employers. The chapter provides an initial account of the consequences of liberalization and privatization for the quality, cost, and availability of utilities and infrastructural services and for employment. A comparison of the telecommunications and railways reforms of France, Germany, and Britain identifies different mechanisms to ensure that public service goals continued to be met and assesses the performance of the different regimes. In addition, the chapter compares the employment effects of liberalization in the telecommunications, posts, railways, and energy sectors of a wider range of countries.Less
The liberalization and/or privatization of formerly highly protected, monopolistic, public utilities, and infrastructural services has added to the challenges of welfare‐state adjustment. The move to market competition is affecting these industries’ historical role not only as providers of public service goods but also as important national employers. The chapter provides an initial account of the consequences of liberalization and privatization for the quality, cost, and availability of utilities and infrastructural services and for employment. A comparison of the telecommunications and railways reforms of France, Germany, and Britain identifies different mechanisms to ensure that public service goals continued to be met and assesses the performance of the different regimes. In addition, the chapter compares the employment effects of liberalization in the telecommunications, posts, railways, and energy sectors of a wider range of countries.
Rosemary Deem, Sam Hillyard, and Mike Reed
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199265909
- eISBN:
- 9780191708602
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265909.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Knowledge Management
This chapter analyses issues about values related to the governance and management of universities as public service institutions. It examines a further dimension of the culture of publicly funded ...
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This chapter analyses issues about values related to the governance and management of universities as public service institutions. It examines a further dimension of the culture of publicly funded universities, and places the debate about the management of academic knowledge work in a wider, European perspective. Some of the issues raised can be applied to other higher education systems outside Europe, providing that due attention is also paid to the local context of such systems.Less
This chapter analyses issues about values related to the governance and management of universities as public service institutions. It examines a further dimension of the culture of publicly funded universities, and places the debate about the management of academic knowledge work in a wider, European perspective. Some of the issues raised can be applied to other higher education systems outside Europe, providing that due attention is also paid to the local context of such systems.
Rosemary Deem, Sam Hillyard, and Mike Reed
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199265909
- eISBN:
- 9780191708602
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265909.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Knowledge Management
This chapter has five purposes. First, to provide a general theoretical orientation and framework to analyse changes in UK higher education at the institutional, organizational, and individual ...
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This chapter has five purposes. First, to provide a general theoretical orientation and framework to analyse changes in UK higher education at the institutional, organizational, and individual academic and manager-academic levels. Second, to provide an analytical narrative about the emergence and subsequent development of ‘New Managerialism’ (NM). Third, to review the discursive strategies and control technologies embodied in different formulations of NM and New Public Management (NPM). Fourth, to identify and assess the endemic contradictions, tensions, and conflicts within and between these discursive strategies and control technologies, as well as their broader implications for longer-term institutional change and organizational innovation. Fifth, to provide an initial interpretation of the process of ‘hybridization’ in public services domains and organizationals, and its wider significance for the development of universities as ‘knowledge-intensive organizations’.Less
This chapter has five purposes. First, to provide a general theoretical orientation and framework to analyse changes in UK higher education at the institutional, organizational, and individual academic and manager-academic levels. Second, to provide an analytical narrative about the emergence and subsequent development of ‘New Managerialism’ (NM). Third, to review the discursive strategies and control technologies embodied in different formulations of NM and New Public Management (NPM). Fourth, to identify and assess the endemic contradictions, tensions, and conflicts within and between these discursive strategies and control technologies, as well as their broader implications for longer-term institutional change and organizational innovation. Fifth, to provide an initial interpretation of the process of ‘hybridization’ in public services domains and organizationals, and its wider significance for the development of universities as ‘knowledge-intensive organizations’.
Samuel Paul, Kala Seetharam Sridhar, A. Venugopala Reddy, and Pavan Srinath
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198080381
- eISBN:
- 9780199081622
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198080381.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Cities in Karnataka, as in India, suffer from inadequate data and information, which has undermined their ability and that of analysts and policymakers to comprehend the complex forces shaping cities ...
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Cities in Karnataka, as in India, suffer from inadequate data and information, which has undermined their ability and that of analysts and policymakers to comprehend the complex forces shaping cities and to develop and implement effective urban policies. Given the importance of cities in Karnataka’s economic growth and development, the book undertakes a review of 15 major cities. While it is clear that no existing studies present the state of cities in India’s context, not collecting this information has disastrous consequences for cities, since they would not be in a position to understand their own growth nor predict their future planning for public services. This book attempts to fill in this vacuum. In this book, indicators and benchmarks are developed for six thematic areas that capture the dynamics and potential of urban areas: history and governance, demographics, economic dimensions, infrastructure and public services, resources, and quality of life. Policymakers, city officials, investors, real estate developers, infrastructure agencies, financiers, industry, credit rating agencies, the educated general public, and researchers would be interested in the book since it has implications for the business environment and quality of living in these cities. The book also provides a description of best practices in service delivery across the 15 cities, so that these can be shared across the cities, and competition encouraged among them for firms, investment, and better residents with promise of a better quality of living.Less
Cities in Karnataka, as in India, suffer from inadequate data and information, which has undermined their ability and that of analysts and policymakers to comprehend the complex forces shaping cities and to develop and implement effective urban policies. Given the importance of cities in Karnataka’s economic growth and development, the book undertakes a review of 15 major cities. While it is clear that no existing studies present the state of cities in India’s context, not collecting this information has disastrous consequences for cities, since they would not be in a position to understand their own growth nor predict their future planning for public services. This book attempts to fill in this vacuum. In this book, indicators and benchmarks are developed for six thematic areas that capture the dynamics and potential of urban areas: history and governance, demographics, economic dimensions, infrastructure and public services, resources, and quality of life. Policymakers, city officials, investors, real estate developers, infrastructure agencies, financiers, industry, credit rating agencies, the educated general public, and researchers would be interested in the book since it has implications for the business environment and quality of living in these cities. The book also provides a description of best practices in service delivery across the 15 cities, so that these can be shared across the cities, and competition encouraged among them for firms, investment, and better residents with promise of a better quality of living.
Mats Benner and Torben Bundgaard Vad
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240920
- eISBN:
- 9780191600180
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240922.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The very generous, service‐oriented ‘social–democratic’ welfare states in Sweden and Denmark did consistently achieve higher levels of overall employment, extremely high levels of public services, ...
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The very generous, service‐oriented ‘social–democratic’ welfare states in Sweden and Denmark did consistently achieve higher levels of overall employment, extremely high levels of public services, greater equality in wages, and higher rates of female employment than either the ‘liberal’ or the ‘Bismarckian’ welfare states covered in this study. Following the liberalization of capital markets and errors of fiscal and monetary policy at the end of the 1980s, however, the Swedish economy went from an overheated boom into a deep recession, which then required significant cutbacks of social spending and public‐sector employment in the 1990s. By contrast, Denmark combined growth‐oriented macroeconomic policies with more flexible labour‐market regulations that allowed it to maintain the high level of public services while also increasing employment in private services. With the rapid recovery of the Swedish economy at the end of the 1990s, both countries are again successful in combining high competitiveness in the international economy with very high levels of social protection.Less
The very generous, service‐oriented ‘social–democratic’ welfare states in Sweden and Denmark did consistently achieve higher levels of overall employment, extremely high levels of public services, greater equality in wages, and higher rates of female employment than either the ‘liberal’ or the ‘Bismarckian’ welfare states covered in this study. Following the liberalization of capital markets and errors of fiscal and monetary policy at the end of the 1980s, however, the Swedish economy went from an overheated boom into a deep recession, which then required significant cutbacks of social spending and public‐sector employment in the 1990s. By contrast, Denmark combined growth‐oriented macroeconomic policies with more flexible labour‐market regulations that allowed it to maintain the high level of public services while also increasing employment in private services. With the rapid recovery of the Swedish economy at the end of the 1990s, both countries are again successful in combining high competitiveness in the international economy with very high levels of social protection.
Kala Seetharam Sridhar and A. Venugopala Reddy
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198065388
- eISBN:
- 9780199081264
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198065388.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Given the primacy of public service delivery for cities to become engines of growth, this book answers two critical questions. Does low spending explain the state of poor public service delivery? How ...
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Given the primacy of public service delivery for cities to become engines of growth, this book answers two critical questions. Does low spending explain the state of poor public service delivery? How can Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have access to greater resources so as to enable them to improve public service delivery? Using case studies of four cities — Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Bangalore — the book examines urban services such as water supply, sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, municipal roads, and street lighting. It compares the state of these services with international norms and suggests new ways in which they can be financed and improved. More specifically, the book examines the role of land as a revenue-generating source in India's cities.Less
Given the primacy of public service delivery for cities to become engines of growth, this book answers two critical questions. Does low spending explain the state of poor public service delivery? How can Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have access to greater resources so as to enable them to improve public service delivery? Using case studies of four cities — Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Bangalore — the book examines urban services such as water supply, sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, municipal roads, and street lighting. It compares the state of these services with international norms and suggests new ways in which they can be financed and improved. More specifically, the book examines the role of land as a revenue-generating source in India's cities.
Marise Cremona (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199607730
- eISBN:
- 9780191725258
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199607730.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law
In a period when the nature and scope of the European internal market is hotly contested, this book offers a topical analysis of the most pressing issues relating to market integration and public ...
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In a period when the nature and scope of the European internal market is hotly contested, this book offers a topical analysis of the most pressing issues relating to market integration and public services in the EU. As the debate continues over the balance between state control and market freedom, questions are also raised about the relationship between EU regulation and national policy choices and the ‘joint responsibility’ of the Union and the Member States. Outlining the most important current issues relating to market integration and public services in the EU, this book also addresses the underlying, systemic questions of the relation between public services and markets, and services and the consumer. Chapters also examine the application of state aids and procurement law to public services. The final two chapters focus on two public service sectors where the mix of Treaty rules, case law, and legislation has operated in rather different ways: public service media and health services.Less
In a period when the nature and scope of the European internal market is hotly contested, this book offers a topical analysis of the most pressing issues relating to market integration and public services in the EU. As the debate continues over the balance between state control and market freedom, questions are also raised about the relationship between EU regulation and national policy choices and the ‘joint responsibility’ of the Union and the Member States. Outlining the most important current issues relating to market integration and public services in the EU, this book also addresses the underlying, systemic questions of the relation between public services and markets, and services and the consumer. Chapters also examine the application of state aids and procurement law to public services. The final two chapters focus on two public service sectors where the mix of Treaty rules, case law, and legislation has operated in rather different ways: public service media and health services.
Raymond Plant
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199281756
- eISBN:
- 9780191713040
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281756.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
One of the central themes of this chapter is the neo‐liberal critique of the ‘public service ethic’ which it has been thought by Social Democratic thinkers as the main way in which the ...
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One of the central themes of this chapter is the neo‐liberal critique of the ‘public service ethic’ which it has been thought by Social Democratic thinkers as the main way in which the self‐interested behaviour of welfare bureaucracies can be constrained. The chapter looks at the close links between the neo‐liberal approach to this and the Public Choice School of public policy analysts who argue that the role and expansion of welfare bureaucracy is best explained by the utility maximizing behaviour at work in such bureaucracies when they are exempt from market disciplines and the possibility of bankruptcy. The role of interest groups in a welfare state is taken up again with reference to the work of Macur Olson in terms of his account of the rigidities caused to the economy by long lasting interest groups. The neo‐liberal approach to trades unions is also considered in this chapter.Less
One of the central themes of this chapter is the neo‐liberal critique of the ‘public service ethic’ which it has been thought by Social Democratic thinkers as the main way in which the self‐interested behaviour of welfare bureaucracies can be constrained. The chapter looks at the close links between the neo‐liberal approach to this and the Public Choice School of public policy analysts who argue that the role and expansion of welfare bureaucracy is best explained by the utility maximizing behaviour at work in such bureaucracies when they are exempt from market disciplines and the possibility of bankruptcy. The role of interest groups in a welfare state is taken up again with reference to the work of Macur Olson in terms of his account of the rigidities caused to the economy by long lasting interest groups. The neo‐liberal approach to trades unions is also considered in this chapter.
Christopher Hood
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297659
- eISBN:
- 9780191599484
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297653.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Discusses three conventional assumptions that are made about public management: that it is in the throes of a millennial transformation to a new style; that today's ‘new’ public management ideas ...
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Discusses three conventional assumptions that are made about public management: that it is in the throes of a millennial transformation to a new style; that today's ‘new’ public management ideas differ sharply from those of earlier eras; and that the favoured doctrines of contemporary public management tend to be dubbed as economic rationalism. Goes on to point out that the book looks at public management from a different perspective, and reduces its arguments to seven related propositions, discussed in the remainder of the chapter that: grid/cultural theory captures most of the variety in both current and historical debates about how to organize public services; application of a cultural‐theory framework can illuminate many of the central analytic questions of public management; if we look across time and space, we can identify ideas about how to organize government and public services that correspond to each of the four polar categories contained in cultural theory; no one of those recipes for good organization has a clear claim to be considered more modern than any of the others and each has in‐built weaknesses; variation in ideas about how to organize in government is not likely to disappear; the dimensions identified by cultural theory enable analysis of organizational variety to be pursued at a range of levels; and the understanding of cultural and organizational variety, within a historical perspective, merits a central place in the study of public management. These seven propositions overlap, and some of them are given more space than others in the book; this chapter concentrates mainly on the first proposition, and aims to introduce grid/group cultural theory in the context of public management, but the other six propositions are also discussed more briefly, as a way of setting the scene for the remainder of the book.Less
Discusses three conventional assumptions that are made about public management: that it is in the throes of a millennial transformation to a new style; that today's ‘new’ public management ideas differ sharply from those of earlier eras; and that the favoured doctrines of contemporary public management tend to be dubbed as economic rationalism. Goes on to point out that the book looks at public management from a different perspective, and reduces its arguments to seven related propositions, discussed in the remainder of the chapter that: grid/cultural theory captures most of the variety in both current and historical debates about how to organize public services; application of a cultural‐theory framework can illuminate many of the central analytic questions of public management; if we look across time and space, we can identify ideas about how to organize government and public services that correspond to each of the four polar categories contained in cultural theory; no one of those recipes for good organization has a clear claim to be considered more modern than any of the others and each has in‐built weaknesses; variation in ideas about how to organize in government is not likely to disappear; the dimensions identified by cultural theory enable analysis of organizational variety to be pursued at a range of levels; and the understanding of cultural and organizational variety, within a historical perspective, merits a central place in the study of public management. These seven propositions overlap, and some of them are given more space than others in the book; this chapter concentrates mainly on the first proposition, and aims to introduce grid/group cultural theory in the context of public management, but the other six propositions are also discussed more briefly, as a way of setting the scene for the remainder of the book.
Mark Bevir and R. A. W. Rhodes
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199580750
- eISBN:
- 9780191723179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199580750.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
Chapter 8 looks at the way senior public servants coped with managerial rationalities; the continuous reform of the public service. The rise of the new public management in the 1980s led to ...
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Chapter 8 looks at the way senior public servants coped with managerial rationalities; the continuous reform of the public service. The rise of the new public management in the 1980s led to recurring challenges to the administrative traditions of the public service in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The chapter analyses how the heads of the public service articulate the traditions of ‘constitutional bureaucracy’ found in Westminster systems of parliamentary government and selectively draw on past understandings to understand present-day changes. It describes living traditions under challenge that reshape reforms as reforms reshape them. It concludes that the heads of the public services have found ‘space’ or ‘voice’ to identify innovative ways of combining past traditions with new organizing principles of governance. In each case, it is not a question of ‘in with the new, out with the old’, but of ‘in with the new alongside key parts of the old’. The myths and legends of yore remain germane to the modern public service.Less
Chapter 8 looks at the way senior public servants coped with managerial rationalities; the continuous reform of the public service. The rise of the new public management in the 1980s led to recurring challenges to the administrative traditions of the public service in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The chapter analyses how the heads of the public service articulate the traditions of ‘constitutional bureaucracy’ found in Westminster systems of parliamentary government and selectively draw on past understandings to understand present-day changes. It describes living traditions under challenge that reshape reforms as reforms reshape them. It concludes that the heads of the public services have found ‘space’ or ‘voice’ to identify innovative ways of combining past traditions with new organizing principles of governance. In each case, it is not a question of ‘in with the new, out with the old’, but of ‘in with the new alongside key parts of the old’. The myths and legends of yore remain germane to the modern public service.
Per Arnt Pettersen
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294740
- eISBN:
- 9780191598838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294743.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The basic question for analysis in this chapter is whether people prefer that security benefits such as state pension schemes, public health services, and unemployment benefits should expand, ...
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The basic question for analysis in this chapter is whether people prefer that security benefits such as state pension schemes, public health services, and unemployment benefits should expand, continue as they are, or diminish. The chapter reviews the historical development of welfare and benefit provision from the self‐confident 1960s, through the stagnation of the 1970s, through to the austerity of the 1980s. It then examines which demographic and social groupings are likely to support or oppose the expansion of security provision by the welfare state, and the nature of the connections between public perceptions and party‐political positions on welfare policies.Less
The basic question for analysis in this chapter is whether people prefer that security benefits such as state pension schemes, public health services, and unemployment benefits should expand, continue as they are, or diminish. The chapter reviews the historical development of welfare and benefit provision from the self‐confident 1960s, through the stagnation of the 1970s, through to the austerity of the 1980s. It then examines which demographic and social groupings are likely to support or oppose the expansion of security provision by the welfare state, and the nature of the connections between public perceptions and party‐political positions on welfare policies.
Peter Taylor-Gooby
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197264935
- eISBN:
- 9780191760365
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264935.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter examines the strategies that have been developed to manage the dilemma between maintaining services and constraint. These include shifting responsibility in various areas towards the ...
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This chapter examines the strategies that have been developed to manage the dilemma between maintaining services and constraint. These include shifting responsibility in various areas towards the market and the individual or voluntary sector, target-setting, manifold attempts to manage and restrain public provision, and attempts to change people's behaviour to cut demand. It argues that none of these approaches is entirely acceptable to public opinion and none has been markedly successful in solving the problem. This suggests that the dilemma of spending versus cutting will continue to underlie policy-making, that future policies must combine a range of approaches, and that greater attention to fostering a more informed and genuinely democratic debate is necessary so that new policy directions will be able to gain public support.Less
This chapter examines the strategies that have been developed to manage the dilemma between maintaining services and constraint. These include shifting responsibility in various areas towards the market and the individual or voluntary sector, target-setting, manifold attempts to manage and restrain public provision, and attempts to change people's behaviour to cut demand. It argues that none of these approaches is entirely acceptable to public opinion and none has been markedly successful in solving the problem. This suggests that the dilemma of spending versus cutting will continue to underlie policy-making, that future policies must combine a range of approaches, and that greater attention to fostering a more informed and genuinely democratic debate is necessary so that new policy directions will be able to gain public support.
Anthony F. Heath, Roger M. Jowell, and John K. Curtice
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199245116
- eISBN:
- 9780191599453
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245118.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
The authors focus on the principal aspects of the Thatcherite economic reform programme and assess to what extent they were accepted by the British electorate. The analysis shows that the electorate ...
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The authors focus on the principal aspects of the Thatcherite economic reform programme and assess to what extent they were accepted by the British electorate. The analysis shows that the electorate accepted the Conservative reforms on privatization and trade union legislation and that, during her time in office, Margaret Thatcher won public backing for the changes. But in two other respects, Margaret Thatcher failed to carry the country with her; once the problem of inflation was solved at the beginning of the 1980s, the electorate wanted the government to pay more attention to the high level of unemployment and did not appear to accept Thatcherite policies in this area. The electorate showed no enthusiasm for the Thatcherite philosophy of reduced government spending on public services. The analysis of the Thatcherite economic reform programme gives support to the thesis that a political party does not need to be closely in tune with the electorate's policy preferences in order to win an election.Less
The authors focus on the principal aspects of the Thatcherite economic reform programme and assess to what extent they were accepted by the British electorate. The analysis shows that the electorate accepted the Conservative reforms on privatization and trade union legislation and that, during her time in office, Margaret Thatcher won public backing for the changes. But in two other respects, Margaret Thatcher failed to carry the country with her; once the problem of inflation was solved at the beginning of the 1980s, the electorate wanted the government to pay more attention to the high level of unemployment and did not appear to accept Thatcherite policies in this area. The electorate showed no enthusiasm for the Thatcherite philosophy of reduced government spending on public services. The analysis of the Thatcherite economic reform programme gives support to the thesis that a political party does not need to be closely in tune with the electorate's policy preferences in order to win an election.
Achille Ardigó
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294740
- eISBN:
- 9780191598838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294743.003.0014
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Considers what citizens perceive to be the responsibilities of their governments and the way they assess the activities of government concerning the management of the welfare state, with particular ...
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Considers what citizens perceive to be the responsibilities of their governments and the way they assess the activities of government concerning the management of the welfare state, with particular reference to health services. First, it draws conclusions from a secondary analysis of data from cross‐national sample surveys that contain questions on the role of national governments in providing health services. Second, it relates these findings to recent variations in health service expenditure. The scale of current and prospective changes in public health service funding offers a fruitful arena for future research on the relationship between public opinion and government policy on health care provision.Less
Considers what citizens perceive to be the responsibilities of their governments and the way they assess the activities of government concerning the management of the welfare state, with particular reference to health services. First, it draws conclusions from a secondary analysis of data from cross‐national sample surveys that contain questions on the role of national governments in providing health services. Second, it relates these findings to recent variations in health service expenditure. The scale of current and prospective changes in public health service funding offers a fruitful arena for future research on the relationship between public opinion and government policy on health care provision.
Markus Krajewski
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199552894
- eISBN:
- 9780191720741
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199552894.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law
This chapter looks at an increasingly important part of EU trade policy — trade in services. It discusses the notion of ‘public services’ at a more general level, and then discusses the treatment of ...
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This chapter looks at an increasingly important part of EU trade policy — trade in services. It discusses the notion of ‘public services’ at a more general level, and then discusses the treatment of public services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and in bilateral trade agreements in detail. Among the conclusions is that the concept of trade in services according to the GATS and according to certain bilateral trade agreements of the EC is considerably broad, because it does not define the term services and because it encompasses four modes of supply, which include investments and temporary migration to provide services. Public services, understood in a broad sense as services supplied in the general interest, are at the heart of many debates about trade in services. Most of these services are covered by the GATS and the bilateral trade agreements.Less
This chapter looks at an increasingly important part of EU trade policy — trade in services. It discusses the notion of ‘public services’ at a more general level, and then discusses the treatment of public services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and in bilateral trade agreements in detail. Among the conclusions is that the concept of trade in services according to the GATS and according to certain bilateral trade agreements of the EC is considerably broad, because it does not define the term services and because it encompasses four modes of supply, which include investments and temporary migration to provide services. Public services, understood in a broad sense as services supplied in the general interest, are at the heart of many debates about trade in services. Most of these services are covered by the GATS and the bilateral trade agreements.
