1. Introduction -- 2. The public sector efficiency problem -- 3. Productive efficiency 4. Distributive efficiency -- 5. Dynamic efficiency -- 6. Allocative efficiency -- 7. Managing for efficiency in a democracy -- 8. Conclusion.

Introduction -- Bureaucracy and public management -- Autonomy and public management -- Marketisation and public management -- Collaboration and public management -- Changing agendas of public management research.

Governments increasingly see partnerships as their delivery instrument of choice. There is disagreement, however, about how the proliferation of these institutions should be understood. One interpretation sees ungovernability, instability and unaccountability in the fragmented institutions of...

Multi-sector partnership working has become an increasingly important mode of governance across many Western European countries. It is seen as a means of overcoming social divisions, promoting more inclusive policymaking, and transforming governance systems. Partnership is perceived to be a more...

In vogue with the international currents of public management, the United Kingdom's New Labour government sees the outsourcing, or externalisation, of public service delivery as a key instrument of performance improvement. Evidence suggests, however, that a significant proportion of local...

Purpose – This paper aims to consider whether there is significant divergence between the Welsh and English approaches to partnership working. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis reported stems from a research project, commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government in 2002, which...

That England has a hierarchical relationship between central and local government is a staple of postwar constitutional commentary. By using cultural theory’s five modes of organisation—namely, hierarchies, markets, networks, autonomism, and fatalism—to analyse 109 interviews conducted...