Download or read book Reforming Public Management and Governance written by John Halligan and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-29 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the impact of several decades of public sector reform in four Westminster systems – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Political and managerial change has re-defined roles and relationships and how their public sectors function. Often this occurs in comparable ways because of a common administrative tradition, but choices made in different country contexts also produce divergent outcomes. In analysing the results and implications of reform, fundamental issues of and tensions in public administration and management are addressed.

Download or read book Public engagement in policy making written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-06-03 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this report the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) calls for a "wiki" approach to policy-making, where public opinion, ideas and contributions are sought and welcome at any and all stages of the policy cycle. The Government should be able to demonstrate that it has adopted this approach alongside ministerial leadership and responsibility for policy and its outcomes. All policy making carries risks: a lack of appetite for participation, disappointment arising from unrealistic expectations and the dominance of vested interests. Government must frankly assess and address these risks in relation to open policy making. Digital technology has a significant role to play in opening up policy-making. Government could and should go further and embrace radical and innovative approaches, making use of existing platforms and technologies, such as Twitter. The success and impact of public engagement in policy-making must be effectively measured. Government must able to demonstrate value for money and improved outcomes with this new approach, particularly in a time of austerity. The Committee says proposals for both "open" and "contestable" policy-making demonstrate that Government recognises the value of public opinion in helping to identify problems and develop solutions. However, for open policy-making to work, it must be a genuine departure from more traditional forms of policy-making, where public engagement has usually only occurred after the Government has already determined a course of action. Care must be taken to ensure that open policy-making processes are not dominated by vested interests or 'the usual suspects' who are aware of policy 'opportunities'.

Download or read book Whitehall Effect written by John Seddon and published by Triarchy Press. This book was released on 2014-05-11 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Seddon explains how successive governments have failed to deliver what our public services need and exposes the devastation that three decades of political fads, fashions and bad theory have caused. With specific examples and new evidence, he chronicles how the Whitehall ideas machine has failed on a monumental scale - and the impact that this has had on public sector workers and those of us who use public sector services.

Download or read book Changing Patterns of Social Protection written by Neil Gilbert and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A thoughtful assessment of socioeconomic needs and influences, observing the necessity for benefits as well as the lessons of experience offered by various nations"--Library Bookwatch Over the last two decades, aging populations, changing family structures, market forces of globalization, strains of immigration, and political and ideological realignments have joined to create powerful pressures that are reshaping the design and philosophy of social welfare policies. Changing Patterns of Social Protection analyzes emerging patterns of social welfare and the implications of these trends for the future of social protection to vulnerable groups in France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. Examining central policy trends in these countries, contributors explore current reforms of mainline programs: old age pensions, disability and unemployment insurance, family assistance, health care, and social services. The findings highlight how modern dynamics of social protection are manifest through reforms that include diverse social and economic incentives, changing benefit structures, a wide range of work-oriented measures, the resurgence of private activity, and current approaches to targeting benefits. Assessments of the socioeconomic influences that have precipitated these reforms reveal a broad range of common factors as well as country-specific influences such as the clientelistic approach to welfare in Italy, the complexities of reunification in Germany, and the "Dutch disease" of explosive claims for disability benefits. Changing Patterns of Social Protection offers insights into the issues raised by these policy reforms and their possible effects. By clarifying alternative policy designs this work affords a fresh perspective on how to think about the changing structure and function of social welfare arrangements in modern society. Neil Gilbert is Chernin Professor of Social Services and Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Center for Comparative Study of Family Welfare and Poverty Research. His numerous publications include twenty-five books and 100 articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Public Interest, Society, Commentary, and leading academic journals. Rebecca A. Van Voorhis is assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Services at the California State University, Hayward. Her publications include Activating the Unemployed and articles in Sociology and Social Welfare, European Journal of Social Work, and Children and Youth Services Review.

Download or read book Joint Approaches to Social Policy written by Linda Challis and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1988-02-11 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book isconcerned with the quest for rationality in decision-making, and the premise that improvements in the machinery of decision-making lead to better decisions.

Download or read book New Labour and the Civil Service written by D. Richards and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-11-12 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first serious study to analyze Labour's approach to the Civil Service. It offers a theoretically engaged, empirically rich analysis drawing from over 300 interviews with key actors to explore the 'New Labour' effect on Whitehall. It considers 1997 transition process and the extent to which reform has improved public service delivery.

Download or read book Modernizing Civil Services written by Tony Butcher and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This is an excellent collection of papers examining the dimensions of change in contemporary civil service systems. It is especially valuable in linking changes in the civil service with other changes in governing.' - B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, US Civil services in Western liberal democracies have undergone significant changes since the early 1980s, so much so that many of the traditional assumptions underpinning their role and operating practices have been fundamentally questioned. This volume explores a number of themes inherent in this transformation process and the significant problems encountered in modernizing civil services.

Download or read book The UK s Changing Democracy written by Patrick Dunleavy and published by LSE Press. This book was released on 2018-11-01 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The UK’s Changing Democracy presents a uniquely democratic perspective on all aspects of UK politics, at the centre in Westminster and Whitehall, and in all the devolved nations. The 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU marked a turning point in the UK’s political system. In the previous two decades, the country had undergone a series of democratic reforms, during which it seemed to evolve into a more typical European liberal democracy. The establishment of a Supreme Court, adoption of the Human Rights Act, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolution, proportional electoral systems, executive mayors and the growth in multi-party competition all marked profound changes to the British political tradition. Brexit may now bring some of these developments to a juddering halt. The UK’s previous ‘exceptionalism’ from European patterns looks certain to continue indefinitely. ‘Taking back control’ of regulations, trade, immigration and much more is the biggest change in UK governance for half a century. It has already produced enduring crises for the party system, Parliament and the core executive, with uniquely contested governance over critical issues, and a rapidly changing political landscape. Other recent trends are no less fast-moving, such as the revival of two-party dominance in England, the re-creation of some mass membership parties and the disruptive challenges of social media. In this context, an in-depth assessment of the quality of the UK’s democracy is essential. Each of the 2018 Democratic Audit’s 37 short chapters starts with clear criteria for what democracy requires in that part of the nation’s political life and outlines key recent developments before a SWOT analysis (of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) crystallises the current situation. A small number of core issues are then explored in more depth. Set against the global rise of debased semi-democracies, the book’s approach returns our focus firmly to the big issues around the quality and sustainability of the UK’s liberal democracy.

Download or read book Comparing Cabinets written by Patrick Weller and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is cabinet government so resilient? Despite many obituaries, why does it continue to be the vehicle for governing across most parliamentary systems? Comparing Cabinets answers these questions by examining the structure and performance of cabinet government in five democracies: the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Australia. The book is organised around the dilemmas that cabinet governments must solve: how to develop the formal rules and practices that can bring predictability and consistency to decision making; how to balance good policy with good politics; how to ensure cohesion between the factions and parties that constitute the cabinet while allowing levels of self-interest to be advanced; how leaders can balance persuasion and command; and how to maintain support through accountability at the same time as being able to make unpopular decisions. All these dilemmas are continuing challenges to cabinet government, never solvable, and constantly reappearing in different forms. Comparing distinct parliamentary systems reveals how traditions, beliefs, and practices shape the answers. There is no single definition of cabinet government, but rather arenas and shared practices that provide some cohesion. Such a comparative approach allows greater insight into the process of cabinet government that cannot be achieved in the study of any single political system, and an understanding of the pressures on each system by appreciating the options that are elsewhere accepted as common beliefs.

Download or read book Modernizing Governance written by Janet Newman and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2001-06-28 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ′Janet Newman′s ′Modernizing Governance′ provides a comprehensive and thorough critique of contemporary public sector reforms. The book combines an impressive synthesis of theoretical perspectives with a deep understanding of the practice of public policy making and management. The contradictions within a shift to governance are clearly highlighted, and the notion of a third way is carefully deconstructed. This book is an important contribution to the literature, and will provide stimulating reading for academic researchers and students′ - George Boyne, Professor of Public Sector Management, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University ′The tale of Tony Blair and "government" is a complicated one which Janet Newman tells with insight and academic rigour....It deserves wide readership; it ought to pique the interest of all those concerned with the condition of British democracy′ - David Walker, Analysis Editor and Leader Writer, The Guardian The first comprehensive guide that explores the politics and policies of new Labour. Has Labour′s responses to the challenges and issues of the past 4 years, represented something radically different both in content and style from the Thatcher and Major years? Did it, in the language of this book, represent the emergence of a new form of governance in the UK? This book offers: Critical insights into Labour′s impact on: § the relationship between government and citizens § public services and their users § the state and civil society Interpretations of core themes in Labour′s policy agenda: § the Third Way and social democracy § modernising government § public service reform § joined-up government and partnership § public participation and democratic renewal § remaking civil society Drawing on cultural and institutional theory, the author brings a fresh approach to the study of governance, politics and policy. She traces Labour′s attempt to reinstall ′the social′ in public and social policy by examining its use of the discourses of democracy, citizenship, community, social inclusion, partnership and public participation. The book analyses the implications of these new, and not so new, discourses for the practice of making and delivering policy, and the patterns of equality and diversity that they invoke. It also highlights the way in which managers, professionals and staff are responding to the new agenda, and the tensions and dilemmas produced in the process of institutional change.

Download or read book The Impact of the Freedom of Information Act on Central Government in the UK written by R. Hazell and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-08-11 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on interviews with officials, requesters and journalists, as well as a survey of FOI requesters and a study of stories in the national media, this book offers a unique insight into how the Freedom of Information Act 2000 really works.

Download or read book Improving the Efficiency of Central Government Office Property written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-08-31 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Central government office estate comprises over 5 million m2 of space and costs around £1.8 billion a year to run. Rationalisation of the estate therefore offers the public sector the chance to secure significant efficiency savings. From 2004 to 2010, central government departments have made savings of around £100 million each year on the cost of offices however government's use of space is still relatively inefficient. The Government Property Unit was established in 2010 to accelerate efficiency savings from the estate, but it has not provided the leadership necessary to deliver an effective cross-government approach. Until property is seen by departments as a cost as well as an asset, the vast potential savings will not be realised. The Unit needs to make it in the interests of departments to work together and, to do so it needs the support of the Treasury, which so far has been far too passive. Three further areas where the Unit needs to show far greater leadership are also highlighted. First, the bulk of public sector estate belongs to local government and the Unit needs to ensure that central and local government work more collaboratively. Second, the Unit needs to centralise property ownership and start to negotiate terms with major landlords on a more standardised basis. Finally, consolidating the estate will inevitably lead to the mothballing of buildings and current market conditions are making it difficult to re-let surplus space. There is, though, no point in the Government simply holding property in the hope of a future rise in property prices

Download or read book The Intimacy of Power An insight into private office Whitehall s most sensitive network written by Alun Evans and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2024-05-28 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in the corridors of power during a major crisis or after a ministerial reshuffle? How do new government ministers get to grips with their portfolios and priorities? Who guides and supports them? And why, sometimes – during events such as 'Partygate' – do things go wrong? In this meticulously researched book, former senior civil servant Alun Evans lifts the lid on a vital but little-known cog in the machinery of government: private office and the private secretaries who work within it. Private secretaries exercise huge influence, and yet most of us have never heard of them. They are the ones who manage the flow of work, who whisper quietly in ministers' ears and who have been Prime Ministers' closest, most trusted and most discreet confidants. At critical moments in our national history – from the Falklands War to the Westland affair, from Black Wednesday to the 2008 financial crash, from New Labour to the coalition government – they have been central but hidden players. With exceptional access to former Prime Ministers and decision-makers, Evans explores what private office is and why it matters to British democracy. He argues that following the egregious constitutional breaches of Boris Johnson's premiership, private office must once again be taken seriously so it can return to being the independent junction box of government and a vital part of the British constitution.

Download or read book A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less Evaluating Three Decades of Reform and Change in UK Central Government written by Christopher Hood and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2015-04-02 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The UK is said to have been one of the most prolific reformers of its public administration. Successive reforms have been accompanied by claims that the changes would make the world a better place by transforming the way government worked. Despite much discussion and debate over government makeovers and reforms, however, there has been remarkably little systematic evaluation of what happened to cost and performance in UK government during the last thirty years. A Government that Worked Better and Cost Less? aims to address that gap, offering a unique evaluation of UK government modernization programmes from 1980 to the present day. The book provides a distinctive framework for evaluating long-term performance in government, bringing together the working better and costing less dimensions, and presents detailed primary evidence within that framework.This book explores the implications of their findings for widely held ideas about public management, the questions they present, and their policy implications for a period in which pressures to make government work better and cost less are unlikely to go away.

Download or read book Financialising City Statecraft and Infrastructure written by Andy Pike and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2019 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Financialising City Statecraft and Infrastructure addresses the struggles of national and local states to fund, finance and govern urban infrastructure. It develops fresh thinking on financialisation and city statecraft to explain the socially and spatially uneven mixing of managerial, entrepreneurial and financialised city governance in austerity and limited decentralisation across England. As urban infrastructure fixes for the London global city-region risk undermining national ‘rebalancing’ efforts in the UK, city statecraft in the rest of the country is having uneasily to combine speculation, risk-taking and prospective venturing with co-ordination, planning and regulation.

Download or read book The Cabinet Office and the centre of Government written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords: Select Committee on the Constitution and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-01-29 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The House of Lords Constitution Committee have today published their 4th report of the 2009-10 session on 'The Cabinet Office and the Centre of Government' (HLP 30, ISBN 9780108459320) in which they suggest that power within the cabinet has become increasingly centralised to the Prime Minister and recommend that structures of accountability should be reformed to mirror that change. The Committee expresses support for the principles of collective responsibility but recognise that increasingly the Cabinet Office has become responsible for overseeing the delivery of government policy across departments. They stress that accountability mechanisms within the UK constitution are not set up to reflect this new reality with parliamentary and select committee scrutiny based on individual Ministers reporting to Parliament for activities within their departments. The Committee also considers the role of the Minister for the Cabinet Office, and state that the responsibilities of the post are currently poorly defined. They recommend that the Government reassess the functions of the Minister for the Cabinet Office to ensure that the postholder's responsibilities accurately reflect the strategic role the Cabinet Office plays in delivering government policy. The report goes on to consider the approach taken to changes to the machinery of government and the change in the role and function of the Lord Chancellor which took place during Tony Blair's time as Prime Minister. The Committee states that the process of change involved ’wholly inadequate' consultation both within government and with the senior judiciary, and further states that there was "no justification for failure to consult on these important reforms". The Committee recommends that in future the Cabinet Office should play a formal role in investigating any machinery of government changes, particularly those with constitutional implications.

Download or read book DFID and China written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. International Development Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incorporating HC 596-i, ii, and iii of session 2007-08 previously unpublished