Public Service Improvement

The performance of the public services, from education and policing to health and recycling, is a matter of concern in many countries. Issues of public service efficiency, cost, and effectiveness have moved to the forefront of political debate. This book applies the latest thinking from Management and Organization Studies to the performance of public organizations in order to evaluate the merits of different mechanisms for driving improvement in the public sector. Research in Management and Organization Studies on the private sector has identified a number of 'drivers' of improved performance, including innovation, organizational culture, leadership, and strategic planning. Many of these 'private sector' characteristics have emerged within public sector organisations in recent years. However, public managers face additional pressures, whether from regulators, constrained resources, or political interference. This book takes each of these drivers in turn and assesses whether they lead to improvement in public services. Written for students and researchers of Public Management, this book will also be of interest to public managers and consultants.

Rachel Ashworth is a Reader in Public Services Management based at the Cardiff Business School. Her research interests include performance improvement and public services, organizational accountability across the public sector, public sector professions, and the application of institutional theory to public service reform. She has published widely in a number of refereed journals including: Public Administration, Journal of Management Studies, Policy and Politics, Government and Policy, and Public Management Review. George A. Boyne is Professor of Public Sector Management at Cardiff Business School. His books include Constraints, Choices and Public Policies (JAI Press, 1996), Public Choice Theory and Local Government (Macmillan, 1998), Evaluating Public Management Reforms (Open University Press, 2003), and Perspectives on Public Service Performance: Measurement and Management (Cambridge University Press, 2006). He has published over 100 articles in journals such as Administration and Society, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration, and Public Administration Review. He is Associate Editor of the British Journal of Management and the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and a President-elect of the U.S. Public Management Research Association. He has acted as adviser to the Audit Commission, the National Audit Office, and the Local Government Association. Tom Entwistle is a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management and is programme director for Cardiff's Master of Public Administration. His research interests lie in the areas of partnership, local governance, central-local relations, and the policy process. He is currently working on an evaluation of local government policy for the Welsh Assembly Government, and has recently completed projects for the Lyons Inquiry, Countryside Agency, and the Welsh Local Government Association. He has had papers published in a number of refereed journals including: Public Administration, Environment and Planning, Policy and Politics, and Urban Studies.