The UK government contends that regional assemblies can assist in reducing the democratic deficit in the English regions. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the new scrutiny role performed by the assemblies. Our conceptual framework identifies five variables which might influence...

In recent years regulatory mechanisms and arrangements for public service organisations have become increasingly complex. In this paper we develop a theoretical framework that emphasises the potential importance of the following regulatory problems: regulatee resistance, ritualistic compliance,...

<title>Abstract</title> The figure of the consumer has been central to the UK New Labour government's approach to reforming public services. However, this article is critical of the narrow debate of the Government and its critics around the consumer as chooser. It aims to broaden the debate by drawing...

It has been argued that the British National Health Service (NHS) has moved from a hierarchical and bureaucratic organization to a market and, more recently, towards a network. The authors believe that this view is too simplistic: the three organizational forms have co-existed and continue to do...

New Labour argues that its ‘new NHS’ will achieve the traditional goal of fairness using the modern NHS means of partnership and co-operation. The authors examine the issue of reducing inequalities in health using the framework of policy, process and resource streams. While the policy stream...