ALBERT

Notes: Purpose - This paper examines the actual and desired use of performance measures for management and external reporting purposes, as well as perceived impediments to their effective use. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 334 senior administrators in Canadian municipalities participated in this survey study. Findings - Somewhat more efficiency measures than effectiveness measures have been used for various purposes. However, greater use was perceived desirable than actually occurred, particularly for effectiveness measures. A significant increase in the use was expected in the near future especially for effectiveness measures. Internal and external verification of measures was considered important by both internal and external auditors. Although the study also identified impediments to the development and meaningful use of performance measures, performance measurement appears to have been accepted as a useful managerial tool and have significant future potential. Research limitations/implications - The results are limited by the survey method. Practical implications - The results can provide guidance to public-sector administrators and professionals for planning and decision making purposes and to professional bodies and regulatory agencies for developing comparative performance reporting standards. Originality/value - Using the descriptive and normative perspectives, this study provides new evidence in the Canadian context. It concludes that, although the mandatory performance measurement and reporting requirements for municipalities in Canada lag those in the UK, the USA, and Australia, a significant degree of usage occurred voluntary in Canadian municipalities.

Notes: Purpose - Local authorities use events and festivals within their region to help achieve a diverse range of economic and social objectives. However, the success of these events, which can take up a substantial amount of the tourism, leisure or arts and cultural budget is rarely assessed in a systematic and objective manner. This article describes the importance of measuring the impacts of such events Design/methodology/approach - The methods for assessing the success of local authority events are trialled through the use of a case study involving two events organised by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. Findings - An evaluation of the methods, after conducting the case study, indicates that the techniques produced robust data that was valuable in planning future events and in securing funding. The relative simplicity of the methods used will help to ensure that similar evaluations can be carried out in-house for little cost for future public events. Originality/value - This article sets out practical guidelines for undertaking the measurement and evaluation of some of the major impacts of local authority events. Similar methods can be used by other public sector organisations involved in hosting public events.

Notes: Purpose - Since the early 1990s there has been a growth in local authorities of risk management. However, despite a range of different strategies, initiatives and practices the issue of financing the risks to which authorities are exposed has remained problematic. The traditional dependence on the commercial insurance market has proved to be a flawed strategy. This paper aims to analyse an alternative risk financing strategy which has been successful in local authorities in other countries, that of risk pooling. Design/methodology/approach - The paper analyses the rationale behind risk pools, investigates the legislative environment that appears to make these acceptable to central government and evaluates the likely benefits to local authorities of their adoption. Findings - The paper finds that the perceived main legislative barrier to risk pools may no longer exist. Given that, there is a strategic, financial and operational case to be made for at least exploring the possibility of risk pooling. The experience from the USA would suggest that pools can have an important role to play in risk financing, and evidence now exists that a number of UK local authorities are actively pursuing pool formation. Practical implications - The development of risk pools is likely to result in a significant reduction in the use of conventional insurance by local authorities. The evidence would suggest that this will be beneficial, but this is subject to the proviso that actuarial, financial and managerial practice within pools is rigorous. Originality/value - This is an under-researched area, with almost no extant UK-relevant academic, or indeed practitioner, literature. The paper adds to the understanding of public sector risk management and financing for both academic and practitioner audiences.

Notes: Purpose - This paper aims to explore the topic of leadership as perceived and described by public library leaders. In particular, the paper seeks to investigate the reported impact of public library leaders on their followers. The study aims to develop an understanding of the perceptions of current leaders in the field of public librarianship. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 30 top-level public librarians from Ireland, the UK, and the east coast of the USA were selected for inclusion in this study. A review of the relevant literature was used to design an interview guide which was used to conduct structured in-depth face-to-face interviews. Findings - The findings illustrate that the leaders believe that followers are motivated by example from their leaders. The interviewed librarians highlight the role played by followers, whom they see as the foundation of public library service. The librarians argue that a partnership approach between leaders and followers is necessary to formulate and to put into effect strategies and courses of action to fulfil organizational purpose and goals. Originality/value - The current study is the most in-depth study to date on this topic, drawing on face-to-face interviews with 30 public library leaders. Prior to this study, no in-depth study on the topic of leadership in librarianship has been researched and published outside of North America. As this study was undertaken in three national jurisdictions - Ireland, UK, and the USA, it is also the first transnational study on the topic.

Notes: Purpose - Decision making in networks is multilateral and interaction-based and is often contrasted with unilateral decision making in a hierarchy. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether unilateral interventions can nevertheless be functional in networks. Design/methodology/approach - A large number of empirical studies into decision making in networks were consulted to examine whether they featured unilateral interventions and, if so, what the roles of these interventions were. Prior to this, the author outlines theories on decision making in networks and the dysfunctions of unilateral interventions. Findings - Six strategies were found in which unilateral interventions proved effective in network-like decision making. Unilateral action may be used to influence other actors' perceptions of the win-win game, to change the pattern of interdependencies, as a follow-up to failed interaction, if room is offered simultaneously, if there is a critical mass of winners and to de-hierarchize decision making. These unilateral strategies were found to be embedded in interaction-based, network-like decision making. In some cases, they stimulated a process of interaction; in other cases, they resulted from a process of interaction. Practical implications - The strategies show that decision making in networks benefits from the intelligent use of unilateral action. Originality/value - The paper goes beyond the dichotomy between network and hierarchy and demonstrates that, on the interface of networks and hierarchies, there are many possibilities of developing strategies that - although unilateral - are network-contingent.

Notes: Purpose - To provide a critique of the strategies that the UK Government employed at that time of the closure of the countryside during the foot and mouth disease (FMD) and their subsequent effects upon leisure and tourism providers. The work evaluates the sector's responses to the FMD crisis and considers their significance and influence in relation to the strategies deployed. Possible alternative strategies are presented which both government and industries can consider. Design/methodology/approach - The complete sector of tourism and leisure providers within the market town of Keswick was surveyed twice over a two-year period. The initial survey was undertaken in 2002 and the second survey occurred in 2004. Keswick is situated in the northern sector of the English Lake District National Park, which is situated within the county of Cumbria. This area was seen to be the most affected by the foot and mouth crisis both in terms of severity and duration of infection. In addition to the survey conducted, key personnel from government agencies and voluntary organisations were also interviewed using a semi-structured approach. Additional information was accessed from a FMD discussion web site. Findings - The impact of the foot and mouth crisis devastated the rural tourism and leisure industries. The governmental policy utilized was myopic in its outlook and ineffectual in that it concentrated mainly upon the consequences to, and the needs of, the farming industry. The current proposals acknowledge to some degree that the town's tourism and leisure industry are a valued part of the rural economy, but the authors question if these are effective enough. Originality/value - The originality of the study has enabled the evaluation of the strategies put in place immediately after the FMD crisis. It not only critically appraises proposed policies (i.e. limited closure of the countryside in future) but uniquely proposes a number of alternatives.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of a major initiative (the National Competition Policy) and pieces of legislation (the Local Government Act and the Local Government Finance Standards) on the internal practices of a large Australian local authority. Design/methodology/approach - A theoretical framework is developed using new public management (NPM) and neo-institutional theory literatures to explain the findings. A case study approach was applied to collect the data for the research. Findings - The findings reveal that the National Competition Policy 1993, the Local Government Act 1993 and the Local Government Finance Standards 1994 mainly have brought about significant changes to the organisation's internal management control processes, such as financial reporting, budgeting and performance appraisal. The changes brought in appeared to be coincidentally similar to NPM ideals. Furthermore, senior managers (such as the chief executive and divisional heads) played a major role in implementing new accounting technologies (activity-based costing and the balanced scorecard type performance measurement system). Research limitations/implications - Future research on public sector financial management from the outset of organisational contexts could considerably further the stock of knowledge in this area, especially given the rapid changes occurring within the public sector throughout the world. Future research may wish to extend this study by assessing how external legitimating functions become internal reality, the perceptions of reality of the organisational members, and how these perceptions change over time. Practical implications - The findings reported provide evidence to further our understanding of how the introduction of private sector styles of organisational practices into large areas of the public sector brought about significant changes in the demand for "new" financial management practices. Originality/value - The findings reported on in this paper will open a new path of research that may increase our understanding about the factors that play a role in the design of management and accounting systems in a public sector context. Further, they will help policy makers and public sector managers in their day-to-day decision-making.

Notes: Purpose - To review the voluntary operations of Counseling Services for the Elderly, which has operated since 1972 under the National Insurance Institute of the State of Israel. Design/methodology/approach - The paper considers the elderly population and its characteristics and the gradual development of the volunteering counseling services. The characteristics of the volunteers and their motivation in this work are also discussed. The training that volunteers undergo is constantly being updated and upgraded, and details are provided that cover home visits, consultations and special projects. Findings - Currently, Counseling Services for the Elderly operates 4,278 volunteers in 21 branches across the country, supporting thousands of the elderly on a relatively low budget of less than $3 million for 2003. Originality/value - The paper presents a unique voluntary service that is fully integrated into national welfare for the elderly. The service meets the objectives of assistance to the elderly while helping to maintain and develop the quality of life of the volunteer.

Notes: Purpose - E-governance initiatives are common in most countries as they promise a more citizen-centric government and reduce operational cost. Unfortunately most of these initiatives have not been able to achieve the benefits claimed. Often the reason for this failure is a techno-centric focus rather than a governance-centric focus. The aim of this paper is to explore the necessary attributes of a governance-centric initiative under the banner "excellent e-governance" (e2-governance), and describe a methodology for ensuring such excellence in e-governance implementations. Design/methodology/approach - The paper follows a case study approach for developing the concept of excellent e-governance. It first conceptually differentiates between e-government and e-governance and describes the status of e-governance in developing countries. It then differentiates between the two approaches to e-governance: techno-centric and governance-centric. Next, the attributes of excellent e-governance are explored in detail, and illustrated by two case studies. Then, the major issues for bringing excellence to e-governance initiatives are identified. Last, a methodology under development, called "e-governance engineering", is described, which when applied to an e-governance initiative, will ensure excellence. Findings - Excellence (or governance-centricism) in e-governance requires the initiative to be effectiveness-driven and not merely efficiency-driven. This will require the initiative to be led by a "good governance" driven goal/purpose: additionally, the initiative must be outcome-focused. Practical implications - There has been a dearth of methodologies for implementing e-governance initiatives, and an increase in the number of failed e-governance projects. This paper proposes a methodology, "e-governance engineering", which aims to fill this gap and at the same time bring excellence to the e-governance initiatives implemented. Originality/value - The paper introduces the notion of "excellence" in e-governance (e2-governance), which is supposed to be the goal of all e-governance initiatives. It also introduces a methodology to accomplish this goal. It is hoped that the methodology will help public administrators and public organisations in successfully designing and implementing e-governance projects, thereby contributing to enhanced governance at optimal cost.

Notes: Purpose - The aim of this paper is to report on development and use of a survey instrument that captures qualitative, process-related data from local authority officers in New Zealand, from which is derived a rigorous and parsimonious set of critical performance measures. Design/methodology/approach - An instrument was developed utilising performance exemplars promoted by industry-respected consulting experts. New Zealand local authorities were surveyed and exploratory factor analysis used to identify what the factors represent conceptually. Profile Similarity Indices (PSIs) describe the alignment between expected and actual consultant performances. Findings - A rigorous set of five critical process-related dimensions of performance and their associated (18) scales were derived, which demonstrate the desired properties of reliability and validity. Interpretation of the Profile Similarity Indices values is provided. Research limitations/implications - Subjective data on excellent consulting practice sourced from industry-respected consultants was used rather than justifying reasons for their choice from a theoretical basis. Generalisability of results to other business and industry sectors remains to be tested. Practical implications - The derived performance measures may be used by practitioners to objectively assess management consultant performance and local authority performance (in specifying the contract). Where performance discrepancies exist, reasons and remedial actions may be determined via consideration of the individual scale items. Originality/value - There continues to be a lack of research into the practices employed by local authorities when they retain and manage their management consultants; such purchasers often experience difficulty judging what is being offered and what kinds and levels of performance are relevant and achievable. Underperformance may be due to a lack of objective and well-developed consulting performance standards. The present study examines these gaps.

Notes: Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore the issues involved in developing and applying performance management approaches within a large UK public sector department using a multiple stakeholder perspective and an accompanying theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach - An initial short questionnaire was used to determine perceptions about the implementation and effectiveness of the new performance management system across the organisation. In total, 700 questionnaires were distributed. Running concurrently with an ethnographic approach, and informed by the questionnaire responses, was a series of semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Findings - Staff at all levels had an understanding of the new system and perceived it as being beneficial. However, there were concerns that the approach was not continuously managed throughout the year and was in danger of becoming an annual event, rather than an ongoing process. Furthermore, the change process seemed to have advanced without corresponding changes to appraisal and reward and recognition systems. Thus, the business objectives were not aligned with motivating factors within the organisation. Research limitations/implications - Additional research to test the validity and usefulness of the theoretical model, as discussed in this paper, would be beneficial. Practical implications - The strategic integration of the stakeholder performance measures and scorecards was found to be essential to producing an overall stakeholder-driven strategy within the case study organisation. Originality/value - This paper discusses in detail the approach adopted and the progress made by one large UK public sector organisation, as it attempts to develop better relationships with all of its stakeholders and hence improve its performance. This paper provides a concerted attempt to link theory with practice.

Notes: Purpose - The objectives of the study are to identify and understand the environment, relationships and barriers for the key stakeholders in changing their workplace environment, and to negotiate and create an action plan to address the effectiveness issues in relation to rolling out CANDO across the Trust. Design/methodology/approach - This study has adopted a multi-method approach using action learning/research, questionnaire, participant observation, and reflexive analysis. Findings - The results indicate that there are individual, group and system improvements, but to achieve these the training in CANDO has to be action based as the "knowing-by-doing" (not just the theory) has to be experienced, learnt, shared and disseminated to other teams. Research limitations/implications - As this is a pilot study, the findings are at a preliminary stage and therefore limit the generalisibility of the results. However, there has been an opportunity to test methodological instruments that will enable us to understand the overall effectiveness of CANDO as a mechanism of change within the health setting. The implications of this research are discussed at three levels: individual, department and strategic. Originality/value - Undertaking research in the health sector is a break from the Lean Enterprise Research Centre's roots in manufacturing, distribution and retail/service sectors. The importance of improving quality and performance are key to all sectors and we wish to contribute to understanding the transferability of good practice and organisational change. This is the first time CANDO implementation has been reported in a health setting as a means of change within the NHS.

Notes: Purpose - To consider the extent to which regimes of performance measurement in the public sector are fit for purpose, and the likely outcomes for public services and public sector workers of such performance measurement systems. Design/methodology/approach - The article considers four key issues: the context and content of performance measurement in the public sector, the specific examples of health care and higher education, the limitations of performance measurement systems, and the likely outcomes of performance measurement systems. Findings - Current systems of performance measurement in the public sector are unlikely to have a significant influence on improving services. The most likely outcomes of these systems is further commodification of services and deprofessionalisation of public sector workers. Originality/value - The article builds on established literature and offers a systematic metaphor-driven critique of performance management in the public sector, and discusses the implications of this.

Notes: Purpose - This paper aims to put forward for consideration new insights into the creation of "second order" change in local government. Design/methodology/approach - In-depth interviews were carried out in five local authorities to investigate risk management (RM) processes. Interviewees were guided by, but not limited to, outline questions to avoid imposing any preconceived theories about the structure and range of RM processes. Findings - The extent to which RM was found to be embedded was unexpected, particularly in contrast with observed reactions to previous initiatives. A framework to describe the observed phenomenon is found in the concept of first-order and second-order change and a possible explicatory concept in Hood's analysis of administrative design. Part of the explanation may also lie in the alignment of the initiative aims with the interest of front-line staff. Research limitations/implications - The reported phenomenon is based on a small sample, as is normal in in-depth case study research. Further empirical work is required. Practical implications - If the changes are found to have taken place generally, it may be possible to apply some of the attributes of RM to future initiatives. It may also be possible for individual organisations to build on RM successes in order to develop a "learning culture" which could have a beneficial effect in other areas. Originality/value - Changes in culture are notoriously difficult to achieve. The comparison of the effect of introducing corporate risk management with the effect of previous initiatives may provide some insight into ways of encouraging culture change.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the response of doctors to health policy initiatives in general and clinical governance in particular. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach has been adopted where the empirical data collection and the analysis are influenced by a phenomenological case study approach. An instrumental case study is undertaken and a heterogeneous group of 33 persons with important responsibilities for clinical governance was interviewed using a semi-structured format. Findings - The results indicate that doctors are not enthusiastic about clinical governance and it is not receiving wholehearted support from doctors because they feel that clinical governance is a management-led initiative imposed without adequate consultations. The real reasons for lack of enthusiasm, indifference and sometimes resistance of doctors to clinical governance are examined. This paper points out the tension between an organisation (wishing to bring clinical care within a management framework) and doctors (who are resisting managerial efforts to replace the old framework of bureau professionalism). Research limitations/implications - Further research is required to develop a better understanding of the influence of clinical governance on power and conflict in NHS organisations. Practical implications - This paper has practical implications for policy makers as well as NHS managers. Policy makers may consider suitable amendments in clinical governance to minimise resistance and seek the support of clinicians. A better understanding of this issue would perhaps enable NHS management to develop better management practices that will make it possible to seek the support of doctors for clinical governance. Originality/value - Limited attention has been paid to understanding the response of doctors to clinical governance. This empirical research makes a valuable contribution by focusing on this important aspect of clinical governance.

Notes: Purpose - The aim of this paper is to report the finding of an exploratory research project that considered how public service organizations may conquer the debilitating effects of enterprise dementia. Design/methodology/approach - Building on the seminal research of Michael Earl, this project sought to solicit the view from the front, which in this case are the middle managers of the Canadian public service. Specifically, the aim was to determine which of Earl's schools of knowledge would be most appropriate in curbing the organizational memory loss and taming the information anxiety that are common place today. Findings - The sample of public service middle managers overwhelmingly opted for a single strategy. The organizational school surfaced as the strategy most likely to fit respondents' perceived needs. Through collaboration, Earl's organizational school focuses on maximizing the use of social networks with a view to knowledge sharing. Practical implications - This paper provides a compendium of knowledge strategies that may be useful for public service executives. Originality/value - This the first project to consider how Earl's taxonomy of knowledge strategies may be implemented in a Canadian public service environment.

Notes: Purpose - In Europe, the alignment of national public administration policies and practices to EU directions is regarded as a key factor in the process of integration. Administrative convergence within European public administration systems places new demands on human resource managers in every member state. Seeks to show that Greek public administration is aiming to investigate the organizational competencies needed for the successful alignment of the Greek civil service with EU directions. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is survey research conducted within Greek public administration. The STAIR (strategy, targets, assignment, implementation, results) model has been used as the appropriate performance management framework. Findings - Suggests that the HRM role in the contemporary public sector environment is to develop a strategic performance management framework for changing performance at organizational level and make human resources active drivers of this process.The results reveal that convergence with EU policies draws heavily on how human resource executives can manage the following three soft organizational capabilities: competence, commitment and continuity - the STAIR model's 3"Cs". Originality/value - Contributes to the literature on directions for public sector management in Greece.

Notes: Purpose - This paper reports on the research conducted into the adaptations Canadian public sector auditors have made to the emergence of e-commerce and e-business in the delivery of public services. Design/methodology/approach - A comprehensive review of the literature was completed as a foundation for creating a semi-structure interview questionnaire used in a series of interviews with audit executives from 20 audit organizations in Canada's public sectors. Findings - The study found a distinct disconnect between what is reported in the literature and what has actually happened in practice. Practicing auditors do have a significant interest in the impact of e-business on the audit profession specifically and on their client organizations generally. But there is significant disagreement about whether e-business constitutes just another set of technologically mediated changes, not much different from the many others of the past 30 years, or whether e-business is truly disruptive in nature. The consequence of this disagreement is difference in audit practice among constituencies and highly variable dependency on external expertise in favour of developing internal capacity. Research limitations/implications - The research is limited to internal auditors of public sector organizations in Canada. Practical implications - A key area for future research is the impact on e-business on horizontality of management practice in the public sector and the need for more holistic audit interventions. Originality/value - The paper identifies key differences between what is said in the literature and what is done on the ground. It identifies key lessons from audit experience related to evolving e-government, including the management of new risks. The research is valuable to both researchers and practicing public sector audit executives alike.

Notes: Purpose - The paper discusses the reasons and approaches used at three health organisations in introducing outsourcing. It specifically answers the question: why have managers of health organisations outsourced some functions in preference to others? Design/methodology/approach - This research employs a case study method making use of qualitative analysis. The health organisations were chosen first as representatives of their type, and secondly due to the nature of the outsourcing decisions made. The first health organisation operates in the rural sector; the second is a metropolitan network; and the third is a large metropolitan hospital, which, in contrast to the other two case study organisations, had made only one decision to outsource, producing the largest outsourcing contract in health in Australia. Furthermore, this situation was distinctive as the contract was terminated and re-issued to another private sector organisation. Findings - The reasons for outsourcing varied within and between health organisations. Although generally they were made on the bases of the characteristics of the labour market, employee skill levels and the nature of industrial relations, the perception of what was core, the level of internal management skills, the ability of internal teams to implement change and the relationship between management and staff. Even though cost savings and a downsized labour force resulted, generally these occurred even when services were not outsourced, through the use of other change processes, such as introducing new technology, changing structures and promoting workforce flexibility. The interplay of political reasons and economic effects was evident along with the political nature of the decision-making and processes used. The paper concludes that the power of managers was a moderating factor between the desire for outsourcing and whether outsourcing actually occurred. Research limitations/implications - Although this research was conducted solely within the health sector it has implications for other public sector bodies and the private sector. Practical implications - Managerial decision making can be enhanced with the exploration of the full complement of reasons for the outsourcing decision. Originality/value - The paper has value to both academics researching in the public sector and public sector managers.

Notes: Purpose - Aims to unpack the development and subsequent growth in the UK of so-called new localism concepts and policies post-1997. Design/methodology/approach - Highlights both the political rhetoric and the practical applications of such policies. In this context, introduces the articles in this special issue which focus on various dimensions of new localism-style policy, predominantly in the UK, but provide a series of arguments and illustrate a number of contradictions that are equally applicable in many Western countries. Findings - Tension exists between centralising focus and constructing prescribed policy at national state level, and decentralising power and responsibility to a more inclusive group of stakeholders in order to develop increasingly nuanced and locally specific sets of regeneration priorities and outcomes. Originality/value - The articles in this special issue illuminate a number of lessons for regeneration practitioners and managers, and for academics engaged in research and evaluation of public sector policy.

Notes: Purpose - Explores comparisons between the English and Greek local government systems, in the hope of offering some fresh insights into the regeneration and management of local areas. Design/methodology/approach - Discusses the issue of local political leadership at a time when changes in local political management arrangements are taking place in many European countries. Findings - The English and Greek experiments with developing local self-government provide some reassurance and some causes for concern but, above all, they demonstrate that in, unitary states, Ministers and Civil Servants at the centre find withdrawing from interference in local affairs a very hard exercise in self-denial. Originality/value - Illustrates the problems facing two centralised countries struggling with varying but limited success to cope with various public management issues raised by local devolution and decentralisation.

Notes: Purpose - Proposes that arguing for greater access for women is essential but not sufficient to drive equality or the spirit of diversity. Design/methodology/approach - Explores the role that women and others can play in broadening agendas and in transforming managerial and regeneration practices. Findings - A few innovative chief executives are leading the way and showing what transforming leadership is about in practice. In spite of this the intransigent lack of diversity within decision-making bodies produces a brake on positive social change. Originality/value - Provides an insight into the leadership role of women in social regeneration.

Notes: Purpose - Seeks to draw together a number of separate but, arguably, inter-related themes which are present for those involved in "sense making" within and across public and third sector agencies or organisations. Design/methodology/approach - Uses a case study approach of one community-based network in South London to explore the ways in which action learning can facilitate self-reflection and open up the processes of partnership to a wider audience. Findings - The particular challenge for any evaluator is to identify the ways in which definitions and meanings are shared or contested by participants. These can be "heard" through the different narratives which are constructed by those engaged in the evaluation process. Originality/value - Attempts to identify what the critical questions were for those involved and provides a commentary on the experience.

Notes: Purpose - Much of the writing on partnerships implicitly assumes that they are beneficial. Other literature points out that partnerships are seldom of equals, and can become instruments of oppression whereby a strong partner gains at the expense of weaker members. This has been taken up by community development specialists with particular reference to the position, at best ambiguous, of representatives or residents of local communities on the boards of regeneration partnerships. This paper aims to review this theory. Design/methodology/approach - Reviews partnerships and briefly considers three types of partnership in the UK: private finance initiatives (PFI) or public-private partnerships (PPP); local strategic partnerships; and local area regeneration partnerships. Findings - Concludes that partnerships need time to grow for confidence to be gained inside as well as outside the partnership; partnerships are not usually of equals, and the position of "community representatives" on the boards of partnerships is intrinsically problematic. However, local area partnerships need them: to make "decisions", to test the likely reception of new ideas, to help sell what is going on. It is likely to prove a serious problem for some PFI/PPP partnerships which are contractually bound for 25 or 30 years; but one may surmise that in many cases partners will fall out and it will be difficult then to deliver the promises that have been made. Originality/value - Partnerships vary, and hence generalisation is difficult. But some important points from the discussion can add to the ongoing dialogue about the nature of partnerships in regeneration.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this article is to examine, appraise and highlight the significance of promoting innovation in aid of industrial development. Design/methodology/approach - A comprehensive range of published literature is critiqued first to understand why industrial development constitutes a major objective of a country's economic strategy and government policy. Then, through a theoretical review of industrial policy works, relevant issues (e.g. how efficient industrial development sustains economic growth) are highlighted for discussion. For instance, the importance of private sector-led industrial development and the need to adopt a primary focus on innovation-driven industrial policy. Findings - By drawing lessons from the developed world, the article explains why industrial policy-making must address the pursuit of innovation as a prime mover of economic development; and further outlines the role of government in innovation-driven industrial policy. As a case study, evolutionary perspectives of Singapore's industrialisation process are elaborated to illustrate a government's role in industrial policy-making. Research limitations/implications - Future research could provide better guidance to address new emergent challenges of industrial policy-making. Practical implications - The discussion on industrial policy issues raised in this article is expected to be of interest to policy makers, industry planners, academic researchers and business practitioners. Originality/value - This article offers insights into effective industrial policy-making for developing nations that may help to transform their economies.

Notes: Purpose - To compare the profitability and technical efficiency of firms in a monopoly industry, airports, operating with different degrees of market power and under differing regulatory regimes, minimalist in New Zealand and interventionist in Australia. Design/methodology/approach - Unlike previous privatisation studies, this study measures efficiency and profitability separately. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), the technical efficiency of privatised airports is assessed, and this independent measure is used in regression analyses to determine whether efficiency, regulation or privatisation is related to airport profitability. Findings - For firms with monopolistic characteristics operating under minimalist regulation, profitability is related to market power, not efficiency improvements. For firms operating in a regulated environment, profitability is related to regulation, which constrains market power but does not impede efficiency. Research limitations/implications - This study is limited by its small sample size and its generalisability due to its single industry and regional focus. However, the findings support assertions that the impact of privatisation cannot be assessed independently of industry structure and regulation. Practical implications - Policy makers considering SOE privatisation in non-competitive markets should introduce either competition or regulation if firm efficiency is a desired outcome. Originality/value - Academics and policy makers should be aware that privatisation and competition are not only complementary, as per the extant literature, but they are essential bedfellows. In the absence of competition, regulation is required to control for market power.

Notes: Purpose - This paper has two purposes. The first is to help elected officials address the issue of public accountability for crises and improve productivity and risk management in the process by outsourcing some traditional government functions to civil society based organizations that can do a better job. The second is to mobilize researchers to explore the implications of the shift from "governing" to "governance" for risk management and the development of risk culture. Design/methodology/approach - After exploring some case studies, the paper examines some leading resources on the shift from "governing" to "governance". The paper goes on to present an alternative approach for managing public risks. Findings - In order to improve the management of public risks, and given the financial constraints faced by most governments, there is a need for a deliberate effort to entice civil society based organizations to help government identify and alert the public to possible risks. In other words, civil society based organizations that make claims for public resources in the name of good governance should, as necessary, play the role of a watchdog when it comes to public safety and guarding of the public interest in that regard. Practical implications - Use of market forces and non-governmental entities to replace government agencies and regulations that cannot assure the public safety because they are difficult to implement, expensive or likely to be compromised due to various forms of corruption and politics. Originality/value - The paper advocates substitution of "management by exception" by a "management by risk" approach and the fostering of an administrative culture that is more mindful of the need to recognize and address possible risks. Such an approach, the paper claims, is a more promising approach than an increase in government regulation.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this article is to explore the interrelationship between workplace stress, coping and resiliency and their influence on employee health and productivity. Design/methodology/approach - This general review includes an examination of selected theoretical models within the areas of stress, coping and resiliency. In addition, a conceptual framework is presented which emphasizes the role that personality characteristics and coping strategies play in impacting employees' overall health and productivity within the workplace. Findings - Through this general review, there is a recognition of the importance of both personality characteristics and coping strategies and their associated influence on employee health and productivity - specifically within Civil Service work settings. Practical implications - Managers, executives and human resource management practitioners are presented with proposed strategies as a means of examining coping, resiliency and workplace stress within Civil Service work environments. Originality/value - This article offers readers further insights into understanding why some employees are more or less resilient, given the same stressful situation. In today's Civil Service work environment, continually shifting performance expectations and media/public scrutiny are just two of the features common to working for government agencies. Therefore, the issue of understanding and building resilient Civil Service workforces that are able to handle the multitude of unique demands and constraints placed on them seems not only intriguing, but necessary.

Notes: Purpose - When managers are faced with making a decision about what to do in a particular situation, do they base that decision on findings from research? This research paper seeks to report on qualitative and quantitative research which examined school principals' perceptions of barriers to the use of research. Design/methodology/approach - To facilitate a comparison the qualitative and quantitative study was conducted simultaneously in two countries, i.e. England and Israel, using individual and group interviews, and the Barriers Scale survey instrument. Findings - The results of tests indicated that factors associated with the research itself (e.g. relevance and access), were significant barriers to research use for principals from both countries (compared with factors associated with the setting, the presentation of research, and the individual). Research limitations/implications - The authors acknowledge some limitations with respect to equivalence across cultures, particularly functional and contextual (e.g. political) equivalence. Practical implications - The paper concludes that multiple strategies would be required to address a number of issues related to the dissemination of research and ways of addressing the gap between the aims of researchers, and the needs and expectations of practitioners. Originality/value - The topic is timely, and a comparative approach is particularly useful in any social area, especially in public school management.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse the structural effects of public sector catering tender procedures and suggests improvements that would benefit clients, users and small catering firms. The essential problem is that current tender procedures have the effect of limiting clients' knowledge of possible quality and cost configurations. Thus clients are unable to reveal their preferences in tender specifications, and so bidders bid low prices and low quality. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is an analysis of current procedures using concepts from market structure and asymmetric information. Findings - The main finding is that low prices and low quality are the norm because information relating to price is more complete than information relating to quality, and because not all interested parties participate in the decision making. In addition, present procedures probably favour larger firms. Research limitations/implications - Cases of appropriate quality are not available for observation precisely because of the "lemons" problem: appropriate and better quality are driven from the market because of the nature of existing structures and procedures. Practical implications - The implications of the research are that procedures should be changed in order to provide incentives for both sides to release information regarding possible configurations and preferences. The most important recommendation is that the bidding process should be undertaken in two rounds. The first round would reveal possible quality/cost configurations while the second would determine the price, as in a standard sealed bid auction. Originality/value - The paper explores a problem that is of practical importance using economic theory often regarded as rather abstract.

Notes: Purpose - The paper seeks to discuss the process of performance management and measurement system-building in the public sector in a transitional country, with particular reference to Serbia. Design/methodology/approach - A short description of the general legal framework within which the local governments in Serbia operate is given, followed by a discussion of the usual, and to some extent well-known, problems of performance management system-building and implementation. Findings - The detailed interviews with a number of mayors and senior local Civil Servants pointed out that a number of issues, believed to have been resolved in the Western countries, have emerged as being problematic in the policy implementation process in the region. Originality/value - This paper not only analyses the stages in the system-building process, but also tries to explain why "measurement revolutions" may fail in a constantly changing transitional environment.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this article is to explore the export of new public management (NPM) to developing countries and to describe and evaluate the introduction of these initiatives in very different environments from their origins. Design/methodology/approach - The article traces the introduction of performance agreements into the public service of Vanuatu. Performance agreements are identified as an initiative typically promoted by NPM. The Vanuatu case is set within a review of the origin, use and record of performance agreements in countries such as Australia, the UK and the USA. Findings - The adoption of performance agreements has been slow and has enjoyed limited success. Among the difficulties encountered are suspicion, lack of incentives, an unreceptive environment, and possible identification as being donor-driven. It is difficult to see performance agreements in their current form making an impact on performance improvement in the Vanuatu public service. Practical implications - NPM initiatives must be carefully considered before being transferred to other countries. They may offer benefits but what has worked in one environment will often need considerable modification, certain preconditions and lengthy lead-in time to be effective in another environment. Originality/value - There are few case studies of attempts to transfer NPM-style reforms to developing countries and none on performance agreements, yet many countries in the Pacific and elsewhere are becoming interested in this mode of performance management. This case study helps to fill this gap through description and analysis of the Vanuatu experience and provides practical lessons for others considering policy transfer of NPM initiatives such as performance agreements.

Notes: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether disciplinary background and work experience significantly influence university students' views on working and preferences for organisations and work attributes. Design/methodology/approach - The data were collected by a questionnaire. This paper briefly reviews the literature of Australian public sector reforms and the impact on the public sector as a potential employment location. The work values of young workers are subsequently presented, including the influence of disciplinary background and work experience on these values. Findings - The respondents' disciplinary background, and to a smaller extent, work experience were found to significantly affect their views on working and preferences for organisations and work attributes. Research limitations/implications - Sample size was small and derived from one university. More research should be carried out on students from other Australian universities before any generalisation can be made with any degree of confidence. Future research can also examine the reasons behind the traits uncovered among the younger generation for a better understanding of their motives and views. Practical implications - The study shows the importance of effective recruitment strategies for attracting university students to the public sector, communicating the opportunities offered and minimising any misconceptions about the image of public service. The presence of a public service ethic among respondents who were favourably predisposed to public service may suggest that this attribute could be leveraged to the government's advantage during recruitment. Originality/value - Although money may not be a primary factor that drew the respondents who displayed the public service ethic trait to government service, they did not in any way disregard the importance of salary as a motivator. Recruiters should therefore not overlook or downplay the significance of a fair salary. A useful source for HR managers who are contemplating improvement in their recruitment strategies, with an emphasis on those aimed at university graduates.

Notes: Purpose - Aims to present a critical discussion of two UK case studies through which a "third way" modernisation of regeneration policies has been identified as a world-wide trend. Design/methodology/approach - Provides case studies that represent attempts at creating "strategic superboards": the first, local strategic partnerships (LSPs) is a national programme and the second, the regeneration zones (RZs), is peculiar to a specific region in the UK. Network management theory is used to analyse how regeneration partnerships, as networked organisations, are managed. The focus is on the institutional design rules used to achieve decentralisation, balance and joining-up. Findings - Although the findings show that the programmes' institutional design was potentially improved, the partnerships' achievements fell short of their objectives. It is concluded that a key factor in this failure is the continuing partial approach by central government in managing the networks. As a result these partnerships found it difficult to operate within the new institutional designs. Originality/value - Highlights that there has been an absence of attention to management in network situations by UK academics that is not shared by our UK and European counterparts.

Notes: Purpose - Seeks to analyse the complexity of current practices surrounding the management and governance of urban regeneration activities in the UK. In particular, aims to focus on the potential of initiatives decentralised to the sub-local level that have been designed both to effectively manage public service provision and to improve citizen participation in local government management decision making. Design/methodology/approach - Explores the early experiences of local authorities' attempts to introduce "area committees" in line with the complex "modernisation" agendas advanced by the "New Labour" government under an overarching project of "new localism". Findings - Highlights that new attempts at devolving power and responsibility to these sub-local structures should be more flexible to local conditions rather than directed by national policy. Originality/value - Argues for a "middle way" to be adopted in managing local government and governance changes in order to develop a more "pragmatic localism".

Notes: Purpose - The aim of the paper is to examine alternative methods of regulating prices and/or profits of privatised utilities in low-income countries with a view to identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Design/methodology/approach - The economics of regulation literature has favoured the use of a price cap over rate of return or cost of service regulation because of its greater incentive effects. A third alternative, sliding-scale regulation, has been put forward as a compromise between the price cap and a controlled rate of return, which is said to combine the merits of both methods. This paper considers the operation of a price cap, rate of return regulation and sliding-scale regulation in the context of low-income economies by reviewing the theory in relation to the conditions likely to be found in low-income economies. Findings - It is concluded that the case for the use of a price cap is much reduced in low-income economies. This is because of its information requirements, need for regulatory expertise and, more broadly, the institutional endowment found in many low-income countries. Research limitations/implications - It is recognised that this conclusion is tentative and deserves further research, comparing theory and practice. Practical implications - Countries need to consider carefully which method of regulation will work best in the context of the institutions of the country, rather than simply copy a method from the developed world. Originality/value - This is one of the first papers to challenge the prevailing belief that price cap regulation is superior to rate of return regulation in the context of economic development.

Notes: Purpose - This study aims to test the belief that work-family practices could have a negative influence in the workplace for non-users of these practices. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative approach was undertaken, where users and non-users of work-family practices reported on a number of job-related attitudes. Organisational justice theories suggest that employees will report lower attitudes if they feel that they are missing out on some benefit or practice. T-tests were used to compare differences in these attitudes between users and non-users. Findings - There were no significant differences in any of the examined attitudes between users and non-users of the organisations' work-family practices. Research limitations/implications - Implications are that firms should not necessarily decline the adoption of work-family practices if they fear a "backlash" from their employees who would not use work-family practices. The authors suggest that the social good these practices may provide might remove any negative feelings towards the organisation by employees who cannot use these practices. Practical implications - Practical implications for public sector organisations might be offering work-family practices that target the widest array of employees. Further, future research into work-family backlash should compare actual users of multiple practices as explored here. Originality/value - This is one of the few papers to explore users and non-users of multiple work-family practices. It confirms previous research into work-family backlash, indicating that the non-users are not adversely affected by work-family practices that they do not or cannot use. However, unlike other studies, this paper explored the use of multiple work-family practices, providing stronger and more realistic findings for managers to have confidence in their work-family practices.

Notes: Purpose - Sets out to present current dynamics of public management reform in Austria, a country that is characterized by institutional governance features (federal structure, legalistic Rechtsstaat tradition) often described as an obstacle to management-oriented reforms. The paper's focus lies in the reception of management ideas and concepts by public sector executives within this special national context and in differences between federal and state administration. Design/methodology/approach - Presents results of a recent questionnaire-based executive survey (sample size: 385). Apart from non-parametric correlation analyses, investigates level differences (federal vs state) by using an independent samples Mann-Whitney U rank sum test. Findings - Highlights the importance of the national institutional background for understanding public management changes. Finds considerable support for reform initiatives despite some scepticism and resistance towards management knowledge and instruments. Results confirm that executives in a legalistic Rechtsstaat system are not per se opposed to management-driven reforms. Regarding the reception of public management reforms, at various government levels, differences between federal and state level are less pronounced than expected. Originality/value - Addresses the lack of empirical research regarding the reception of management ideas in legalistic Rechtsstaat systems by presenting data from a country which has hardly been covered by international public management literature so far. This study also compares the reception at federal and state administration to look for level variations of management reform dynamics.

Notes: Purpose - To understand the effects of the best value regime on the public provision of recreation at the level of the leisure centre. Design/methodology/approach - A strategic auditing device is applied to 87 leisure centres to investigate the strategic variables of environmental stability and attractiveness, service strengths and financial resources. The analysis produces a typology of leisure centres, and evaluates the prospects of each type under best value. Findings - The findings suggest that a large number of leisure centres managed by local authorities will make limited headway in implementing best value. What is more, many face problems that will be exacerbated, rather than eased, by current policy. Leisure centres managed by Trusts generally face more benign local environments, which appear to offer greater prospects, but it is clear that Trust status itself offers few advantages outside a greater range of financial sources. Research limitations/implications - The research focuses on strategic choices as they face leisure centre managers. It does not directly explore the strategic and policy decisions made at other levels. Practical implications - The paper argues for subtler recreation policy (and by implication, the provision of public sector services generally) that pays due regard to the local conditions of service providers. Policy that focuses only on general prescription of managerial (and often rhetorical) practices will frequently lead strategies towards satisficing performance indicators that may be arbitrary, rather than focusing on problems and issues as they face professional leisure managers. Originality/value - The use of a formal strategy tool as the level of a service provider is novel, and augments work on hybrid firms facing strategic choices based not only on political factors but also private sector market-oriented competitors. Further, useful comparisons are made between leisure centres managed by Trusts and those still controlled by a Local Authority. The data provided will also help to inform practical and academic debates concerning the application of quality standards and management practices in the leisure sector.

Notes: With continuing pressures for transparency, accountability and value for money, measuring the performance of public sector organisations is attracting increasing academic and management attention. However, little attention appears to have been paid to the performance information needs of stakeholders. This paper describes work with a number of Scottish local authority services to develop an information portfolio that would meet the performance measurement needs of diverse stakeholders. Overall, the approach was found to be useful, allowing services to identify the key stakeholders with an interest in their service's performance, the judgements about performance that each group wanted to make and the key information that stakeholders would need.

Notes: As part of the preparations for the accession of Slovenia to the European Union, the National Health Insurance Institute has introduced a European model for quality management. In this regard, a benchmarking has been carried out, comparing the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia with the Accounts Office of Cumbernauld in the UK. This was a so-called generic benchmarking between two public service organisations in different fields and it was made by third parties focusing on the quality of the processes of the two organisations. The results of the comparative analysis show that the health insurance institute has strong financial management, supported by a well-developed model for partnership negotiations and advanced applications of information technology. There are, however, weaknesses in the management of human resources and quality improvements. To counteract these weaknesses requires a cultural change within the health insurance institute.

Notes: This article examines the results of a study conducted of the top 100 public sector units in Sweden. These units are comprised of entities of government, municipalities, and county councils. The aim of the study was to examine and describe the commitment to codes of ethics in these Swedish public sector units. This article reports on the responses of those public sector units that possessed a code of ethics. The construct of commitment was measured by a consideration of the inputs, objectives and outputs of the code across six areas. The commitment to codes of ethics has an interest for those involved in the public sector in Sweden and society in general. Most public sector units are in the early stages of development and assimilation into overall ethics policies in code artefacts. On a specific level there are customized codes of ethics that are not always documented in a generic artefact. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided. Furthermore, suggestions for further research are proposed.

Notes: Discusses the role of women in management in the Nigerian Civil Service (NCS). The number of men in management in the NCS far exceeds the number of women. Women also function in a Nigerian society permeated by gender stereotypes. Tries to answer the question: "Why is a woman less likely to become a senior manager in the NCS?" Data were gathered from a selection of male and female managers who have the required experience and knowledge of women issues. The findings show that the debate about women's roles as managers has prompted a reassessment of the traditional negative stereotype of women as managers. Although women are being given some managerial opportunities, they are severely discriminated against. Thus the range of opportunities available to women is limited and the prospect of a woman being a senior manager is less favourable than for a man. Concludes that women are likely to bring a distinct style of management to the service and the NCS would benefit from more integration of women managers.

Notes: The concept of public private partnerships (PPPs) has attracted worldwide attention and acquired a new resonance in the context of developing countries. PPPs are increasingly heralded as an innovative policy tool for remedying the lack of dynamism in traditional public service delivery. However PPPs have also become mired in a muddle of conceptual ambiguities. This paper sheds light on the PPP concept and the rationale for invoking private participation in developing countries. It also identifies critical success factors and policy requirements for successful PPP implementation. Finally, the paper presents a case study assessment of a post-war PPP initiative in the Lebanese telecommunications sector and draws out lessons for improving the effectiveness and viability of PPP projects in the context of developing countries.

Notes: Both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland governments recognise the current infrastructural deficits in their respective jurisdictions which, if not addressed, will undermine the future economic prosperity of both regions. This paper considers the adoption of a collaborative approach on the island to addressing the deficit, using public private partnerships (PPP) as the delivery vehicle. It presents a critical perspective of the challenges and opportunities posed by adopting such a cross-border approach. Whilst PPPs have the potential to bring about North-South co-operation, bridge gaps in infrastructure capacity and facilitate the advancement of sectoral knowledge, their adoption on a cross border basis will require significant reorganisation and change at administrative and sectoral levels. This review concludes that governments and construction sector representatives in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have still some work to do in order to enhance the capability and readiness of public and private partners to evolve an all-island PPP infrastructure development approach.

Notes: Gender inequity at senior ranks in Australian public sector universities has long been recognised as a major problem. Universities are attempting to address the problem, through policies for recruitment and retention of senior women. This paper describes what happened in one faculty in a large university that has such gender equity policies when three women were appointed to head departments. At the end of a year, all three were gone. The women experienced a masculine-oriented management culture, with little experience of feminine management values. The women and the men had different perceptions of management roles and different perceptions of alternative job opportunities. Gender issues became more visible to these senior women, but remained invisible to the men. Suggestions to improve the retention of senior women include nominating a change agent to provide support and encouragement for senior women, more transparent organisational processes and structures, and changes in hiring practices.

Notes: Local authorities in the UK have lagged behind other sectors in developing a sector-wide approach to the risk management aspects of corporate governance. The governance framework published in 2001, however, goes further than the private sector combined code in its reporting requirements. This paper reviews the guidance documents issued by statutory and professional bodies and evaluates their effectiveness in assisting local authorities to meet corporate governance requirements for risk management. This analysis is supplemented by a study of the risk management structures and procedures in five UK local authorities in a research project funded by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants through the auspices of the British Accounting Association Public Sector Accounting Special Interest Group. Based on a number of in-depth individual interviews this study notes several areas of weakness in both the guidance offered and the policies adopted by local authorities.

Notes: For many management researchers, it is important that the knowledge they create is utilised and has some impact on managerial practice. Sustainable competitive advantage depends less on who has the information and increasingly on those able to make the best use of that information. This paper focuses on two key questions: what are the barriers to research utilisation and what are the most effective strategies for facilitating the use of research by managers in the public sector, based on research evidence? The approach entailed extensive searches of on-line databases in the fields of management, education and medicine, from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. Key themes to emerge from this review were the accessibility and relevance of research, trust and credibility; the gap between researchers and users, and organisational factors. Research use can be facilitated through: support and training; collaboration and partnership; dissemination strategies; networks; and strong, visible leadership.

Notes: This paper reports on a year-long engagement in a sub-region of South West England with public sector managers, who frequently work in partnership contexts. The purpose of the initiative was to increase the effectiveness of partnership working by exploring common issues and building a shared understanding of how they might be resolved. This was undertaken by holding a series of seminars and forums facilitated by the authors. The findings show that managers who are involved in numerous partnerships value stepping outside of their formal roles to reflect together on their experiences. Participants were able to identify many pertinent issues that affect their practice in partnership contexts and generate important insights. The findings are being used to develop approaches to support partnerships and collaboration in the sub-region and further afield.

Notes: The effect of corruption in South Africa has seriously constrained development of the national economy and has significantly inhibited good governance in the country. South Africa's complex political design is a contributing factor to the rise of corruption, which has adversely affected stability and trust and which has damaged the ethos of democratic values and principles. Although the South African government has been instrumental in systems to fight the evils of corruption, practical problems have increasingly emerged over the years. The most notable problems are: insufficient coordination of anti-corruption work within the South African public service and among the various sectors of society; poor information about corruption and the impact of anti-corruption measures and agencies; and the impact of corruption on good governance. This paper is a part of a broader study undertaken on corruption. It addresses issues related to corruption and good governance in the South African (National) Public Service. To articulate and analyse the challenges confronting the country, issues regarding coordination of anti-corruption agencies will be explored.

Notes: The differing perspectives of decision makers in a newly-amalgamated municipality may hinder the reduction of costs or introduction of efficient organizational change. Accepting differences may be essential, at least initially, to achieve efficiencies. During amalgamation the pursuit of uniformity of services in combination with a weak and/or chaotic change process (lack of committee structure, poor information, vague deadlines, shifting relationships and assertion of power) may undermine efforts to obtain efficiencies.

Notes: This paper examines the issues of front-line workers within residential childcare, giving their feelings on how recent government sponsored quality enhancement initiatives have impacted on service delivery. Residential childcare has been at the forefront of government sponsored quality developments since the early 1990s. It reflects many of the problems and dilemmas faced by the wider personal social services sector when applying performance enhancement techniques. It has low status, is poorly resourced, and provides a service for "customers" who have multiple needs, but have little say in relation to their referral for provision. The findings from this study give support to the contention that for front-line workers, many of the government's quality initiatives are limited or irrelevant to the "real" task of providing a service to residents - continuous improvement requires the practical benefits of a structured and planned performance enhancement culture, and the appropriate resources to achieve that goal.

Notes: This article examines the results of a study conducted of the top 100 public sector units in Sweden. The aim of the study was to examine and describe the codes of ethics in these Swedish public sector units. Reports on the responses of 27 public sector units that possessed a code of ethics. The content analyses of these codes indicate that they have only recently become an interest in public Sweden. Many public sector units are in the early stages of development and assimilation of codes of ethics artefacts into overall ethics policies in the organization. A customized PUBSEC-scale was used to measure and evaluate the content of the codes. The code of ethics best practice in the Swedish public sector has been used to develop a public sector scale consisting of seven dimensions and 41 items. The PUBSEC-scale differs from the current private sector scales in literature, owing to the specific characteristics of the public sector.

Notes: Performance-based budgeting (PBB) is a prominent reform around the world, and has been in prominence in the USA for over a decade now. Evidence presented in this article suggests, however, that the reform is commonly implemented in a limited fashion. This raises the questions, "Why do few states adopt PBB meaningfully?" and "What needs to be done to ensure meaningful adoption?". In addressing these questions with reference to case studies of state performance-based budgeting, this article suggests that a three-factor model is useful in thinking about PBB implementation. In this model authority, acceptance and ability intersect to determine the "reform space" a government has for PBB. In most governments this reform space seems rather constrained.

Notes: In 1999, the Irish Government launched a programme of public private partnerships (PPPs). The programme has expanded rapidly as policy makers seek to address the country's acute deficit of physical infrastructure. The first PPP to reach the stage of operation is the contract for five secondary schools. The early evidence from this case demonstrates that the market for education projects is competitive. The contract was designed on the basis of securing an appropriate distribution of risk and limiting private sector rents from re-financing. However, the evidence indicates that this PPP has not resulted in significant innovations and the public sector has failed to provide any evidence of value for money.

Notes: Adoption of new public sector management (NPM) is commonplace in both developed and emerging economies. One premise of NPM is that an effective accountability mechanism is in place. It is argued here that where bad management and corruption are present, this fundamental accountability mechanism may fail for two reasons. These are considered further through the situation existing in Fiji in relation to problems experienced at the National Bank of Fiji (NBF). The demise of the NBF provides an example of a country where NPM has been introduced, where poor management and corruption are entrenched and where accountability has not worked because parties do not provide a proper account of their actions. This scandal illustrates the need for proponents of NPM to consider the context into which the system is being fitted, such as poor management, the extent of corruption and presence of political favours, when considering the net benefits likely to arise from its introduction.

Notes: In countries with large or potentially large oil and gas deposits, the resource and its extraction tend to become vital cornerstones of the economy. However, uncertainties involved in finding commercial quantities of oil and gas and the intensive capital required for undertaking exploration and production result in significant business risks. The petroleum fiscal systems in many developing countries are now opting for production-sharing contracts (PSC) as a new model of agreement for the exploration and production of oil and gas resources. This paper extends the principal-agent theory to foster understanding of partnership between the host government and its foreign contractor in the realm of PSC. The theory highlights the importance of moral hazard and adverse-selection problems. To avoid these uncertainties and asymmetric information, the principal (national oil company) needs to design an incentive contract that induces the agent (international oil company (IOC)) to undertake actions that will maximise the principal's welfare. Under a PSC, the state has to offer contract terms that are attractive enough for the IOC to enter into an agreement. At the same time, the terms must allow the state to receive maximum economic returns from the venture.

Notes: The city of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, has become an urban laboratory where numerous nationally prescribed regeneration partnerships and strategies have been "tried-out" over the last 30 years. This paper unpacks the different and often contradictory spatial scales that such responses have taken, be they area-based or city-wide, as well as how "ways of doing" regeneration have been subsequently recast by this range of new partnerships, structures and processes. These developments have subsequently transformed the linkages between both central government and localities, and between local authorities and citizens, especially with regard to issues of trust-based relationships. This paper will exemplify these changes by highlighting how the Government's flagship community-centred regeneration partnership collided with an ambitious and far-reaching local authority-led city-wide regeneration strategy. This paper concludes by discussing and how this has implications for managing regeneration partnerships per se in the current urban policy context.

Notes: This paper seeks to problematize the role(s) that lay-workers can play and the nature of their relationship with other, well-established professional groups. Views are extracted from the literature on how best to manage the introduction of lay-workers into professional settings and the paper examines the experience of attempting this in national health demonstration project funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department. Whilst the literature argues that the use of lay-workers will enhance flexibility and challenge some of the bureaucratic/hierarchical problems of traditional organizations, the empirical evidence presented here suggests that phenomena such as hierarchy are persistent and that individual and collective identities are constantly renegotiated in a complex and dynamic process which recreates hierarchy albeit in an unintentional way. This paper offers a series of observations from the project study then generalise in terms of implications for management practice and management theory.

Notes: Partnerships have become more prevalent in the delivery of public services, particularly in relation to non-traditional sectors such as culture, arts and leisure. This paper presents a synthesis of research on partnerships and their relevance to local museums in the light of recent government policy. The relevance of partnerships to this sector is explored through a case study of four local authorities in Northern Ireland that partnered to form a regional museum service. Qualitative interviews revealed that despite the small scale of the partnership, a number of benefits have been delivered and that the partnership mechanism can work for organisations with little in the way of resources. Much of the success of the case study partnership can be attributed to the skills and leadership of the appointed member of staff. Further research is recommended to map the type, scope and purpose of museum partnerships in order to develop a typology for this sector and to evaluate current government policy.

Notes: In recent years the UK National Health Service (NHS) has been characterised by radical and continuous change at every level. Within the literature, and the NHS itself, it is argued that successfully changing such an organisation requires the sustained commitment, trust and goodwill of staff. As part of developing and maintaining mutual trust and commitment it is widely argued that employers must meet the employee expectations which form part of the psychological contract, an important element of which, Armstrong argues, is being able to trust in management to keep their promises. Within this paper we argue that policies can be seen as a visible manifestation of management promises and present the improving working lives (IWL) policy within the NHS as an example of one such "promise" that has been made to staff in relation to areas which are important to them at a personal level. Using an anonymous questionnaire that explored areas central to IWL, data were collected from staff in five Primary Care Trusts within one Strategic Heath Authority in relation to their experiences and awareness of what was being done to address these issues. The research found that although the IWL Standard makes very public promises about work-life balance, harassment, equality and the valuing of staff, at best these have only been partially delivered.

Notes: Since Ghana gained political independence from British colonial rule in 1957, the country has had a number of administrative reforms that covered varied subjects, including ministerial restructuring, decentralisation, revision of schemes of service and pay and grading systems, motivation and civil service legislation. The past decade (1990-2000), especially, has witnessed sustained efforts at reforms to improve the public sector's policy-making, service delivery, and oversight and accountability roles. For Ghana to achieve the objectives of these reform initiatives, the country needs to effectively manage all the constitutive elements that contribute to the goals of sustainable development. This study set out to examine the efforts being made to reform the system of environmental management in Ghana, since the costs imposed on Ghanaians and the economy from environmental degradation are enormous and can greatly impede the growth towards sustainable development.

Notes: There is increasing pressure being placed on government agencies both in Australia and internationally to act in a more collaborative, integrated manner. Community and welfare programs are being conducted in new "shared" or "whole-of-government" ways, which pose a challenge to traditional models of public sector reporting. Existing accountability mechanisms are designed for vertical accountability relationships, and these are inadequate for horizontal or "networked" accountability across government agencies. This paper uses the case of the Community Renewal Program based in the Queensland state government department to illustrate the problems which arise when reporting on "shared" programs. The paper offers a different approach to improve reporting and accountability for shared programs.

Notes: The article focuses on the regeneration section of the National Health Service (NHS) document The Vital Connection. Regeneration is an issue new to the NHS and so the article examines the manner in which the text on regeneration is rhetorically constructed. Specifically the article's argument is that the rhetorical dimensions of the document are important in the attempt to convince an audience that the NHS is serious in its regeneration aims. The article goes on to rhetorically analyse the talk of two senior NHS human resource managers talking together about their NHS organisation's capacity and capability in relation to regeneration. In both the analysis of the framework document and the managers' talk. the rhetorical analysis focuses on the importance of the use of the example, the appeal through ethos and the trope of synecdoche in constructing the rhetoric of the text and talk of each.

Notes: Process management is a managerial approach characterised by the focus on business processes that can provide an important contribution to the management of public sector organisations. The significance of this approach for the management of inter-organisational relations in the public sector is highlighted. A model for the analysis of the factors enabling the implementation of process management in the public sector is proposed. The Italian experience of the one-stop shops for businesses is studied; the relevance of process management approaches for the success of this reform is shown. Implications for public managers at all levels of government are discussed.

Notes: This paper starts with the assumption that local authorities, under the new public management, may use job sharing as part of an equal opportunities policy in order to attract and retain experienced and professional employees. Data collected from 32 councils in England and Scotland have shown that although most of the female employees would possibly prefer to work flexibly through job sharing, there was little or no established policies for the implementation of job sharing as a means of providing equal opportunities. With the consolidation of the new public management in local authorities in the late 1990s, the approach to the use of job sharing and flexible working in general has changed from emphasising equality to meeting business objectives. The promotion of job sharing is very limited and its implementation often restricted. Job sharing is undermined by a culture of full-time work and determined by economic motives.

Notes: Financial reporting information had been aimed mainly at internal users and audit offices, but this has changed in recent years. Potential users have widened, among whom we should mention certain financial institutions, owing to their particular relevance. In this context, based on a sample of 54 credit institutions, this study aims to obtain evidence on the information that is shown to be useful to these users in their decision-making, by looking at the Spanish financial reports. A study is also made of causes that restrict the usefulness of local financial information, along with possible suggestions to make this information more useful to credit institutions. The results reveal that owing mainly to legal reasons, the profit and loss account and the balance sheet are the least relevant financial statements to credit institutions' indebtedness operation decision making. Likewise, it is obvious that current local financial information needs to become more opportune, reliable, complete and understandable.

Notes: This article explores raters' understanding on the decision-making process in the public service performance appraisal system (PAS) by looking at the cognitive processing models (CPM) steps involved. Presents the results of semi-structured cognitive mapping interviews undertaken with novice raters in the Malaysia public service (MPS) context. Interviews were conducted using cognitive mapping protocol. The resultant causal cognitive maps explored findings from CPM applied in appraisal decision making. Explains the performance appraisal process and theoretical framework for the CPM. From the research findings, it is clear that raters recognised the CPM steps in their performance appraisal practice. The study also identifies individual differences in novice raters' CPM in terms of concepts and complexity. The findings are used to validate the CPM concepts suggested in related literature. Finally, the study discusses the implications of CPM in a broader context of performance appraisal decision-making process.

Notes: Over the last 20 to 30 years, privatisation has become a world-wide phenomenon. This article explores the rationale for and changing nature of privatisation. In particular, it draws attention to the range of definitions of "privatisation" and the differing views on its effectiveness in providing improved services to consumers. The main focus of the article is a study of the privatisation of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) of Greece. Examines why and how it was privatised and discusses its future as a private enterprise. It shows that the structure and operation of the privatised PPC and the liberalisation of the Greek electricity market were, and will continue to be, determined principally by the EU's commitment to free market competition.

Notes: Despite inauspicious circumstances, the European Commission embarked on an ambitious programme of management reform in 2000, and in 2003 the reform Progress Review claimed that it had been implemented. There is now a substantial body of literature examining the theory and practice of public management reform under different conditions. Using these models and an implementation matrix differentiating between types of reform action, this article analyses these claims. The findings suggest a considerable gap exists between reform rhetoric and the reality of its application.

Notes: To deal with financial constraints and increasing demand on accountability, government administrators have begun implementing modern management tools in their organizations. The balanced scorecard, a performance and strategic management system, has been adopted in for-profit organizations with success and its application in the government sector is explored in this study. Results of a survey of municipal governments in the USA and Canada show that there is limited use of the balanced scorecard. Most municipal governments, however, have developed measures to assess their organizations' financial, customer satisfaction, operating efficiency, innovation and change, and employee performance. Respondent administrators, in general, have confidence in the quality of the performance measures and about half reported that these measures were used to support various management functions. The respondent administrators also have a good understanding of the balanced scorecard and the implementers are positive about their experience.

Notes: An underlying and fundamental aim of the new public management (NPM) reform program is to transform the organizational identity of public organizations into a business-like identity. In this paper the construction of organizational identity as an effect of NPM initiatives is analyzed from a sensemaking perspective. The study draws on data from a two-and-a-half-year study of the introduction of NPM at the public health care authority in the region of Värmland in Sweden. It is concluded that NPM creates heterogeneous, conflicting and fluid organizational identities rather than the uniform and stable business identity it is supposed to.

Notes: Comparative administrative study lacks agreed-upon concepts for cross-national analysis. This essay suggests "administrative culture" as a useful concept which has been overshadowed by two related concepts, "organizational culture" and "political culture." The American experience is highlighted in its public personnel dimension and administrative sub-cultures are introduced to characterize the enormous diversity of values, beliefs, and attitudes in the public sector. An evolutionary perspective is used to show change over time from the earliest "Government by Gentlemen" period to the current emphasis upon merit, modified by affirmative action and demands for accountability, flexibility, and entrepreneurial behavior. Sources of administrative culture are also discussed to reveal the unique origins of the system which, nevertheless, has been exported to numerous other nation-states.

Notes: This article examines the reasons individuals would choose electronic self-service delivery methods over more traditional methods of service delivery for government services. The study investigated the factors related to decision making when people consider and evaluate the usage of an online e-government delivery mechanism. The approach taken was based on a combination of attitudinal technology adoption models and the service quality concept, with data gathered via a questionnaire. Trust, financial security, information quality (all adoption barriers), time and money (both adoption benefits) were found to predict potential usage. That is willingness to use the online delivery option will be present if organisations can develop trust relationships with individuals, assure them that their financial details are secure, provide information that is relevant, accurate and up-to-date, and save individuals time and money. The results are significant to the public service manager who needs to consider both the barriers to adoption and the benefits of adoption if they are to develop plans to increase the take-up of their electronic services.

Notes: Recent government proposals seek to extend the role of nurses into management at a time of (yet another) cultural transformation for the British National Health Service (NHS). This is especially the case for line managers involved in service-delivery, ward managers and clinical nurse managers for instance, roles typically undertaken by senior nurses. This paper aims to give some insight into the role of nurses as managers in the NHS hospital service. Data presented were collected as part of a longitudinal qualitative study, 1994 to date, in a North West trust hospital. The role of ward and unit management has significantly changed since the early images of the nurse as manager and it is hardly surprising that, given the fundamental shift in the framework of values and attitudes, senior nurses have greeted the management role with mixed feelings.

Notes: There has been limited examination of the impact of public sector restructuring on affected officials. This paper seeks to address the imbalance. It discusses the case of the New Zealand Health Funding Authority, dissolved and merged in 2000 as part of a major health sector restructuring programme. The paper overviews literature on change management and organisational mergers, outlines New Zealand's succession of public health sector changes through the 1990s, and details the procedures involved in the health funding authority restructuring. The impact on senior health funding authority staff and their impressions of the change process studied through the lens of a survey conducted in August 2000 are discussed, along with lessons from the New Zealand case.

Notes: This article shows that regulation of the employment relationship in European public services has tended to give more importance to collective bargaining than to unilateral employer regulation. Although collective bargaining is a general trend, it is not the same in every country. This article concentrates on collective bargaining levels and the outcomes of collective bargaining in selected European states. A major explanatory factor of the extent of collective bargaining is the nature of the civil service system. Reformed "non-career" systems tend to adopt collective bargaining institutions, resulting in binding collective agreements between employers and unions, while classical "career" systems do not.

Notes: Reform of the French civil service, embarked on in 1989, was designed to involve state employees and officials in the process by appealing to their sense of duty and commitment, rather than adopting a top-down approach and imposing control over them. "Service projects" provided for active participation of state officials in the definition of aims and objectives and organisation of their services. Several thousand individual services were involved. The evidence suggests that, in practice, participation concerned mainly the conditions of work organisation and often failed to involve all levels of the hierarchy. The reforms did not involve the trade unions, although they were consulted. As in the case of quality circles, which the reforms resembled, participation by all agents was not maintained after the first project. The use of "strategic projects" are still under way but the dimension of staff participation has progressively disappeared. The conclusion is that "service projects" are a failed experiment in staff participation and involvement.

Notes: The results to date of the contemporary organizational ethics movement are not encouraging; credible, empirical evidence of more ethical individuals and institutions remains to be discovered. This is not surprising, given the daunting nature of organizational change, multiple perspectives toward ethics programs, and the need for transformational, as opposed to transactional, leadership. As currently conceived and executed, ethics training tends to be rule-oriented, legalistic and superficial, and thus produces cynicism, boredom and passivity. Therefore, proposes an ethics training initiative consisting of a philosophical and an institutional framework, as well as a two-stage program based on clarification of universal values and justification of organizational policies and practices in light of those values. The philosophical framework is grounded in the unified ethic, which combines deontology, teleology, and virtue, while the institutional framework is grounded in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the work of the Caux Roundtable. The ultimate aim of this ethics training program is to advance global democratic deliberation and decision making in both private and public organizations.

Notes: Like many developing countries, Bangladesh has been experimenting with decentralization for a long period. However, despite numerous efforts undertaken over the years, decentralized governance remains elusive in Bangladesh. Drawing on historical and contemporary evidence, this paper analyzes the factors underlying the non-functioning of decentralization in Bangladesh.

Notes: This article examines the use of ‘new’ environmental policy instruments (NEPIs), particularly market-based instruments (for example, eco-taxes) and voluntary agreements, in the European Union (EU). It focuses on the actor motivation behind the recent increase in the adoption of new and innovative instruments in EU (and member state) environmental policies while also taking account of the external international arena. The article assesses whether new ideas put forward by policy entrepreneurs, such as member governments, EU institutions, expert groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), are the main motivation behind the EU adoption of NEPIs, or whether market and harmonization pressures are the main driving forces. It concentrates on eco-taxes, voluntary agreements and eco-labels, using the following three theoretical perspectives: (1) policy learning and transfer/ideational; (2) garbage can; and (3) institutional approaches.

Notes: The role of the state is changing under the impact of, for example, globalization. The changes have been variously understood as the new public management (NPM), the hollowing–out of the state and the new governance. This special issue of Public Administration explores the changing role of the state in advanced industrial democracies. It focuses on the puzzle of why states respond differently to common trends.This introductory article has three aims. First, we provide a brief review of the existing literature on public sector reform to show that our approach is distinctive. We argue that the existing literature does not explore the ways in which governmental traditions shape reform. Second, we outline an interpretive approach to the analysis of public sector reform built on the notions of beliefs, traditions, dilemmas and narratives. We provide brief illustrations of these ideas drawn from the individual country articles. Finally, we outline the ground covered by all the chapters but we do not summarize and compare their experiences of reform. That task is reserved for the concluding article.

Notes: A dialectical model of policy networks is deployed to analyse policy change in the area of GM crops in the UK. The model uses an analysis of the interaction between agents and structure, network and context and network and outcomes to understand and explain how policy change has occurred. A key advantage of the model is that it increases understanding of network transformation, explanation of which has been an alleged weakness of the policy network approach. However, this case study does throw up some weaknesses with the model, including the tendency of the model to emphasize the role of ‘insider’ agents and downplay the role of ‘outsiders’ in the policy process.

Notes: Australia's traditions of governance tend to be pragmatic and to blend different ideologies. Its traditions are less dependent on political party ideologies, and more on competing conceptions of the significant problems and the way that they should be addressed. In this article we identify five principal traditions, namely: settler–state developmentalism; civilizing capitalism; the development of a social–liberal constitutional tradition; traditions of federalism; and the exclusiveness/ inclusiveness of the state and society. These traditions have been robust and have developed over time. We show how political actors operating from within this plurality of traditions have understood the public sector and how their understandings have led to changes in the way the public sector is structured.

Notes: This article begins with a historical account of the various styles of governance in The Netherlands from the post–war period to date. That overview reveals the persistence of an underlying more traditional form of governance, that is, the tradition of consensual corporatism. Although conventionally believed to be an invention of the Catholic Church and subsequent political theorists, the present twentieth and twenty–first–century historical review of this corporatist style of governance leads to the conclusion that its historical roots are, instead, the age–old Dutch state traditions of tolerance, pragmatism and consensus. It looks as though the worn–out clichés of ‘images of the Dutch’ are indeed the fundamentally underlying core–concepts behind the Dutch style of governance. The ruling, merchant, partrician families of the Dutch Republic, in order to defend their international trade interests, in the midst of somewhat dogmatic Protestant preachers, were pragmatically tolerant of deviant ideas and groups and thus were able to reach a feasible compromise.

Notes: Public management reforms at the local (community) and regional (canton) level in Switzerland almost all embrace elements of the new public management. In addition, in Switzerland, the merging of small communities as well as new developments such as electronic government are becoming apparent. The new public management model has been adapted for Swiss needs according to the perception of decision makers on problems that require solution in a Swiss context. NPM has developed, therefore, into rather different models in practice, aimed at the solution of these diverse problems. Foreign examples, such as the Dutch Tilburg Model and the German Neues Steuerungsmodell, played a major role at the start of this process, but have continuously lost their influence as actual models to be emulated. The most outstanding peculiarities of the Swiss reforms are an early and subsequent outcome focus together with the strong influence of direct democracy.

Notes: Any account of Norwegian governance must engage with four different state traditions (Olsen 1988): the sovereign rationality–bounded or centralised state, the institutional state, the corporatist–pluralist state and the supermarket state. The first three traditions are historically interconnected, while the supermarket state is a fundamental and recent challenge to them. These traditions have co–existed in different combinations and their significance has changed several times, since the Constitution of 1814. In this article, first, I outline each tradition, tracing its historical roots, dominant actors and the competing definitions and interpretations. Second, I discuss the problems or dilemmas that confronted these traditions and the reforms enacted in response to them. Finally, I assess the consequences of these reforms. I focus on the post–World War II period. I finish by discussing the dynamic interdependence of the different state traditions.

Notes: Greater fiscal transparency is seen by its advocates as a means of improving economic governance arrangements in ways which, by promoting fiscal stability, will in turn improve the functioning of the government sector and facilitate improvements in the economic environment for the private sector. ‘Fiscal transparency’ is much acclaimed by policy-makers, not only in the UK Treasury but also by the IMF and OECD. Fiscal transparency can have substance or can just be voguish incantation. This article explores the meaning of fiscal transparency, by examining its structure and evaluating criteria for assessing the degree of fiscal transparency attached to particular sets of circumstances. It explores the link between transparency and accountability, developing the distinction between event and process transparency. Consideration is given to the trade-off between the value of sunlight (to employ an analogy) and the danger of over-exposure. The performance of the United Kingdom against emerging international best practice is examined, with regard to both public expenditure and taxation. By international standards, UK fiscal transparency is high. Nevertheless, there is a major gap between UK rhetoric and practice, indicating a  divergence between nominal and effective transparency. This is evidenced by: frequent changes in public expenditure definitions; the non-publication of important analyses; the location of certain liabilities ‘off-balance sheet’; and a lack of candour about tax policy.

Notes: Since the 1990s there has been a long-standing concern in government towards public sector accountability, management, efficiency and service delivery. A number of studies have attempted to analyse the multitude of individual changes and their manifestations through analyses based on a variety of institutional, policy and governmental distinctions. This paper attempts to specify the changes with particular reference to planning, and to consider the evolution of the public service ethic in planning towards more openness, scrutiny, transparency and efficiency with particular reference to the changing ethos of the professional employee. We first explore the  main impacts upon local government, the public service ethic and professional planning as a consequence of the Modernization agenda and freedoms and flexibilities initiative. We then look at how such changes have impacted upon the ethos and values in public service and planning. We draw on some evidence of Ombudsman cases to highlight issues of professional values in planning practice over the past decade before finally drawing these strands together in some conclusions. Our principal findings indicate that the much-trumpeted decline of services and standards may not have been as apparent as is sometimes portrayed and that internal professional attitudes and values towards the external changes may not have significantly altered over the same period.

Notes: In recent years a growing number of scholars have developed cognitive and ideational theoretical frameworks for the analysis of policy-making processes: their underlying belief is that ideas (conceived as beliefs, causal theories and paradigms) really do matter. The concept of policy paradigm has been particularly useful in studying both the contents and dynamics of policy change. The present paper takes this concept, partially reformulates Hall's definition in terms of the distinction between the hegemonic and dominant paradigm, and then uses it to come to terms with the contents and dynamics of the Italian administrative reforms implemented during the 1990s. Mixing the conceptual lenses offered by the ideational and cultural path taken in the field of public policy and by historical neo-institutionalism, this article attempts to explain the Italian trajectory, and to underline how normative and cognitive elements represent an important influence on the ‘design’ and ‘strategy’ of policy change. Our analysis of the consistency of the reformers’ documents and policy strategy shows that, despite their claims, the contents and strategy of reform do not represent a paradigmatic about-turn, but constitute an evolutionary adaptation to external pressures imposed by the hegemonic administrative paradigm.

Notes: The twin processes of Europeanization and Transition provide significant opportunities for the development of Public Administration education in Europe and provide a possibility to further the ‘emancipation’ of the discipline. In terms of Europeanization, the increasing challenges of politico-administrative interaction between national administrations and the institutions of the European Union illustrate that it is essential for Public Administration graduates to acquire an informed understanding of both the European context of policy-making and of the administrative organization and culture of other member states and countries associated with the EU. As a second element, the transition process in Central and Eastern European states could provide the discipline with further impetus to search for its own identity and approach in a European context. This article reviews the key findings of the results of the comprehensive inventories undertaken by the SOCRATES Thematic Network in Public Administration with regard to the current direction in which Public Administration education in Europe is moving. It addresses whether attention to European issues is reflected in the curriculum as well as links with the profession and whether cross-fertilization between the development of new programmes in the transition states and PA academic programmes in the EU member states has actually occurred.

Notes: This article revisits the country case studies and seeks to answer two questions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of an interpretive approach? What lessons can we draw from our analysis of public sector reform? To assess an interpretive approach, we discuss: the issues raised in identifying beliefs; the meaning of explanation; how to select traditions; the shift from prediction to informed conjecture and policy advice as storytelling. To assess the lessons, we outline our preferred story of public sector reform. We seek to show that an interpretive approach produces insights for students of public administration. We argue it remains feasible to give policy advice to public sector managers by telling them stories and providing rules of thumb (proverbs) to guide managerial practices.

Notes: This article, part of a sequence of comparative articles on local government reforms in The Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, describes and analyses the recent public management reforms at the local level of Germany. After an overview about the constitutional framework of local self government and the reform waves of the last decades, the paper concentrates on the ‘new steering model’ as the German variant of NPM. The article shows the short history of this reform movement, describes the main elements of the reform concept and explains some of the causes, forces and actors of implementation. It goes on to discuss the present status of implementation, explains several shortcomings of the concept, and presents the – very limited – empirical evidence of achieved results. Finally, the paper draws some conclusions from a comparative view on the similarities and differences of local management reforms in Germany and the two other countries.

Notes: The emphasis on public participation in contemporary policy discourse has prompted the development of a wide range of forums within which dialogue takes place between citizens and officials. Often such initiatives are intended to contribute to objectives relating to social exclusion and democratic renewal. The question of ‘who takes part’ within such forums is, then, critical to an understanding of how far new types of forums can contribute to the delivery of such objectives. This article draws on early findings of research conducted as part of the ESRC Democracy and Participation Programme. It addresses three questions: ‘How do public bodies define or constitute the public that they wish to engage in dialogue?’; ‘What notions of representation or representativeness do participants and public officials bring to the idea of legitimate membership of such forums?’; and ‘How do deliberative forums contribute to, or help ameliorate, processes of social inclusion and exclusion?’

Notes: Critiques of policy networks have highlighted particularly the inability of concepts such as policy communities to explain policy change. The established construction of policy community places it chiefly as a metaphor for a relatively stable network within the policy process, which emphasizes the resource dependencies between key stakeholders. Typically, a process of bargaining brings about accommodation and a state of negotiated order.However, a key problem arises in explaining major policy change where an established policy community persists. One solution here is to appreciate that, over time, dominant ideas and associated policy meanings may shift appreciably within an otherwise durable policy community. Thus, even a seemingly insulated policy community, under certain conditions, may not be immune to idea mutation and new policy meanings. Given the central importance of policy communities, these shifts may induce significant policy change.A case study of this type is provided by the Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS), where a dual process of change took place. On one level of analysis, a challenge to the policy community produced a typical bargaining strategy, with an emphasis on negotiated order. On another level of analysis, however, the terms of the policy debate shifted markedly, and produced a new meaning for the key concept of integrated transport within the policy community. In turn, this process induced significant policy change. The article concludes that, ironically, the survival of a policy community depends on its ability to re-create itself by visualizing a new future.

Notes: How does the non-executant state ensure that its agents are fulfilling their obligations to deliver nationally determined policies? In the case of elected local government in England and Wales, this function is carried out by the Audit Commission (AC) for Local Authorities and the Health Service for England and Wales. Since being established in 1983, it is the means by which local authorities are held to account by central government, both for its own purposes and on behalf of other interested stakeholders.Although the primary function of the AC is to ensure that local authorities are fulfilling their obligations, it does so by using different methods. By acting as a regulator, an independent expert, an opinion former and a mediator, the AC steers local authorities to ensure that they are compliant with the regulatory regime and are implementing legislation properly.

Notes: Three societies with similar initiatives for public service re-configuration and reform – the UK, Canada and Australia – are examined to highlight the many-faceted issues of public service ethics and the different approaches these governments have taken to re-building public trust and enhancing public service ethics in times of rapid change. These efforts for re-building an ethical public service are scrutinized according to four criteria for effectively leading change. Changes of public service values are also analysed as well as their implications for public servants.Effectively, applied leadership is identified as the pillar of ethical practice – emphasizing the need for quality leadership development through on-the-job experience. Although legislation and codification are seen as necessary for building an ethical infrastructure that can help employees out of encountered dilemmas, the way forward is seen as nurturing an environment of trust and vigilance in which ethics are promoted through exemplary behaviour of leaders and employees alike.

Notes: The consistent failure to match EU market integration with social policies provoked the development of new modes of European governance for welfare provision in the early 1990s. Based on policy co-ordination rather than integration, these new governance modes were consolidated as the ‘Open Method of Co-ordination’ (OMC) at the Lisbon Summit in 2000. This article analyses the scope and limits of the OMC, locating it in the context of broader trends and tendencies in governance and social provision. Indeed, the perceived ‘success’ of the OMC may reflect a deeper trend in social policy across western Europe and beyond, towards ‘active’ welfare policies. In many ways the OMC is consistent with the influential ‘regulatory state’ vision of the EU. Yet by ‘activating’ welfare the OMC may challenge market liberal theories of European economic regulation. The first seeks to integrate economic and social policies while the latter is premised on their separation.